If you are looking at iconic Northeastern small schools, you have probably already checked out Middlebury. This private liberal arts school in Vermont is mainly known for its language, environmental studies, and international studies programs– but it has 45 majors available for its roughly 2,800 undergraduate students. They are also popular for their winter term, a one-month semester where students concentrate on a course or do an internship.
Middlebury has recently seen historic numbers of applicants. For the Class of 2026, their acceptance rate was 9%. While their early acceptance rate was a little better at 15%, getting into Middlebury is competitive (however you apply).
You might be asking, “Can I get into Middlebury?” We aren’t going to lie; it's hard, but there are things that you can do to be the best candidate you can be. Let’s break them down.
What is Middlebury looking for?
Middlebury looks at a bunch of factors when looking at an applicant. They publish these factors in a document called the “common data set.” TBH, this document is super helpful when looking at admissions stats. So let’s get into it.
Pay close attention to the factors marked “very important” and “important.” These are the factors that you really want to knock it out of the park on.
Rigor, Class Rank, and GPA
It’s probably not shocking to say you need good academics to apply to Middlebury. It’s a little “duh,” but let’s look at it. Middlebury recommends 18 credits. We know it seems like 21 credits… but it's 4 credits of science with 3 being in a lab setting, not 7 science credits.
You should not only make sure you get all these credits, but you should also try to take these classes at a high level. Depending on what your school offers, this might mean IB, AP, Honors, or dual enrollment. Taking as many higher classes as you can shows a commitment to academic rigor.
Middlebury also looks at Class Rank and GPA. If you Google “Average Middlebury GPA,” you are probably going to get “4.0.” That isn’t necessarily wrong, but you should take it with a grain of salt. Middlebury looks at each student's GPA and class rank (for those whose high school ranks), but they don’t track those numbers overall. This means you should get the best GPA and class rank that you can as an individual. High schools grade differently. Some are just harder than others. And that means not all GPAs and class ranks carry the same weight.
Test Scores
Something Middlebury does track is test scores. Middlebury is test-optional, but if you submit test scores, they are important. About 49% of students submitted standardized tests. If you are considering submitting tests, try to have your scores fall between the 25th and 75th percentile. Usually, this is called the middle 50. If we are being real, you should really be in the 75th to 100th percentile. But, like, obviously, being the best is good.
Check the scores above; if your scores align with them, it’s probably worth submitting. If not, skip it.
Talent/Ability & Character/Personal Qualities
If you look at the Common App, there are no sections called Talent/Ability or Character/Personal Qualities. This can be confusing for students. Like how do you show these factors if they aren’t on the app? Well, mainly, these come through in other parts of your app. Your qualities and abilities should come through in your essays, recommendations, awards, and extracurriculars.
Essays and Recommendations
It’s important to try to get good recommendations… but you really aren’t in control of what your teachers say about you. Do your best to ask the right teachers and ask them early. Trust us, they will thank you for it.
What you can control is your essays. You want to absolutely slay the common app essay. Period. But how? Well, we have a ton of blogs about it. If you don’t know where to start we would super recommend this one. But we will also give you a crash course here.
Good common app essays do 2 things:
Tell a good story
Showcase some positive characteristics you have. It’s like 650 words… be realistic and focus on some important ones.
Write it in an engaging, well-written, and creative way.
Middlebury doesn’t have a supplement, but we recommend making more work for yourself and writing their admissions officers an email. Like, if there is a time to be extra, it's now. The email boils down to “Hi, this is me, and this is why I want to go to Middlebury.” But if you need a breakdown of how to write it, we have you covered here.
Extracurriculars
With activities, the name of the game is commitment. Trust us; colleges are not going to be impressed with the ten clubs you spend one hour a week on. Schools want you to follow your passions as far as you can. This means committing, taking on leadership tasks or roles, and pushing yourself. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter what your passions are (debate, classical Indian dance, rescuing turtles, making videos, poetry, etc.) What really matters is that you pursue those interests as far as possible with commitment and fervor.
That being said, there is one thing that will make you stand out—pursuing your academic interests outside of class. Say you want to major in history; having some summer courses in history, doing research, or interning at a museum is going to be super valuable for you. Plus, if you can slip in some work experience or community service, they will consider it. It’s not the most important, but it can be a cherry on top.
Middlebury asks for a lot. It’s hard to get in… so they can. Try your best, and if you need help, we have you covered. Reach out here.