During its virtual Feb. 6–7 winter meeting, the Middlebury Board of Trustees approved a comprehensive fee of $94,386 for the 2026–2027 academic year, a 4% increase over the fees for this current academic year. In addition, the Board accepted a $20 million gift for the construction of a new arts museum scheduled to open in fall 2028, and trustees learned that as of Dec. 31, the projected budget deficit had been reduced to $4.49 million from $8.61 million in October, a savings of $4.12 million.
The new tuition total includes $72,924 for tuition, $20,920 for room and board — which covers housing and unlimited meals — and a student activity fee of $542, which supports student opportunities outside the classroom.
Similar to past years, Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration David Provost said this year’s increase is comparable to Middlebury’s peer institutions.
“We try to maintain [ourselves] to be in the middle,” Provost said, which was reflected in a Sept. 2025 report seen by The Campus during an interview with Provost. The report compared Middlebury’s comprehensive fee with those of 20 peer institutions.
Provost stated that two other variables are the recruiting and retaining of talent, faculty, and staff, as well as food costs and utilities. He also underscored the college’s commitment to keeping tuition increases steady each year, even though tuition would have risen about 7% if it had kept pace with cost increases.
“Last year, one of the biggest driving impacts was that food costs were up 10% or 12%. We would never pass on that level of an increase. We still try to maintain this 3% to 4% range,” he said, emphasizing the college’s success in doing so, even in the last couple of years coming out of a high inflation time frame.
Despite the tuition increase, Vice President for Student Financial Services Kim Downs-Burns emphasized that the Board stays committed to meeting the full financial need of every admitted student and that someone’s financial background does not factor into their admission to Middlebury.
“While we're reflecting a 4% increase this upcoming academic year, our grant increase for aid recipients is anywhere from a 6% to 7%. It's always much more than the actual comprehensive fee increase,” Downs-Burns said. “If the 4% represents a $1,500 increase, anyone who's on financial aid gets the corresponding dollar amount in an increase package, dollar for dollar.”
Provost asserted that the tuition increase and the budget deficit at Middlebury and at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS), though now projected to be at $6.73 million, down from last year’s $8.37, are not correlated.
“The Board has authorized us to separate college and schools in Monterey. Monterey, because we've now announced that we're no longer accepting students, is considered a discontinued operation,” Provost said.
“The conversation that the Board is having is we will at some point make a determination what we're going to do with the Monterey campus. That is an asset. If we sell any assets of Monterey, that will offset the deficits for Monterey. We are not putting the burden of Monterey on the undergraduate college or the Schools [Abroad and Language Schools],” Provost said.
Moreover, Provost stressed that the cuts to retirement benefits last April did not factor into this year’s tuition increase, also explaining that Middlebury does not rely on tuition for its endowment. Rather, the college was living significantly beyond its means, according to Provost, adding that benefits for faculty and staff differ from peer institutions.
“Our retirement plan was one of the best in higher education, better than some of the wealthiest schools,” he said. “We made some structural changes to our healthcare plan because we had one of the richest healthcare plans in American higher education, so it was really just recalibrating to live within our means. We do not feel comfortable passing on a 10% tuition increase to our students so that we can have the best retirement plan.”
“If we had the best endowment, I could justify that because it's not coming from the students, it's coming from donors. That's not the case. The cuts that you saw were related to what the college and schools need to do independent of the board's decision about Monterey.”
Provost was confident that Middlebury is on a path now to balancing the budget for the college and schools, and also emphasized its commitment to its people.
Downs-Burns echoed this sentiment, expressing that most of all, the school wants to give every student the most of their Middlebury experience.
“While this looks like a high cost on paper, the cost to educate truly is even more than that when you look at faculty salaries, when you look at everything that's included,” Downs-Burns said.
“Once you've arrived, it's our job to ensure you have every opportunity at your disposal, and you can say this was the right choice. And we can look at your parent, relative or family and say we are so happy that you made the decision to send your child here, your student here, and that you don't regret it,” she said.
Maya Alexander ‘26 (she/her) is an Editor at Large.
She is a sociology major and intended French minor from New York City. She loves getting lost in her Pinterest feed and staging spontaneous photoshoots, occasional yoga and a solid iced oat milk maple latte.
