Middlebury College Will Continue Test Optional Policy for Admissions

As part of a continuing commitment to educational access and inclusive excellence, Middlebury College will continue its test optional policy for admissions for an additional three years, following three years of study.

“During the past three years, we have affirmed that providing this option creates more opportunity for students to consider and apply to Middlebury,” Dean of Admissions Nicole Curvin said. 

Under the policy, Middlebury College applicants are not required to submit standardized test scores. If they choose to submit test scores, Middlebury will continue to accept either the SAT or ACT test scores. Students who choose not to submit test scores are given full and equal consideration. (The College Board in 2021 discontinued SAT Subject Tests, which also used to be considered by Middlebury). 

Applications will continue to be evaluated holistically based on a number of criteria, including grades, recommendations, community engagement, co-curricular activities, and essays.

Pilot Program

Middlebury launched the test optional policy as a pilot program in April 2020  when there was limited availability of standardized testing due to the pandemic. The policy had already been under discussion, as a way of creating a more equitable admissions process by clearing obstacles that might prevent students from applying.

This year, about 45 percent of the total number of applicants chose to submit standardized test scores. Middlebury is among hundreds of schools that have made this shift in recent years including all of the colleges in NESCAC.

Class of 2027 and 2027.5 Update

Middlebury continues to be a top choice for prospective students, once again drawing the largest number of applicants in college history during the most recent admissions cycle for the Class of 2027 and 2027.5. A total of 13,297 applied for admission, up 2 percent from the previous year’s total of 13,028. The overall acceptance rate, which includes 516 students admitted through the College’s early admissions program, is 11 percent.

“We are grateful that Middlebury continues to draw highly qualified applicants from a wide range of lived experiences,” said Dean of Admissions Nicole Curvin. “We received applications from students who already embody our mission of contributing to community and addressing the world’s most challenging problems, and who are looking to put those skills into practice.” 

Curvin attributed the continued growth in Middlebury’s applicant pool to a number of factors, including the new Questbridge partnership and the test optional policy.

The total number of admitted students who are students of color, including early and regular decision candidates, was 51 percent this year. About 24 percent are admitted first-generation or students who are the first in their families to attend college, and 14 percent are admitted international students.

Middlebury will award about $18.2 million in need-based financial aid to the Class of 2027, with roughly 46 percent of the students receiving support.

The College expects to enroll 630 students in September 2023–including 32 who will spend their first semester studying in a special first-year program in Copenhagen–and about 105 students in February 2023.