Quad

Head-to-head

Middlebury
Vassar

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Middlebury's yield is 14 pts higher than Vassar's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    Middlebury is 1.9× more selective than Vassar

    Acceptance rate
  3. 3

    Middlebury has 7 pts more first-gen students than Vassar (22% vs. 14%)

    First-generation students
  4. 4

    Middlebury grads earn $4.9K more ten years out than Vassar's ($76,310 vs. $71,366)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  5. 5

    Vassar's grants cover 36% of its full price on average, vs. 32% at Middlebury

    Aid generosity
  6. 6

    Vassar has 3 pts more Pell recipients than Middlebury (19% vs. 16%)

    Pell Grant recipients

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Middlebury admits 11%, Vassar 21%; Middlebury's yield is higher, at 44%.

Acceptance rate
Middlebury11%
Vassar21%
Quad's selectivity
  • MiddleburyHighly selective
  • VassarHighly selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1300–1600
Middlebury
1445–1550
Vassar
1460–1520
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • MiddleburyRigor, GPA, and rank very important
  • VassarRigor and GPA very important

Who's on each campus

Middlebury is a bit larger than Vassar (2,738 vs. 2,444 undergrads); Vassar has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Middlebury2.7K
Vassar2.4K
Pell Grant share
Middlebury16%
Vassar19%

Majors and faculty

Econometrics and Quantitative Economics leads at Middlebury, and Research and Experimental Psychology at Vassar.

Students per faculty member
Middlebury8 to 1
Vassar7 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • MiddleburyEconometrics and Quantitative Economics16%
  • VassarResearch and Experimental Psychology, Other7%

What each costs

Vassar costs about $2.2K less a year than Middlebury on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Middlebury$58.1K
Vassar$56K
Aid generosity
Middlebury32%
Vassar36%

What each pays off

Middlebury's former students earn more, a median $76.3K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 90% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Middlebury$76.3K
Vassar$71.4K
Graduation rate
Middlebury93%
Vassar92%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • MiddleburyGrowing+53%
  • VassarGrowing+60%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;Middlebury College Common Data Set 2021–22, Fall 2021;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;Vassar College (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;Vassar College Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;Vassar College Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;Vassar College Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2019About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why