The Top 10 Reasons to Apply to Champlain College

10. The views don’t get any better than this.

Mother Nature and history have conspired to give us one of the most beautiful campuses in the country. Situated in the historic Hill Section of Burlington, overlooking Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains, the views from campus don’t just amaze, they stir the soul.

9. You can try on a career before you dedicate yourself to that field.

At Champlain, you will be able to confirm right away whether your chosen career is really right for you. You won’t have to wait until after graduation to explore the real day-to-day projects involved in the career you want. Career-relevant internships, in-depth field work, dedicated Career Coaches, and Champlain’s renowned Leahy Center for Digital Forensics & Cybersecurity will help you determine which path you want to follow (or forge!).

8. Your resume and LinkedIn profile will be better than everyone else’s.

At the beginning of your second year (much earlier than your peers at other institutions), you’ll build a stand-out LinkedIn profile thanks to InSight, our financial, career education, and well-being program. You’ll get your name out there early, networking and connecting with people who can help you get internships and jobs both during and after your time at Champlain. InSight will also teach you the value of your money and how to manage it (for real) starting right in your first year.

7. Studying abroad and experiencing other cultures is the norm here.

More than half of Champlain students study abroad or take part in one of our service-learning trips. We encourage you to get out and see the world; to step outside of your comfort zone and immerse yourself in another culture. Thanks to our satellite campuses in Dublin, Ireland and Montreal, Canada, you can explore the world without leaving the Champlain community. You also have the option to study with our third-party partners in picturesque places like New Zealand, Italy, France, Spain, and more. Stiller School of Business students have the opportunity to spend a summer interning abroad in Asia through the Freeman Foundation.

6. Your professors will inspire you to master difficult and challenging things. They’ll also know your name.

Champlain’s professors are 100% devoted to teaching and helping you succeed. They are experts in the fields they teach and offer a wealth of connections to the industries and careers of your dreams. You’ll never find yourself nodding off under the dim lights of a massive lecture hall. The average class size here is 12 with a student to faculty ratio of 11:1.

5. You really can change the world when you study at one of the greenest colleges in the country.

Like our environmentally friendly hometown—the first city in the country to draw 100 percent of its power from renewable sources—Champlain is committed to sustainability. In fact, The Princeton Review lists Champlain on its Guide to Green Colleges list. But sustainability is not just about the environment. It also includes social justice and equity. Champlain’s Center for Service & Sustainability and Center for Community & Social Justice empower the Champlain community to advance social justice, build community, and help others through service-learning and educational opportunities.

4. The best (and safest) college town in the country, nestled in The Green Mountain state.

Burlington and Vermont continue to pile up accolades year after year. Our beautiful hometown has been called, “The Best College Town in the United States” by Travel + Leisure, “One of the Greatest Places to Live in America” by Outside magazine,” and “One of the Coolest Small Cities in America” by Thrillist.com. Burlington is known for its small-town city feel and for being a safe place to live and explore. In fact, WalletHub rates South Burlington and Burlington the #1 and #4 safest city in America.

We make exploring easy, too. Pedestrian friendly Church Street—and everything it has to offer—is just a short walk away. Students have access to a free campus shuttle, free city bus pass, and memberships to bike-share AND car-share programs.

3. Live in the best dorms. Ever.

First-year students live in one of the 21 beautifully restored Victorian-era mansions that ring our central campus. Did we say mansions? Yes, yes we did. These grand and stately homes in the historic Hill Section of Burlington retain the gorgeous woodwork, bay windows, stained glass, and curved staircases of their era, but all have been updated to include ultrafast Wi-Fi, live and on-demand streaming TV and movies, laundry facilities, and other amenities.

For juniors and seniors who eventually want to put a little more distance between school and home, we have deluxe apartment-style housing options with spectacular views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains.

2. You’ll make friends for life.

At Champlain, you’ll be surrounded by other creative, hard-working, and caring people. From the first exciting week you arrive on campus to the last poignant days before you graduate, you’ll be making and keeping the kind of friendships that last a lifetime. Our amazing Student Life team creates endless and outstanding opportunities for everyone to come together, make friends, and have fun.

1. The Upside-Down Curriculum is the #1 reason students tell us why they chose Champlain.

Champlain’s Upside-Down Curriculum accelerates learning. It means you can dive into your major-specific classes in your first semester so you’re prepared for serious internships in your chosen profession in your first year. You’ll learn the latest technology and be exposed to big ideas in your field and related industries. You’ll discover what inspires you and find out what you want to do—and who you want be—not just today and tomorrow, but for the rest of your life. When you’re ready to launch your career, you’ll hit the ground running.

If you enroll as an undeclared major, the curriculum allows you to take courses in different majors so you can see which area of study inspires you the most.

Innovation and world-class academics are two reasons why, year after year, we appear in the most prestigious college ranking guides, including The Princeton Review’s 2025 “The Best 390 Colleges” and U.S. News & World Report‘s 2025 “America’s Regional Universities” in the North.

So, come spend four unforgettable years at Champlain College.

Not only will you be challenged to accomplish mind-blowing things, you’ll have the time of your life in a breathtaking setting. By graduation, you’ll possess the knowledge, skills, and experience you need to excel in your chosen career.

Apply through the Champlain College application or add Champlain to your list of schools on the Common Application. It costs nothing to apply, and it’s completely optional to submit your standardized test scores. If you have any questions, please reach out to the Champlain Admissions team. We can’t wait to see you on campus!