Middlebury Handbook

1. Degree Requirements

a. Credits. Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts degree, who matriculated in spring 2022 or later and who will graduate March 1, 2026 or later, must complete a minimum of 34 credits. At least 18 of these credits must be Middlebury credits. Credits earned at all Middlebury programs including Middlebury Language Schools, Middlebury Schools Abroad, School of the Environment, and Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey will count in the 18-credit total and the grades will count in the undergraduate grade point average. No more than six credits with a D grade may be applied to degree requirements. Any student whose final semester attending Middlebury is Spring 2025 or earlier must complete a minimum of 36 credits to graduate. 

Students may count toward graduation no more than a total of five courses with non-standard grading.  The category of "non-standard grading" includes courses elected under the Pass/D/Fail option (before Fall 2022); courses elected under the Credit/No Credit option (Fall 2022 or later); and credit-bearing internships. Of these five credits, no more than two may be taken under the Pass/D/Fail or Credit/No Credit option (specific guidelines concerning the Pass/D/Fail or Credit/No Credit option can be found in the College Handbook under Course Registration and Conduct of Courses).

A minimum of two winter term credits are required. A maximum of four Winter Term and a maximum of three Summer Study credits may count toward the graduation requirement of 34 credits.

b. Residency. First-year students must be enrolled in a Middlebury course during their first winter term at the College. This includes both September and February matriculates. Residency in Middlebury, VT, for the fall and spring semesters of the student's senior year is required for all students unless excused by the Administration Committee.

c. Courses. Each student must successfully complete the following course requirements:

i. A writing-intensive seminar for first-year students must be completed during the first year at Middlebury, normally during the first semester.

ii. A second writing-intensive course taken either by the end of the sophomore year at Middlebury or as advised by the student's major department or program. A college writing course should not be taken concurrently with a first-year seminar, and if taken concurrently, will not satisfy the second college writing requirement. Writing-intensive classes devote special attention to the process of writing and revision and are designated in the Middlebury College Course Catalog as CW.

iii. The distribution requirements described in section B of the Degree Programs and Projects section of this Handbook.

iv. A major as described in section C of the Degree Programs and Projects section of this Handbook. Minors are optional.

v. Two physical education units prior to graduation unless excused by the Administration Committee, normally upon recommendation of the College Health Service. See the Middlebury College Catalog for details on physical education courses.

d. The normal pattern for earning the baccalaureate degree at Middlebury College is four consecutive years of study. The requirements must be completed within ten calendar years from the initial date of matriculation. Students who do not complete the degree within that time frame will be held to the curriculum and degree requirements listed in the Catalog in the year in which they are readmitted, or as determined by the Administration Committee. Students are normally graduated upon completion of all degree requirements.

e. Staff members at Middlebury College who are accepted as baccalaureate degree candidates will meet all Middlebury College BA degree requirements in place at the time that the period of degree-candidacy begins, with the following exceptions:

i. The senior residency requirement is waived;

ii. The 34 credit total may include, but need not include, up to four winter term courses;

iii. The staff member’s ad hoc admission committee may consider proposed substitute courses for those required for distribution or for the major requirement when, in the judgment of the committee, such changes enable the applicant to achieve the goals of the proposed program of study and when the proposed adjustments maintain the integrity of existing curricular requirements.

2. Advanced Placement Credit

Starting in summer 2025, Middlebury College does not count the College Board's Advanced Placement test results, International Baccalaureate test results, or any other examination-based pre-collegiate program for credits toward graduation or any college-wide requirements. Individual departments and programs may accept such test results to waive major or minor requirements or to grant students higher placement in their curriculum, but such results will not count toward college-wide graduation requirements. As noted in B.1.i Transfer Courses, Middlebury does not accept college credits taken while in high school through dual enrollment programs.

3. Acceleration

With approval from the major department chair or program director, a student with at least 27 earned credits may propose an accelerated program to the Office of the Registrar.

In order to accelerate graduation, students may apply extra credits from courses taken at Middlebury, and/or credits transferred from courses taken elsewhere, provided all degree requirements are met as stated above in section A. Degree Requirements. Once a student is advanced in class standing, it is not normally possible to return to the previous class standing.

The Office of the Registrar may forward to the Administration Committee petitions for which the registrar requests faculty review and a committee decision.

4. The Physical Education Requirement

As part of Middlebury's degree requirement, each student must complete two physical education courses prior to graduation. Each season of varsity athletic participation counts as one unit of physical education. PHED courses do not count in the total of 34 academic course credits required for graduation.

Students are encouraged to complete the physical education credits by the end of their fourth semester at Middlebury. In the case of transfer students, students are encouraged to complete the requirement by the end of their second semester at Middlebury. Students who have not completed their requirement by the end of the second semester of their senior year will not be eligible to graduate.