fictional Vermont college on Netflix: Where was The S*x Lives of College Girls filmed? All filming locations revealed

The S*x Lives of College Girls is a teen comedy-drama series created by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, who also serve as the showrunners. The show's first season aired on HBO Max on November 18, 2021, the second season on November 17, 2022, and the third season on November 21, 2024. The dramedy is produced by Bonnie Muñoz, Caroline Goldfarb, Rheeqrheeq Chainey, and Wileen Dragovan.

The official synopsis of The S*x Lives of College Girls, as per Rotten Tomatoes, reads:

"Four roommates navigate their new freedom on the prestigious campus of Essex College."

The S*x Lives of College Girls was filmed at Poughkeepsie in New York, Seattle in Washington, and Los Angeles in California.

The Sx Lives of College Girls*: All filming locations explored

Season 1 of The S*x Lives of College Girls was filmed between November 2020 and July 2021. The S*x Lives of College Girls season 2 went into production on April 20, 2022, and wrapped up production on August 17, 2022. Filming for The S*x Lives of College Girls season 3 began on March 4, 2024, and ended on June 10, 2024.

Poughkeepsie, New York

In season 1, Vassar College in Poughkeepsie stood in for the show's fictional Essex College set in Vermont. Filming took place for around three weeks in June 2021, with the exterior and interior shots of the college captured for the series.

Vassar College's associated vice president for communications, Gladwyn Lopez, told the Poughkeepsie Journal in November 2021 that the series was filmed at various locations throughout the college. Among them were the main gate, athletic fields, the Thompson Library, the President’s house, the Vogelstein Center for Drama and Film, and the Rockefeller and Blodgett Halls.

Furthermore, multiple off-campus scenes were filmed at the nearby Raymond and Collegeview Avenue. The doughnut store was shot at the All Shook Up Cafe & Juice Bar at 44 Raymond Avenue.

Los Angeles, California

An image taken from The S*x Lives of College Girls (Image via Instagram/@thes*xlivesofcollegegirls)

Some scenes from season 1 were filmed at the Warner Brothers Studio in Burbank, California, in November 2020. A few college scenes from seasons 2 and 3 were filmed at the University of California, Los Angeles, with the Kerckhoff Coffee House on the main campus serving as the Sips coffeehouse where Kimberly worked part-time.

Washington State

For season 2, the college scenes were filmed at the University of Washington in Seattle instead of Vassar College. Filming locations included the Quad, the Red Square, Guggenheim Hall, and the Suzzallo Library. In June 2022, the crew hired around 100 real college students to appear as extras in the series.

Furthermore, the series was also filmed at the Shoreline Community College for a few days in August 2022.

Plot summary

The S*x Lives of College Girls follows the story of four girls - Kimberly, Bela, Leighton, and Whitney as they navigate the pressures of college life and everything that comes with it. The show begins with Whitney, a talented soccer player, having a secret affair with the assistant coach, Dalton, who eventually gets fired for his misconduct.

To get over him, she has a one-night stand with Canaan, which culminates in a relationship. However, Canaan breaks up with Whitney due to her insecurities. The latter decides to take her mind off the breakup by focusing on her studies and enrolling in a biochemistry class.

Furthermore, Kimberly comes from a working-class background and is the most naive member of the group. She works at the campus coffee shop, the Sips, with Canaan to support herself. Things get worse for Kimberly when she loses her scholarship after cheating on her Econ exam. Without any financial support, she struggles to pay for college and sells her eggs for money in season 2.

Kimberly develops feelings for her co-worker Canaan and gets into a messy love triangle with Whitney and Canaan by the end of the second season.

A still taken from The S*x Lives of College Girls (Image via Instagram/@thesexlivesofcollegegirls)

Moreover, Leighton struggles with her identity as a lesbian in the first season of The S*x Lives of College Girls. She falls in love with Alicia, the head of the women's center, but her reluctance to come out of the closet ends their relationship. Leighton gets back with Alicia after a brief dalliance with Tatum in season 2.

She comes out to her family and friends, who accept her with open arms. After Alicia decides to leave Vermont to go work in Boston in season 3, Leighton begins having second thoughts about her future at Essex.

Meanwhile, Bela dreams of being a comedy writer and gets accepted to write for The Catullan, the college's comedy magazine. However, she feels disappointed by the se*ist environment at the magazine. After being put in a compromising position by the co-editor Ryan, Bela and fellow writer Carla get him expelled.

Bela leaves The Catullan to launch the female comedy magazine, The Foxy, with fellow writer Evangeline. In season 2, she sleeps with the late-night host, Dan O'Connell, to secure an internship with him, causing her boyfriend, Eric, to break up with her. Bela also gets thrown out of The Foxy, which prompts her to apply to transfer schools at the end of season 2. However, her request is denied due to her low GPA scores.

Also Read: The S*x Lives of College Girls season 3 episode 2: Release date and time, what to expect, and more