What makes Middlebury College unique?

Middlebury College stands out for its globally recognized language programs, deep commitment to environmental studies, and immersive experiential learning, all within a traditional, rigorous liberal arts setting known for strong faculty-student bonds, critical thinking emphasis, and a vibrant Vermont campus life with unique offerings like the Middlebury Language Schools and the Bread Loaf School of English. Its prestige is amplified by a strong alumni network, particularly in finance, and its distinctive blend of small-college intimacy with global reach.

What is special about Middlebury College?

The beauty of our well-maintained campus provides a sense of permanence, stability, tradition, and stewardship. Middlebury has established itself as a leader in campus environmental initiatives, with an accompanying educational focus on environmental issues around the globe.

What is Middlebury Institute known for?

Middlebury is known worldwide for its leadership in language instruction, environmental studies, international programs, and innovations in experiential learning.

What does Middlebury College look for?

With a GPA of 4.11, Middlebury requires you to be at the top of your class. You'll need nearly straight A's in all your classes to compete with other applicants. Furthermore, you should be taking hard classes - AP or IB courses - to show that college-level academics is a breeze.

What is the vibe of Middlebury College?

Middlebury College is a distinctive, energetic, and welcoming community characterized by strong friendships, stimulating coursework, inspiring connections with faculty and staff, and rich experiences beyond the classroom.

Middlebury College Episode 1: Personalization through Small Class Sizes

Is Tufts or Middlebury better?

Neither Tufts nor Middlebury is objectively "better"; they are both prestigious, highly selective schools that offer different experiences, with Tufts being a larger university near Boston strong in international relations/engineering, while Middlebury is a smaller liberal arts college (LAC) known for its rural Vermont setting, strong environmental/language programs, and close-knit community. Your choice depends on your preference for a city vs. rural environment, large university vs. LAC feel, and specific academic interests, with Tufts offering more urban access and Middlebury focusing heavily on experiential learning and nature. 

What kind of students go to Middlebury?

Student body

Middlebury College is the ranked 5th in the country for the most share (23%) of students coming from the top 1% of family income ($630,000 or more per year). As of the 2022–2023 academic year, the student body consisted of 53% women and 47% men. 95% of the student population was from out of state.

Is Middlebury a baby ivy?

Yes, Middlebury College is widely considered a "Little Ivy," a prestigious group of highly selective liberal arts colleges in the Northeast known for Ivy League-level academics, strong faculty-student interaction, rigorous programs, and competitive admissions, often competing in the NCAA Division III NESCAC conference alongside other Little Ivies like Amherst, Williams, and Bowdoin.
 

What is the #1 hardest school to get into?

There isn't one single #1 hardest school, as it changes slightly by year and criteria, but Harvard University, Stanford University, MIT, and Caltech consistently rank among the top with extremely low acceptance rates (often 3-4%) and intense competition for spots, though other top global universities like Oxford and Tsinghua are also incredibly selective. Harvard is frequently cited as the hardest due to its high volume of applications and focus on global leadership potential, while Caltech is known for its extreme difficulty in STEM. 

Who is Middlebury's rival?

Today, rivalries vary by sport but typically include Williams College, Hamilton College and Amherst College.

What is the reputation of Middlebury College?

In the 2026 edition of Best Colleges, Middlebury College is ranked No. #13 in National Liberal Arts Colleges. It's also ranked No. #11 in Lowest Acceptance Rates.

What is the motto of Middlebury College?

For over two centuries, Middlebury has strived to be a place where a student's intellectual, spiritual, and moral character can grow and flourish. This is the meaning of the Middlebury's motto, Scientia et Virtus, knowledge and virtue.

Which little ivy is easiest to get into?

The "easiest" Little Ivy to get into depends on your definition, but schools like Union College, Lafayette College, and Connecticut College generally have higher acceptance rates (around 40-50% or more) compared to highly selective ones like Williams or Amherst (often 7-10%), making them more accessible target schools for strong applicants. However, all Little Ivies are selective, so "easiest" is relative; look for schools with acceptance rates above 20-30% if you're aiming for the less exclusive end.
 

