Middlebury College: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Middlebury, Vermont · Private nonprofit · Highly selective · CDS 2025-2026
Middlebury College is a private nonprofit university in Middlebury, Vermont that admits about 10% of applicants, making it a highly selective school. The average family pays about $25,934 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Economics, Natural Resources Conservation and Research and Computer Science, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 93% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 8.0 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Middlebury College is a private institution located in Middlebury, Vermont and one of the highly selective schools in the country. For the most recent reporting cycle, Middlebury College admits roughly one in four applicants, with an overall admission rate of 10%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1500 and an ACT composite around 33. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $25,934 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Middlebury College is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Middlebury College?
Most admitted students at Middlebury College present unweighted GPAs in the 3.85–4.0 range with five or more AP or honors courses across high school. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Middlebury College weight in admissions?
Middlebury College reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2025-2026). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Class rank
- • Academic GPA
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Character/personal qualities
- • Standardized test scores
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Geographical residence
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Level of applicant's interest
- • Interview
- • State residency
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
SAT and ACT scores Middlebury College typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 710–780, with an EBRW midpoint near 720. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 33–34. Scores below the 25th-percentile mark are accepted occasionally, but the realistic submission target for most families is the school's middle-50 floor or higher.
| 25th percentile | 1460 |
| 50th percentile | 1500 |
| 75th percentile | 1530 |
| % submitting SAT | 33% |
| 25th percentile | 33 |
| 50th percentile | 34 |
| 75th percentile | 35 |
| % submitting ACT | 16% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
How much does Middlebury College actually cost?
Published tuition is $65,280 for in-state students and $65,280 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $18,600 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $25,934 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 17% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $70,120 |
| Room and board | $20,116 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $25,934 |
| Application fee | $65 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Middlebury College
| Regular deadline | 1/1 |
| Offers Early Decision | Yes |
| ED deadline | 11/1 |
| ED acceptance rate | 39% |
Will my child graduate from Middlebury College?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at Middlebury College
The most popular undergraduate programs at Middlebury College, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Economics, Natural Resources Conservation and Research and Computer Science. Across all programs, Middlebury College confers roughly 449 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Economics program report a median income of about $150,031 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Economics | 111 | $150,031 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | 62 | — |
| Computer Science | 53 | — |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | 49 | $116,041 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | 48 | — |
| Political Science and Government | 46 | — |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 45 | — |
| English Language and Literature/Letters, Other | 35 | $66,610 |
Is Middlebury College safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Middlebury College disclosed 22 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 8.0 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 1 violent offenses and 7 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at Middlebury College?
About 95% of undergraduates at Middlebury College live in campus housing, making it a largely residential campus. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in Vermont parents ask about
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Middlebury College
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Middlebury College recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Middlebury College
What GPA do I need for Middlebury College?
Most admitted students at Middlebury College present unweighted GPAs in the 3.85–4.0 range with five or more AP or honors courses across high school.
What SAT or ACT score does Middlebury College typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 710–780, with an EBRW midpoint near 720. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 33–34.
How much does Middlebury College actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Middlebury College after grants and scholarships is $25,934 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Middlebury College realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Middlebury College is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Middlebury College?
Middlebury College accepts about 10% of applicants out of roughly 11,831 who apply each year. That makes it a highly selective school.
Is Middlebury College test-optional?
Yes. Middlebury College is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What is the graduation rate at Middlebury College?
About 93% of students at Middlebury College graduate within six years. 93% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
Does applying Early Decision improve my chances at Middlebury College?
Middlebury College's Early Decision acceptance rate is about 39%, compared with its overall rate of 10%. Applying ED can meaningfully improve admission odds, but it is a binding commitment to enroll if accepted.
What does Middlebury College look for in applicants?
Middlebury College rates course rigor, class rank, GPA and extracurricular activities as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Middlebury College a public or private school, and where is it located?
Middlebury College is a private nonprofit institution located in Middlebury, Vermont.
What are the most popular majors at Middlebury College?
The largest undergraduate majors at Middlebury College by annual graduates are Economics, Natural Resources Conservation and Research and Computer Science. The school awards about 449 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Middlebury College safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Middlebury College reported 22 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 8.0 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at Middlebury College?
At Middlebury College, 95% of undergraduates live on campus, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2025-2026 Common Data Set submitted by Middlebury College, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.