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A Middlebury College liberal arts education encourages students to pursue what they are most passionate about while supporting them in exploring a broad range of subjects across disciplines. Students graduate with much more than a degree; they leave Middlebury conscientious citizens able to think critically, communicate their ideas (possibly in another language), and connect across difference, skills that will serve them well no matter what community they become a part of or which professional field they choose. From the moment students matriculate, our Center for Careers and Internships (CCI) assists with every step of their internships and job searches, keeps them connected with our global network of Midd alumni, and remains a resource for them long after they have graduated.

We are deeply committed to creating a diverse, welcoming community with full and equal participation for all individuals and groups. First and foremost, our goal in Admissions is always to bring the most academically talented and diverse (in all senses of the word) class of students as possible to campus. Our students come from all 50 states and over 70 countries (international students make up about 12 percent of our student population). Our class profile provides an overview of our incoming class.

We have offices on campus dedicated to fostering the diverse experience of our students. The Anderson Freeman Resource Center (AFC) provides resources and programming that encourage the holistic development of Middlebury’s increasingly diverse undergraduate students as they attain their goals of academic achievement and personal growth while exploring and sustaining their identities and cultures. The Charles P. Scott Center for Spiritual and Religious Life creates opportunities for interfaith dialogue and fosters respect for the religious beliefs and practices of the people who make up the Middlebury community. The International Student and Scholar Services Office works with international students to ensure that they can work, study, or conduct research in Middlebury’s many programs on campus and around the globe. 

We look at every student in the context of their school and the academic opportunities provided to them. Middlebury does not have a specific set of courses that we require students to take in high school. Generally, we like to see two things: 1) that students are challenging themselves by taking advantage of the most rigorous courses available to them, and 2) that students take five “solids” (English, math, social studies, a lab science, and a language) every year for four years. 

Early Decision (ED) is binding at Middlebury, so we advise students who know beyond a doubt that Middlebury is their dream school to think about applying via the Early Decision option (note that the deadline for ED1 is November 1 and for ED2 is January 1). If a student does not know for sure where they wish to attend college, and/or if they would like to have the opportunity to compare admission offers and financial aid packages across different schools, then they should apply Regular Decision (the deadline is January 1). Middlebury has been consistent over the past several years in admitting roughly half of our incoming class via the two rounds of Early Decision combined.

Middlebury has long supported the idea of a gap year (in fact, in addition to our belief in the benefits of the gap year, we offer a February admission program, which provides students with a gap semester). In a typical year, we see roughly 3 or 4 percent of the incoming class take a full gap year. While more students have chosen to defer their Middlebury enrollment this year due to COVID-19, the number of students on a gap year who will join the Class of 2025 is still well under 10 percent of the class. Given that we see annual fluctuations in application numbers, we do not anticipate that the number of deferring students will have a significantly more substantial impact on our selectivity than we would typically see given those normal fluctuations.