How does Middlebury compare to other colleges?

On Sept. 23, U.S. News & World Report released its 2025–2026 national liberal arts colleges rankings, which dropped Middlebury to 19th place — eight positions lower than last year, tied with Grinnell College and Washington and Lee University.

What is the most prestigious College in Vermont?

The most prestigious university in Vermont is generally considered to be Middlebury College, a highly selective private liberal arts college known for its rigorous academics, global outlook, and strong national reputation, often called a "Little Ivy," though the University of Vermont (UVM), Vermont's public research university, also ranks highly. 

Where do top 1% send kids to college?

The "top 1%" of students, referring to those from the highest income brackets, tend to attend elite universities like MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, and Yale that consistently rank high in national and global lists, with some even having more students from the top 1% income bracket than the bottom 60% combined, according to The New York Times data. Top-ranked institutions like MIT, Princeton, Harvard, and Stanford are frequent top contenders in various 2026 rankings from U.S. News & World Report and Times Higher Education. 

Where do the 1% go to college?

The 1% of the wealthiest Americans disproportionately attend highly selective, elite universities, particularly Ivy League schools (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown, Penn, Columbia) and other top institutions like MIT, Stanford, Duke, and UChicago, where they make up a large percentage of the student body, often outnumbering students from the bottom 60% of income earners combined. Liberal arts colleges and prestigious public universities also attract many wealthy students, with specific examples including WashU St. Louis, UVA, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Vanderbilt, and Johns Hopkins.
 

What is the easiest Ivy League college to get into?

While all Ivy League schools are highly selective, Cornell University is generally considered the "easiest" to get into due to having the highest acceptance rate (around 8-9%), partly because it's the largest Ivy with diverse colleges, like the less competitive Agriculture and Life Sciences, though its engineering programs are tough. Dartmouth College and Brown University often follow as the next most accessible Ivies, while Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Columbia are typically the most difficult, with lower acceptance rates. 

Is Middlebury a tier 1 school?

Tier 2 schools are selective private liberal arts colleges like Middlebury and Vassar. Tier 3 are major public research universities, among them most of the University of California system.”

What are the 63 hidden Ivies?

The 63 "Hidden Ivies" are a list of excellent, selective colleges outside the traditional Ivy League, known for strong academics, often with liberal arts focuses, broken down into Northeast (37), South (12), Midwest (11), and West (3) regions, including schools like Amherst, Williams, Carleton, Duke, Emory, Stanford, Pomona, and UChicago, offering Ivy-level education without the traditional Ivy League name. 

Why is Middlebury so hard to get into?

Middlebury is hard to get into due to its extreme selectivity as an elite liberal arts college, demanding near-perfect grades (average 4.11 GPA) with challenging AP/IB courses, exceptional extracurricular commitment demonstrating leadership and passion, strong essays, and often a significant reliance on Early Decision (ED) which locks in many spots, creating intense competition in the Regular Decision pool for the remaining limited seats. It attracts a large pool of academically superior and well-rounded students from around the world, valuing deep, sustained interest in activities and intellectual curiosity. 

Why has Middlebury dropped in rankings?

Middlebury isn't ranked "low," but its ranking fluctuates due to factors like test-optional policies, changes in financial resources, and enrollment shifts, leading to perception drops (e.g., from 11th to 19th in some lists) which can impact application numbers, despite its strong academic reputation, focus on undergraduate teaching, and status as a "Little Ivy" known for rigorous liberal arts education and strong language/environmental programs. 

What is the vibe at Middlebury College?

People are very nice here, it is easy to find activities to do, and the college provides a lot of student support. The location is definitely a bit rural, but it is beautiful here and there's lots of access to nature as well as all the necessities right in town.

Who gets into Middlebury?

Middlebury College has an acceptance rate of 11%. Half the applicants admitted to Middlebury College who submitted test scores have an SAT score between 1445 and 1550 or an ACT score of 33 and 35. However, one quarter of admitted applicants achieved scores above these ranges and one quarter scored below these ranges.