Middlebury College
Get to know Middlebury College
School Profile
College Town campus setting
2,772 undergraduate students
1,500 graduate students
710 first-year students
16% first-generation students
Students hail from 51 U.S. states and territories and 50 countries
Admissions
Academics
Introduction to Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a place where students are engaged, globally curious, socially conscious, and motivated to pursue their passions. Students explore the breadth and depth of the liberal arts and sciences while living in a tight-knit campus community in beautiful Vermont. Core to their learning are students’ in-depth research projects and internships, which they pursue on location around the world. Through this rich mix of intellectual rigor, practice, and experience, Middlebury develops conscientious and impactful people of the world.
Founded in 1800, Middlebury welcomes a diversity of perspectives and creates opportunities for all students to take part in the discussion. Middlebury attracts students from around the world and focuses on the educational and personal development of each person through the residential college experience. Students live alongside peers in an environment that’s intentional about confronting inequality and injustice through critical thinking, open dialogue, and compassionate doing.
Academic opportunities at Middlebury are nearly limitless. Supportive faculty and staff encourage students to make the most of their college experience. The curriculum is designed so each student's education includes a breadth of experience across many fields and disciplines, as well as in-depth study in one area defined by the major. More than 45 departments and programs offer majors and minors, with interdisciplinary centers featuring ongoing programs, lectures, and events. Middlebury’s STEM offerings span eleven academic departments and programs in math, computer science, and physical and life sciences and feature cutting-edge student research in state-of-the-art facilities typically found at large universities. The Axinn Center for the Humanities is a hub of humanistic research and teaching. The Public Humanities Lab Initiative is a highlight, integrating Humanities skills and expertise with community projects of social and cultural significance.
The First@Midd pre-orientation program supports students who are the first in their family to attend college. It’s one of many programs designed by our Anderson Freeman Resource Center, which also supports students of color, students from low-income backgrounds, LGBTQ+ students, and others who have been historically underrepresented or marginalized in higher education.
Every Middlebury student participates in the first-year seminar program, which features small, intensive courses with a focus on developing critical thinking and effective writing skills. Recent subjects include Cities in Crisis, Language and Social Justice, and The Women of Game of Thrones.
Middlebury is an undergraduate college and then some, with renowned graduate schools that enrich the intellectual and cultural environment—which undergraduates can take full advantage of. These include programs in international studies, language immersion, literature and literacy, and the oldest and most prestigious writers’ conference in the world. At Middlebury, they want students to graduate world ready and work ready, having the life skills, perspectives, and supportive networks to pursue the future they imagine for themselves.
More than half of all students study abroad, usually for a semester or two in junior year. Middlebury’s well-known CV Starr Schools Abroad, at 37 sites in 16 countries, offers an immersive learning experience unlike any other.
Tucked between Middlebury’s 13-week fall and spring semesters is a gem of a term, called “J Term.” It’s a four-week session in January during which students may enroll in a single course, pursue an internship opportunity, or undertake an independent project.