1,675 applicants join class of 2015

From April 13-15, the annual spring preview days for admitted students will flood the campus with 350-400 admitted students and their parents, according to Dean of Admissions Bob Clagett.

Of the 8,533 applicants, 1,675 students were accepted for both the September and February terms. The class of 2015 acceptance rate — 19.6 percent — is higher than last year’s acceptance rate of 17.5 percent.

Clagett says that the higher acceptance rate is because the admissions office can now better predict how many students will matriculate to the College after acceptance.

“We admitted a few more in Regular Decision this year than we did last year, since we are now better able to predict our yield with not having a supplemental essay question for the second year,” he said.

Clagett explained that although this year’s initial acceptance rate may be higher than the previous year, he anticipates that the final matriculation rate will be “about the same” as last year.

“Last year we had to be fairly conservative with the number of Regular Decision admission letters that we mailed in March, because it was especially important that we not come in with a higher number of first-year matriculants than we had targeted, since we have an especially large senior class this year,” wrote Clagett in an email. “This year we admitted a somewhat higher number of students in Regular Decision, and we anticipate admitting fewer students off the waiting list.”

“Overall I anticipate the final admit rates for last year's and this year's classes to be about the same,” added Clagett.

28.4 percent of the incoming class are U.S. students of color — a record number. The College admitted more African-American and Hispanic-American students than ever before.

Clagett commented that the number of U.S. students of color has increased over 100 percent over the last five years.

“That is a result of a concerted effort by the Admissions staff to reach out to schools, college-access groups and other organizations around the country to increase awareness about the educational opportunities available at Middlebury,”
explained Clagett.

The admissions office gives each applicant an academic rating from one to seven. Seventy-one percent of the admitted students received the top to ratings.

According to Clagett, a six or seven academic rating equates to being in the top 10 percent of a high school class and averaging above a 2,200 SAT or 32 ACT.

The class of 2015 boasts many unique talents.

“We have admitted a champion unicyclist, three of a set of quadruplets (the fourth did not apply), a student who performed in a cultural troupe at the Beijing Olympics, a student who can solve a Rubik's cube in 15 seconds and a woman who is co-owner of two companies that create apparel for Ultimate Frisbee!” said Clagett.

Ben Wessel ’11.5, a senior admissions fellow, echoed Clagett’s enthusiasm about the incoming class.

"Based on the kids I've met while giving info sessions in the admissions office, I'm pretty stoked about the class of 2015,” wrote Wessel in an email. “While I'm not at liberty to diverge any super-secret admissions data that I may or may not know about the class, it seems like there was more competition this year than ever before. I've got high expectations and high hopes."