Quick Facts & History

Quick Facts & History

Turning Higher Education Upside Down Since 1878

Champlain College is a small institution that offers big opportunities. We are not for profit. What we are for: innovation, social equity, interdisciplinary collaboration.

Champlain's multidimensional approach pairs in-depth career learning with our renowned Core curriculum (designed to cultivate important habits of mind) and built-in financial literacy and career positioning program—providing a comprehensive educational experience unmatched in higher education. Our graduates enjoy uncommonly early career success: Over the last six years, 91% of graduates were employed or continuing their education within six months after graduating.

How do we do it? Our curriculum is Upside-Down. Our faculty bring industry experience into the classroom. Our students learn by doing. We commit to a student experience that drives our graduates to thrive in the varied spaces where technology, creativity, and community intersect. Let us dare.




QUICK FACTS

  • FOUNDED: 1878
  • MAIN CAMPUS LOCATION: Champlain's stunning, main residential campus is located on 27 acres in Burlington, Vermont (214 miles to Boston // 104 miles to Montreal // 300 miles to New York City).
  • FOCUS: Career-focused programs and our distinctive, interdisciplinary liberal arts curriculum emphasize relevant, hands-on learning and a customized educational approach that creates a direct path to career success, lifelong learning, and a rewarding life.
  • TRADITIONAL ON-CAMPUS UNDERGRADUATE ENROLLMENT: 1,800 full-time undergraduate students from 46 states and 6 countries
  • MALE/FEMALE RATIO: 64% male, 36% female
  • NUMBER OF CLUBS, ACTIVITIES, & ORGANIZATIONS: 50+
  • ADDITIONAL CAMPUS LOCATIONS: Montreal, Canada, and Dublin, Ireland
  • COLLEGE MOTTO: Audeamus (Let Us Dare)
  • TOTAL AREAS OF STUDY: 100+ subject areas are available to study on campus, including undergraduate majors, minors, concentrations, and design-your-own-major threads.
  • UPSIDE-DOWN CURRICULUM: Our unique educational structure enables first-year students to take significant courses in their major beginning in their first semester.
  • STUDENT/FACULTY RATIO: 11:1
  • AVERAGE CLASS SIZE: 15 (maximum 30)
  • FULL-TIME FACULTY: 106
  • CLASSES TAUGHT BY FACULTY: 100%
  • ACADEMIC SUPPORT/RESOURCES: 20+ study mentors, academic coaches, and embedded class tutors 
  • INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC CAREER COACHES: 4
  • STUDENTS RECEIVING FINANCIAL AID: 99%

Accolades & Rankings

THE BEST


The 2023 Fiske Guide to Colleges selected Champlain as one of the "best and most interesting schools" in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain.

THE MOST


Champlain was named a "Most Innovative School" by U.S. News & World Report in its "America's Best Colleges" 2024 ranking of universities in the North.

TOP SCHOOL


Named one of The Best 389 Colleges in America for 2024 by The Princeton Review. 

Academic Philosophy

True learning occurs when information and experience combine to create knowledge.

An emphasis on career preparation and continuous self-improvement creates a direct path to professional success and a rewarding life.

Undergraduate Studies

Individually tailored career-focused programs blend transformative classroom teaching rooted in an understanding of tomorrow's workplace with active experiences, multidisciplinary studies, and life skills training.

Online Degrees & Continuing Education

Nationally recognized and critically acclaimed online bachelor's, master's and certificate programs, for working adults, and adults seeking to return to the workplace. 

Graduate Programs

Flexible online learning programs deliver the latest management skills and concepts in key disciplines while using work experiences to drive understanding of theory.

Small Campus, Big Life

McDonald Hall, Victorian-era Residence Hall at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont

Residence Halls

First-year students are housed in 21 restored Victorian-era mansions whose historical character is complemented by wireless connectivity and other technologies. Additional residential options include modern apartments and suites.  

Study Abroad

In addition to our home in Vermont, we have campuses in Montreal, Canada, and Dublin, Ireland—plus a mission and curriculum that encourage international study. More than 50% of our students spend time outside the United States, and many also intern during their semester abroad!

NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION

The College affirms its commitment to providing equal opportunity in education and employment and will not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of characteristics such as race, creed, color, national origin, place of birth, ancestry, religion, age, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, veteran or military status, HIV-positive status, qualified disability or any other characteristic to the extent protected, and as defined by, applicable law, in the administration of its educational and admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, employment practices, athletic, and other college-administered programs.

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Thanks for getting in touch—stickers and information will be on their way shortly. Please reach out anytime if you have any questions about Champlain; you can call or text us at 802.625.0201 or email us at admission@champlain.edu.

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