Vassar College

Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college situated in Poughkeepsie. Formerly a women's college, Vassar is the only co-educational of the Seven Sisters.

The college was founded by its namesake, Matthew Vassar, in 1861 in the scenic Hudson Valley, approximately 70 miles (100 km) north of New York City. Vassar is often praised for its beautiful campus, a 1000 acre (4 km²) lot of land marked by period and modern buildings that is also an arboretum. The great majority of students live on campus. Founded as an all-female college, it went co-ed in 1969 after declining an offer to merge with Yale. Since that time, it has maintained its reputation as one of America's outstanding liberal arts colleges, and is especially noted for its tolerant social atmosphere. The newly renovated library has unusually large holdings for a college of its size. It includes special collections of originals of Albert Einstein and Elizabeth Bishop.

Today over two thousand students attend Vassar, including many international students. They are taught by over two hundred faculty members, virtually all of whom hold tertiary degrees.