The University of Vermont is unusual in a few ways. As a state flagship, you’d expect the majority of the students to be Vermonters – but because the state is so small, they only make up about a quarter of the 10,000 undergraduates at the school. It’s in a great college town, Burlington, which has two other colleges and is a popular tourist town. Beautiful Lake Champlain is the largest lake after the Great Lakes, and it’s literally just a few minutes away from campus. The University’s hospital is the largest Level 1 trauma center north of Boston, and it’s right on campus, which gives pre-health students amazing research and internship opportunities.
Academics at the University of Vermont
UVM has 100 majors in 8 colleges including the Honors College, which has about 950 students who join by invitation either as entering freshmen or in their first year on campus. The Dean told our counselor group that the Honors College feels like a small liberal arts college experience embedded in a larger university, with all of the resources of a major research institution. The College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (CEMS) offers five ABET- accredited degree programs, as well as programs in engineering management, computer science and an interdisciplinary program called computer science and information systems, which combines programming with a business core.
UVM also offers 35 accelerated master’s degrees in a variety of majors. There are TAs, but a relatively low number of graduate students. Ninety percent of classes are taught by professors, and class size ranges from under 20 students (mostly upper division courses taken in the junior and senior years) to 300. The pre-professional programs (pre-med, pre-law and pre-vet) boast placement rates well above national averages, at 54%, 85%, and 90%, respectively)
University of Vermont students are super-outdoorsy! There are ski slopes nearby and students get great deals on season passes, so they are regulars. The trees in the quad are perfectly spaced to hold hammocks and slacklines, so when the weather is good, students are generally outside. Speaking of the weather – the snow starts to fall in late October or early November, but it doesn’t really stick until December, right before winter break. January and February are pretty snowy and cold – you’ll need a nice winter coat and some good boots – and by mid-March, the temps are back up to the 40s and 50s and everyone is outside wearing t-shirts again! There are lots of clubs and activities, over 200, as well as 18 D1 sports, and big school spirit. The Greek system is active but not dominant, with about 9% of students participating.
Admission to the University of Vermont
All students who apply are automatically considered for merit scholarships, and UVM is test-optional. UVM has brought back the Early Decision option for those who want to indicate that this is their first choice school, but they will continue to offer a non-binding Early Action option as well.
Wait a minute – Vermont’s abbreviation is VT, so why do we call it UVM instead of UVT? Vert Monte is Latin for green mountain, Vermont’s moniker. You’ll understand if you visit!