Housing and Dining

The Arabic, Italian, and Portuguese Schools are located on the Bennington campus. All others are located on the Middlebury campus, except the English Language School in Monterey, California. Students, faculty, and staff live in dormitories and have meals together in dining halls, organized by language. This helps create a high-quality immersion experience for all.

Middlebury Campus

Founded in 1800, Middlebury creates and sustains a campus environment that is conducive to learning and that fosters engaged discourse. Our natural setting in Vermont’s Champlain Valley, with the Green Mountains to the east and the Adirondacks to the west, is crucial to our identity, providing refreshment and inspiration as well as a natural laboratory for research. 

The facilities at Middlebury are among the very best in the country, including the Mahaney Arts Center and the Museum of Art, the Peterson Family Athletics Complex, and the 135,000-square-foot Davis Family Library. The main campus is located within the town of Middlebury, allowing access to shops, restaurants, and local activities. 

Housing

Admitted students complete a questionnaire about study habits and lifestyle preferences in order to be appropriately matched with a roommate, hall-mates, or suite-mates. We are not able to offer family housing for students with a partner/spouse or children. Dorms are also not set up to accommodate overnight guests or pets other than approved service animals.

Most of the housing on the Middlebury campus is not air-conditioned. We install window air conditioners in the hottest spaces, typically the upper floors of large dorm buildings, prior to the student arrival dates. We recommend bringing a fan since you will not know in advance whether your room is air-conditioned.

Your room will have a mattress pad, blanket, and pillow. You will need to bring sheets, pillow case, towels/washcloths, and a desk lamp. You’ll be directed to a complete list of items provided and items to bring when you are accepted. We inform you of your room assignment and roommate information when you arrive on campus.

Dining

A fundamental component of the Language Schools instructional model is that each school has lunch and dinner together at assigned times. As an example, you may view a past dining schedule, which also provides information on the accommodation of special dietary needs. We’ll post the upcoming summer dining schedule by June 1.

Accessibility

Middlebury’s Student Accessibility Services has been serving students with disabilities on campus since 1995. Find more information on accommodations and assistance, including request forms, as well as details on service and assistance animals.

Bennington Campus

Bennington College was established in 1932 as a laboratory to explore new approaches in higher education. Its continued emphasis on self-directed learning, made real through hands-on experience in the field, has established Bennington as a bellwether among the nation’s liberal arts colleges.

Bennington is rated in the top 10 by Princeton Review in Best College Dorms, Best Classroom Experience, Most Beautiful Campus, and Best College Theater. Bennington is also ranked one of the Top 10 Colleges with Best Architecture by Architectural Digest.

In town you’ll find critically acclaimed restaurants and eateries as well as farm-to-table produce and local specialties. The region offers antique finds and high-end designer shopping alongside traditional retail and grocery stores that can supply your daily needs. The town of Bennington was named the 15th “Most Vibrant Arts Community in the Country” by the Center for Arts Research. Learn more about the town of Bennington.

Housing

Once admitted, students complete an enrollment form to provide information about study, sleep and lifestyle preferences in order to be appropriately matched with a roommate, or with hall-mates. The housing is a dormitory setting and the bathrooms are shared/communal. There is no air conditioning in any of the residential halls.

Your room will have a twin mattress. You will need to bring sheets, a pillow, pillow case, towels/washcloths, and a desk lamp. A complete list of items provided and items to bring will be posted on the Accepted Students website.

We are not able to offer family housing for students with a partner/spouse or children. Dorms are also not set up to accommodate overnight guests or pets other than service animals.

Dining

As in Middlebury, each school has lunch and dinner together at assigned times. As example:

Accessibility

Middlebury’s Student Accessibility Services applies to the Bennington campus as well. Find more information on accommodations and assistance, including request forms, as well as details on service and assistance animals.

Annual Security Report

The Clery Act for campus safety and security reporting mandates that Middlebury College notify prospective students and employees (faculty, staff, and student) of the annual crime and fire safety report. These Annual Security Reports (Middlebury, VT Campus, Bennington, VT Campus, MIIS) contain safety and security information, a detailed explanation of the Clery Act, and important contacts. Please see our Compliance Information site. If you would like a printed copy of any of these reports, please contact the Department of Public Safety at publicsafety@middlebury.edu.