by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is federal data on the loans students use to pay for Middlebury College, including completion-adjusted borrowing and a standard repayment estimate. These figures are reported by the Department of Education and IPEDS.
Among first-year students at Middlebury, 25% of incoming undergraduates borrow in year one, averaging $6,814 per borrower, covering both private and federal loans.
On the federal side, the average loan is $4,710, or about 85.6% of the $5,500 first-year federal borrowing limit for a typical dependent freshman. Be aware: the undergraduate-wide averages below exclude private loans, while this freshman number includes them.
Among all degree-seeking undergrads at Middlebury, 23% take out federal student loans, with a mean of $5,965 in federal loans per year. This works out to 26.6% more than the $4,710 borrowed by freshmen.
At a steady annual pace, that totals around $11,930 after two years and $23,860 across a four-year program. These projections assume the same federal borrowing each year and exclude private and Parent PLUS loans.
| Undergraduate federal borrowing | Value |
|---|---|
| Share using federal loans | 23% |
| Average federal loan per year | $5,965 |
| Undergraduates with a federal loan | 636 |
| Total federal loans (one year) | $3,793,612 |
Graduating and withdrawing students at Middlebury carry a median federal debt of $11,522 in federal student loans.
| Borrower group | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| All federal borrowers | $11,522 |
| Students who completed (graduates) | $13,857 |
| Students who withdrew | $8,000 |
Debt carried by students who withdrew is a key risk signal — these borrowers owe money without having earned the credential.
The median hides the spread, so the percentiles below show cumulative federal debt at four points in the distribution for Middlebury.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $5,501 |
| 75th percentile | $24,703 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,000 |
How wide this percentile range is tells you how much borrowing varies across students at Middlebury.
Median federal debt understates the full cost when PLUS loans are included. The totals below add PLUS borrowing for Middlebury.
| Group | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| All borrowers | 361 | $26,113 |
| Completed (graduates) | 165 | $27,380 |
| Did not complete | 196 | $25,317 |
Completers face an estimated standard 10-year monthly payment on their PLUS-inclusive debt of roughly $325.58/mo.
Stafford loans are the federal direct-loan program most undergraduates use. The breakdown below separates borrowers who used Stafford loans from those who did not at Middlebury.
Borrowers With Any Stafford Loan
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Used a Stafford loan | 339 | $26,183 |
| No Stafford loan | 22 | $24,419 |
Borrowers With a Stafford Loan This Year
| Cohort | Borrowers | Median debt incl. PLUS |
|---|---|---|
| Stafford loan this year | 186 | $26,771 |
| No Stafford loan this year | 175 | $25,138 |
The indicators below describe what the typical debt costs to pay back at Middlebury.
A loan default — failing to keep up with federal student-loan payments — is one of the worst financial outcomes a borrower can face. The federal two-year cohort default rate for Middlebury follows.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| 2-year cohort default rate | 1.4% |
| Borrowers in the cohort | 814 |
A lower default rate generally signals that graduates earn enough to manage their loan payments.
Median debt differs by income tier, first-generation status, and whether the student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $7,303 |
| Middle income | $11,975 |
| High income | $13,153 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Borrowing
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $11,217 |
| Continuing-generation students | $11,950 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $12,482 |
| Independent students | $4,386 |
Federal data publishes the following gap measures for Middlebury.
The Difference Between Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
With an unsubsidized loan, interest starts adding up the day the loan is disbursed, including during school. Subsidized loans, by contrast, do not accrue interest while you are enrolled at least half-time, which makes them the less expensive option when you qualify.
Did You Know?
Unlike most other debt, federal student loans generally survive bankruptcy — and unpaid balances can lead to wage garnishment — so borrow only what you truly need.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.