My DS is a 2024 UVM grad, and he had a vastly different experience than the negative on described by @Dustyfeathers. I feel it’s important to weigh in so that prospective student and parents get a well-rounded picture. My son graduated from hs in 2020, and started his college career at a different school. He transferred to UVM as a sophomore, and had a fabulous experience all around.
In terms of reaching out for help with challenges, from dealing with student accessibility services to getting support from his school’s dean’s office (CAS) in a difficult situation, he never experienced a lack of responsiveness. I am beyond grateful for the supports he received when he needed them.
Academically, he had some amazing professors, was able to be a TA and a research assistant, and had 2 excellent internships in his major, both of which were facilitated by the career services office.
In terms of finances, we had nothing but positive experiences with the financial aid office. I was never unable to get help from them, and neither was a family member with proxy access who helped with his tuition. When he was in danger of losing his aid after a difficult semester, they warmly and kindly helped facilitate the process (along with his advisor) that he needed to go through in order to turn the situation around.
He’s now happily employed in Burlington and in the process of applying for a loan forgiveness program available to students who remain living and working in Vermont post-graduation.
Housing is 100 percent their Achilles heel. The positive is not only the guarantee, but actually the requirement, that freshmen and sophomores live on-campus. The dorm he lived in was a typical college double room, nothing remarkable but nothing terrible either. He was very fortunate to get affiliate housing (off campus, students only) for his jr and sr years, but yes, it was expensive and I’m told it’s challenging to obtain. Burlington is expensive and I know that getting off campus housing is not a seamless process. That said, my ds22 experienced similar challenges at a different school.
All of that said, every school isn’t for every kid, and sometimes it’s not a match. I agree with the posters who have mentioned digging a little deeper via things like Reddit threads to weigh the pros and cons with your student before making a decision on any school.