Fall 2025 Graduation Requirement Changes

If you are enrolled and complete classes in the fall 2025 semester or later, your minimum credit requirement for graduation is 34 credits.  You still need to complete all other degree requirements as outlined on your Degree Progress Worksheet (i.e. academic distributions, cultures & civilizations requirements, college writing, physical education, Winter Term, and your major(s) or optional minor requirements).  Additionally, any testing credit that had been awarded will be removed from your record and will no longer count toward the minimum 34 credits required for graduation.

Yes.  34 credits is a minimum credit requirement for graduation.  The typical full course load for an academic year is 9 credits (4-1-4 or 4-4-1), and students are encouraged to register for a full course load each semester.

Students enrolled in a Middlebury program who attend and complete the fall 2025 semester (or a later semester) must earn a minimum of 34 credits.  To be considered full-time enrolled, students must register for a minimum of three credits per semester.  Students in their final semester with only one or two remaining credits may apply for special student status.  Special students are charged by the course, cannot receive institutional financial aid, and may not live on campus.

No.  Beginning in the fall 2025 semester, no credit earned from pre-college testing can be used toward the minimum 34 credits needed to graduate.  Any credit that has already been awarded to your record will be removed in the spring and no new credit will be awarded.

No.  As was the case before this change, testing credit was not included in your credit class calculation for registration purposes.

In most cases, no.  AP credits have never counted toward distribution requirements, but IB and A-Level credit that was previously applicable toward degree requirements in some subjects will be removed as part of this change.  Any credit or distribution tags that had been awarded for testing credits will be removed from students’ records in the spring.

NOTE: Students graduating in March and May 2026 may be permitted to retain an academic distribution from IB or A-Level testing credit if it is needed for graduation.  Students in this situation will receive an email from the Office of the Registrar with more information.

All students must earn a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4 Winter Term credits.

In some cases, qualifying pre-college test scores may be used to waive or satisfy major requirements.  Consult with your major advisor, or with your Department Chair or Program Director if you have specific questions.

Students can expect to see their Degree Progress Worksheets updated in the spring semester before the fall 2025 advising period begins in April.

In some cases, departments may still include AP scores as equivalents to course pre-requisites for registration.

All students enrolled in classes in the fall 2025 semester or later need a minimum of 34 credits to graduate.

Yes.  At least 18 of the minimum 34 credits required for graduation must be Middlebury credits.

In most cases, students enrolled in classes on the Middlebury College campus in the fall semester can register for a Winter Term course.  If you have already earned 4 Winter Term credits (including any study away Winter Term Equivalent credit), email the Office of the Registrar (registrar@middlebury.edu.) to discuss your options.

Students enrolled in an approved study abroad/away program are required to enroll in a “normal full load” abroad.