Middlebury College

Private · Highly Selective · VT

Photo: Kenneth James Burchfiel III (CC0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationVT · Northeast

SettingRural

Undergrads2,738

Student:faculty8:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate65.6%

6-yr grad rate91.4%

Drop-out rate6.3%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$68k

Out-of-state tuition$68k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity45.8%

Gender diversity53.5%

International12.3%

Identity—

Overview

Middlebury is a small liberal arts college in Vermont's Champlain Valley with a national reputation built around language study — its summer Language Schools, taught under a strict immersion pledge to speak only the target language for the entire term, are famous well beyond the undergraduate college itself. The setting is rural and scenic, and the college's culture blends serious academic intensity with a deeply outdoor-oriented lifestyle.

Academics

Beyond languages, Middlebury is strong in environmental studies, international studies, and creative writing — it runs the storied Bread Loaf Writers' Conference at a separate mountain campus, giving its writing program unusual visibility. Class sizes are small and discussion-based, typical of a highly selective liberal arts college, with close faculty relationships the norm rather than the exception, and many students study abroad through Middlebury's own network of overseas schools rather than a third-party provider.

Campus & student life

The Vermont setting is central to student life — Middlebury operates its own ski area, the Snow Bowl, and skiing, hiking, and general outdoor recreation are woven into the culture alongside academics. Winter Carnival is a long-running seasonal tradition. The rural, small-town setting means campus itself is the social hub, with a close, tight-knit residential community that doesn't have Greek life to organize around instead.

Getting in

Middlebury admissions are holistic and look for genuine intellectual engagement, often with some indication of interest in language, international perspective, or environmental issues — essays that show real curiosity tend to stand out at a college this selective and academically focused. Middlebury is also known for admitting a February-entry class, students who begin in the spring term rather than the fall.

After graduation

Graduates go on strongly into international affairs, education, environmental work, nonprofit and government sectors, and graduate study in the humanities and social sciences, with a long-standing tradition of graduates entering the Peace Corps and similar international service programs; the alumni network is close-knit and often cited for its loyalty to the college.

Worth knowing

The remote, rural Vermont location is a defining feature students should weigh honestly — it supports an intense, outdoorsy, close-community experience but means less access to a city than at comparable colleges near urban areas. The February-admit option and the language-immersion pledge are both distinctive features worth understanding before applying.

middlebury.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate10.8%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1445–1550 · ACT 33–35

Test policyoptional

Rec letters3

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early decisionNov 2

Regular decisionJan 4

Verified from the school’s admissions page ↗

Applying (2026-27 cycle)

Apply through Common App, Coalition (Scoir), or QuestBridge.

Early decision IIJan 4

Financial aid formsFeb 1

Early Decision I and II are both binding; Early Decision II shares its January 4 deadline with Regular Decision.

Interviews: Alumni interviews are optional and offered based on availability after you apply; if you aren't matched with an interviewer you can submit a short Glimpse video instead.

Verified from the school’s admissions pages ↗