“Talent, drive, potential, who you are as a creative, curious, and world-asking individual—not financial means—should determine who receives a Middlebury education.” — Middlebury President Ian Baucom
MIDDLEBURY — It just became a little easier to attend Middlebury College for students from families of more limited means.
Middlebury College President Ian Baucom on Wednesday announced that starting with the Class of 2031, admitted students from families with incomes of up to $175,000 and typical assets will attend Middlebury tuition-free. Officials said in a press release that this move fulfills one of the first action items from the college’s recently adopted strategic plan, which goes by the name “Excellence. Purpose. Joy.”
“Our recently adopted strategic plan—Excellence. Purpose. Joy.—has made strengthening our core and investing in our people our first priority,” Baucom said in the press release. “That begins with investing in our students and making college more deeply affordable. Talent, drive, potential, who you are as a creative, curious, and world-asking individual—not financial means—should determine who receives a Middlebury education.”
The strategic plan set a goal of $150,000 family income as the initial threshold for students to attend tuition-free, but was able to adjust upward to $175,000 sooner than anticipated.
“Thanks to the generous support of our many donors who share that vision, this new tuition program will allow more students to experience Middlebury as a place where they can thrive intellectually and personally, regardless of their economic circumstances,” Baucom said. “I am deeply grateful for the support that has made this vision real.”
In February, Middlebury trustees approved a comprehensive fee for the undergraduate college that brings the total cost of attendance for the 2026–27 academic year to $94,386. The 4.0% increase brings tuition to $72,924, room and board to $20,920, and the Student Government Association fee to $542. David Provost, executive vice president for finance and administration, said the college’s cost of attendance remains in the middle of its peer institutions.
In April, Middlebury College announced that it had offered admission to around 2,000 students for the Class of 2030 and 2030.5. With an application pool of 11,458, that means the admit rate of 17%. Admitted students hail from dozens of countries, with the largest numbers coming from China, Canada, the United Kingdom, India and France. Students from all 50 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Armed Forces Pacific, are represented, with New York leading the way with 252 applicants, followed by Massachusetts, California, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Vermont.
The college pointed out that the tuition-free program is the latest in Middlebury’s longstanding efforts to make college affordable. Middlebury College has already distinguished itself as one of a small group of schools that meet full demonstrated financial need for all admitted students. About 50% of Middlebury students receive need-based financial aid. This year the college awarded nearly $80 million in institutional aid with an average grant of $66,000. Additionally, Middlebury purchases all books and supplies for financial aid recipients, and for higher-need students it provides health insurance and laptop computers.
As part of its overall affordability strategy, Middlebury’s Student Financial Services Office (SFS) also works to ensure that students who enroll can participate fully in the college’s offerings, regardless of their financial means. “It’s about more than meeting the cost of attendance,” noted SFS Vice President Kim Downs Burns. “We try to ensure that financial circumstances and economic background of a family never limit a student’s ability to participate in transformative global experiential learning opportunities, including, for example, approximately 40 abroad locations where students’ institutional aid travels with them.”
Baucom said he believes that robust financial aid is foundational to meeting the college’s liberal arts mission.
“We believe that liberal arts learning is more crucial than ever,” he said. “It transforms lives, equips our students to thrive in life and work, and prepares them to address the most urgent questions of history and our times. We want to open our doors wide to ensure that talented and dedicated students from all backgrounds have the opportunity for a Middlebury education and the futures it opens.”
Visit the Middlebury website for more information about financial aid.
