How to Get Into Middlebury College: Admissions Data & Strategies

Situated in scenic Addison County, Vermont, Middlebury College is consistently ranked in the top 10 liberal arts schools in the United States. While not quite as selective as the likes of Amherst, Swarthmore, or Bowdoin, Middlebury still has extremely high standards for prospective applicants and rejects more than 80% of those who apply.

Middlebury has always has always been an extremely selective institution, but the quest to gain acceptance into this liberal arts powerhouse has never been more challenging, as the following stats show:

• 1995: 36%
• 2005: 25%
• 2015: 20%
• 2021: 16%

To give future Middlebury applicants a better sense of their admissions chances, this blog will cover the following topics:

• Middlebury College’s Class of 2025 acceptance rate
• Middlebury College’s 2025 Early Decision acceptance rate
• SAT, ACT, and class rank of accepted Middlebury College applicants
• Middlebury Admissions trends for the Class of 2025
• Middlebury College’s system for rating applicants
• A look at the demographics of current Middlebury College undergraduates
• The percent of accepted students that attend the Middlebury College (yield rate)
• Tips for applying to Middlebury College
• How to assess whether applying to the Middlebury College is even worth the $65 application fee (for you)

Let’s begin with an examination of the most recent admissions data.

Middlebury College Acceptance Rate – Class of 2025

Middlebury received an all-time high number of applications for a place in the Class of 2025—11,908 in total— and accepted just 1,875. This acceptance rate of 16% was much lower than the 22% acceptance rate the previous year.

Middlebury College Early Decision Acceptance Rate

Middlebury admitted 425 students through ED in 2025, however, they have yet to release official admissions totals. For the Class of 2024 (most recent official data released), Middlebury received 838 ED applications and accepted 392 individuals. The ED acceptance rate for this cohort was 47% versus just 20% for those applying in the regular round.

Middlebury College Admissions – SAT, ACT, and Class Rank

Middlebury was test-optional for the Class of 2025. Among enrolled 2021-22 freshmen who elected to include scores with their applications, the mid-50% range was 1420-1470 on the SAT and 32-34. Looking at Class of 2024 data (most recent class rank numbers available), 80% of enrolled freshmen finished in the top 10% of their high school class and 98% were in the top quartile.

Admissions Trends & Notes – Class of 2025

• The number of applications spiked 30% from the Class of 2024 to the Class of 2025.
• Middlebury is in the middle of three-year test-optional pilot program that will last through the 2022-23 admissions cycle.
• 47% of students admitted into the Class of 2025 identify as students of color.
• 18% of the Class of 2025 are first-generation students.
• The average financial award for eligible students was $57,078.

How Middlebury College Rates Applicants

Middlebury uses a truly holistic admissions process and lists six factors as “very important” to their unique evaluation process: rigor of high school course load, class rank. GPA, extracurricular activities, talent/ability, and character/personal qualities. The three factors labeled as “important” are the application essays, recommendations, and race/ethnicity.

Straight from the Middlebury admissions office:

• “We strive to understand our applicants in the fullest sense of who they are—in school, in their community, and as part of their family. Our admissions process is a holistic one in which we weigh multiple factors beyond test scores and grades. Your personal essay, teacher recommendations, cocurricular activities, individual background and story, and unique characteristics are all important to us.”
• “Middlebury’s admissions decisions are based on high school records, recommendations, activities and interests, and student writing. Most students rank in the top 10 percent of their high school classes and challenge themselves with rigorous course loads and a commitment to non-academic interests.”

Middlebury College Demographics

Let’s look at the demographics of Middlebury College undergraduate student body. The following are the U.S. states that saw the greatest number of applicants accepted into the Class of 2025:

1. New York
2. California
3. Massachusetts
4. Texas
5. Illinois

13% of students admitted into the Class of 2025 are international students. The greatest percentage of international students come from the following countries:

1. China
2. Canada
3. United Kingdom
4. Mexico

In terms of ethnic identity, the breakdown of entire undergraduate student body is as follows:

• White: 60%
• Asian: 8%
• Hispanic: 11%
• African American: 4%
• Two or More Races: 6%
• International: 10%

A look at the gender split reveals that university enrolls a slightly greater number of women than men on campus:

• Men: 47%
• Women: 53%

Middlebury College’s “Yield Rate”

Middlebury College’s yield rate—the percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who are admitted is 30%. This places them a bit below other top liberal arts schools which have the following yields: Williams College (46%), Pomona College (45%), and Swarthmore College (35%).

Tips for Applying to Middlebury College

If you plan on joining the almost 12,000 Middlebury College hopefuls for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:

• If Middlebury is your top choice, you’ll want to strongly consider applying ED I by November 15 or ED II by early January. The Regular Decision deadline falls in the first week of January, but the acceptance rates are significantly lower in this round.
• Middlebury does recommend that students sit for an evaluative alumni interview. However, they are space-limited and no on-campus interviews are available.
• Your counselor and teacher recommendations will be key at Middlebury. Visit our blog for tips on requesting high school letters of recommendation.
• Middlebury College does consider “demonstrated interest” so they may be examining whether or not you made a campus visit, contacted an admissions officer, follow them on social media, etc.
• You’ll need to submit a Mid-Year Report in late February so remember to keep those grades up throughout your senior year of high school.
• Make sure to dedicate sufficient time and effort to the Common App essay when working on your Middlebury application. In the 2021-22 cycle, there were no supplemental essays offered by the college, a rarity among highly-selective schools.

Should I Apply to Middlebury?

Virtually every successful applicant to Middlebury finished at or near the top of their high school class and can claim many special talents both inside and outside of the classroom. Given the sub- 16% acceptance rate, any student applying to a school of Middlebury College’s caliber also needs to also have a proper mix or “target” and “safety” schools on their college list. More on creating a balanced college list can be found here.