1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. [Middlebury College](/school/middlebury-college/) 4. / 5. Career outcomes brief Career outcomes brief Copy linkPrint brief # Middlebury College Career Outcomes & Earnings Updated September 30, 2026 [Overview](/school/middlebury-college/)[Cost & aid](/school/middlebury-college/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/middlebury-college/admissions/)[Majors](/school/middlebury-college/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/middlebury-college/similar/) **On this page**+ ## How much do Middlebury College graduates earn? The reported median is $71,188 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $68,250 as its benchmark; the difference is $2,938 per year. The return picture at Middlebury College shows a gap between raw earnings and what the model expects. Graduates earn a median of $71,188 four years after completion, which is $2,938 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That places the median in the 78th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $26,123 less than the model expects for similar students. That gap sits at the 1st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Return is at the 59th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $5,294. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $31,417. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $2,721. Earnings scenarios are estimated from the program mix rather than based on actual graduate cohorts. The downside earnings scenario reaches $49,883 and the upside reaches $118,682. That wide spread shows how much outcomes vary by program. Computer Science graduates earn $128,471 four years after completion, from 53 degrees a year. Economics follows at $123,477, with 111 degrees a year. Natural Resources Conservation and Research sits far below those program medians, at $53,518. An estimated 42.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings cover completers who are working and not enrolled, those continuing their education are outside that earnings snapshot. **Median earnings · four years after completion** $71,188 **Rank for difference from expectations** 1st percentile Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks **Middlebury College reported median** $71,188 **Peer schools comparable schools · $2,938 below Middlebury College** $68,250 **Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $26,123 above Middlebury College** $97,311 School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. [How the model works](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/). ## How could earnings differ from the median? The planning scenarios range from $49,883 to $118,682, around the reported median of $71,188. Compare the lower scenario with [Middlebury College borrowing and monthly payments](/school/middlebury-college/cost/) to see how a smaller income could change your plan. Modeled from the school’s program mix; not salary percentiles or a forecast for one graduate. Earnings four years after completion Planning rangeReported median **Lower estimate** $49,883 **Median · reported** $71,188 **Higher estimate** $118,682 Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates. [Why the downside matters](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. [Read about the move to four-year earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/). ## Do Middlebury College graduates earn more than expected? Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls [value added](/methodology/#value-added). Middlebury College graduates’ reported earnings are $26,123 below that expectation, the 1st percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls. The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending Middlebury College caused a student to earn. [Read how expected earnings are estimated](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/). What explains value-added earnings? **Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.** +$5,294 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** \-$31,417 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** \-$26,123 These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. ## Which fields at Middlebury College report the highest earnings? The five largest programs at Middlebury College show a wide earnings spread four years after completion, from $128,471 in Computer Science down to $53,518 in Natural Resources Conservation and Research. Economics awards the most degrees, at 111 a year, and its graduates earn a median of $123,477. Computer Science is smaller, with 53 degrees awarded, but posts the highest earnings among the largest programs. International Relations and National Security Studies and Neuroscience sit in the middle of the range, with medians of $92,728 and $90,917 from 49 and 48 degrees awarded, respectively. The highest-earning fields are not the ones producing the most graduates. Social Sciences accounts for 30.6% of bachelor's degrees awarded, ahead of Biological Sciences at 14.1% and Natural Resources & Conservation at 7.6%. The largest single program is Economics, at 111 degrees a year. Its completers earn a median of $123,477 four years after completion. Computer Science is smaller at 53 degrees a year but posts the highest earnings among the largest programs, at $128,471. Natural Resources Conservation and Research awards 62 degrees and its graduates earn $53,518. Highest reported four-year program earnings **Computer Science** $128,471 **Economics** $123,477 **International Relations and National Security Studies** $92,728 **Neurobiology and Neurosciences** $90,917 **Political Science and Government** $77,444 **Sociology** $58,241 **Area Studies** $56,508 **English Language and Literature/Letters, Other** $53,914 [Explore Middlebury College program cohorts and field ranks](/school/middlebury-college/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context. ## Further analysis Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a downside of $49,883, a typical outcome of $71,188, and an upside of $118,682. The spread is wide, reflecting the variation by field. Among the largest programs, Computer Science reaches $128,471 at the high end, while Natural Resources Conservation and Research sits at $53,518. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of Middlebury College who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $71,188. That figure is $2,938 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), and places the college in the 78th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings cohort is 463 completers. Graduates earn about $26,123 less than the model expects for similar students. That gap sits at the 1st percentile. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix put the typical scenario at the observed median, with a downside of $49,883 and an upside of $118,682. An estimated 42.4% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. ## Data & methodology Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/). Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth. Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source. Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).