MIDDLEBURY, Vt. – Middlebury College has seen an increase in its “yield,” or the percentage of students who accepted its offer of admission, for the Class of 2018. Forty-two percent of admitted students have committed to attend Middlebury next year, starting either in September or as part of the cohort of students matriculating in February. That is up from a 40 percent overall yield last year. The figures include students who were accepted under Middlebury’s early decision program and those offered acceptance in March as part of the regular decision pool.

The new class will have the highest percentage of students of color–26 percent–and the highest percentage of students who are the first generation in their families to attend college–14 percent–of any Middlebury College class to date. International students represent 12 percent of the class, a figure that is equivalent to the highest percentage from previous years.

This year’s incoming class at the College will be slightly smaller than in recent years because an unexpectedly high number of admitted students chose to enroll last year. As a result, competition for admission was particularly strong as the College admitted 200 fewer students regular admission.

“We’ve attracted some of the very top students this year,” said Greg Buckles, Middlebury dean of admissions. “Taken in context with our excellent results with international and first-generation students, as well as students of color, this is one of our most successful recruiting years ever.”

Buckles attributed the higher yield to several factors, including better communication with the admitted students, an increase in admissions staff travel to several countries where student interest is high, and an especially well-planned Preview Days event where admitted students are invited to campus. This year’s Preview Days, which took place April 16-18, attracted a record number of participants who interacted with faculty and engaged in a variety of other activities, all with the help of a popular new app created by Middlebury for the event. The College also expanded the financial support it provides to students for whom a visit to campus during Preview Days is a financial burden. For students who could not attend, there also were two phonathons, a web chat, and weekly video updates.

Buckles also said that Middlebury’s international and global studies program, and its environmental studies program continue to attract applicants. The balance of strong academics and a wide variety of extracurricular activities along with the beauty of the College’s Vermont setting remain appealing as well.

According to Buckles, the College had originally planned to admit at least 50 students from the wait list this year. With the high number of students who have decided to matriculate at Middlebury, the College has accepted only 10 from the wait list and does not expect to admit many more, if any.

Offering a wide range of geographic diversity, students from the Class of 2018 come from 38 countries; 44 states; Washington, D.C.; and Puerto Rico.

Forty-two percent of the new class will receive financial aid from the College.