Student Finances

The mission of the Office of Student Financial Services (SFS) is to offer services and programs to students and parents/families funded through Federal, State, Private and Institutional sources. The primary goal of the Office is to provide eligible students with funds to finance their educational programs within the boundaries of Federal, State, Private and Institutional regulations. The focus of the Office is to help students and parents/ families develop an understanding of the need to be pro-active consumers of educational financing options and opportunities at Middlebury College.

The Office of Student Financial Services (SFS) consists of three functional areas: Financial Aid, Student Accounts and Educational Financing. Our responsibilities include financial aid matters, student account and educational financing issues, loan repayment and student employment functions for current students as well as graduates. Information on the office's policies and procedures is available in the following pages and by calling the phone numbers listed in the Services section below.

Financial Aid

Concern about the cost of a Middlebury education should not prevent you from applying for admission. All aid at Middlebury is based entirely on financial need as determined by the Office of Student Financial Services. We do not offer aid on the basis of merit.

Middlebury is able to meet 100 percent of your assessed need with a combination of aid that typically consists of grant, loan, and work. Eligibility for financial aid is determined by an assessment of your family's income and assets to arrive at an Estimated Family Contribution. If your family's financial situation does not change, you will receive a similar aid package each year you attend Middlebury. You must submit a complete application each year if you wish to be considered for aid. Parents who are divorced or separated are both expected to submit income and asset information and contribute to college expenses to the extent that we determine they are able.

Financial information provided to the College is held in strict confidence, and no information about the amount of aid offered will be released without your approval.

Cost of a Middlebury Education

We base aid decisions on the total cost of an education at Middlebury, broken down as follows:

Comprehensive Fee ($63,917 for 2016/17): The comprehensive fee is the sum of tuition, room, and board for the academic year.

Student Activity Fee ($415): The activity fee is required to help support student sponsored organizations and activities on campus.

Books ($1,000): This is an estimate of your expenses for textbooks and supplies for the academic year. Your actual costs may differ depending on the courses you take and the availability of used books. You will need to bring money with you for your books when you first arrive at Middlebury.

Personal ($1,000): This is an estimate of personal items, entertainment and clothing for the academic year. It is a conservative estimate, which will require careful budgeting on your part. Most students choose to use the income from their campus jobs to provide these funds.

Travel (variable): This figure represents our recognition that you will incur costs to get here for the fall and to get back again for the spring. Students generally use a portion of their summer earnings to pay this expense.

U.S. and Canadian Applicants

Prospective Students

CSS PROFILE Form, available online at http://profileonline.collegeboard.com/index.jsp. Middlebury’s PROFILE code is 3526.

Required if appropriate:

If your biological parents are divorced or separated, your noncustodial parent must go to https://ncprofile.collegeboard.com to complete the Noncustodial Parent's Statement.

If either parent or stepparent is self-employed or owns an interest of 10% or more in a corporation or partnership, they must complete a Business/Farm Supplement.

If student, parents, or other children are beneficiaries of an estate or trust, please provide the value, the terms and distribution information.

If you decide to enroll at Middlebury, you must submit the following by April 15:

US citizens must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Middlebury’s FAFSA code is 003691.

Complete, signed copies of biological parent(s) and stepparent(s) 2014 federal income tax returns, including all pages, schedules, and W2s or T4s.

A complete, signed copy of student 2014 federal income tax return, including all pages, schedules, and W2s or T4s.

If either parent or student did not file a tax return for 2015, please submit a Nonfiling statement.

Required if appropriate:

If either parent or stepparent is self-employed or owns an interest of 10% or more in a corporation or partnership they must submit the 2015 Business return. For US students, if either parent or stepparent owns an interest of 10% or less in a corporation or partnership, please send the 2015 K1.

Current Students

CSS PROFILE Form, available online at http://profileonline.collegeboard.com/index.jsp . Middlebury's PROFILE code is 3526.

US citizens must also submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Middlebury's FAFSA code is 003691.

A complete, signed copy of custodial parent(s)/stepparent 2015 federal income tax return, including all pages, schedules, and W2s or T4s.

A complete, signed copy of student 2015 federal income tax return, including all pages, schedules, and W2s or T4s.

If either parent or student did not file a tax return for 2015, please submit a Nonfiling statement.

If either parent or stepparent is self-employed or owns an interest of 10% or more in a corporation or partnership they must submit the 2015 Business return. For US students, if either parent or stepparent owns an interest of 10% or less in a corporation or partnership, please send the 2015 K1.

Required if appropriate:

If your biological parents are divorced or separated, your noncustodial parent must go to https://ncprofile.collegeboard.com to complete the Noncustodial Parent's Statement. He/She must also submit a signed copy of his/her and his/her spouse's 2015 federal income tax return, including all pages, schedules and W2s or T4s.

If either parent or stepparent owns an interest of 10% or more in a corporation or partnership, they must submit the 2015 Business return. For US students, if either parent or stepparent owns less than an interest of less than 10% in a corporation or partnership, please send the 2015 K1.

If student, parents, or other children are beneficiaries of an estate or trust, please provide the terms and distribution information.

International applicants

Prospective and Current Students

International Student Financial Aid Application.

Statements in English from each parent's employer, listing gross income and benefits received January – December 2015.

Required if appropriate:

If your biological parents are divorced or separated, your noncustodial parent must complete the Noncustodial Parent's Statement.

Loan Only Applicants

Please note that if you are applying for financial aid, the Federal Stafford Loan information will be visible on BannerWeb. No separate application is necessary. If you are applying for just loans and not general financial aid, you should submit these materials between May 15 and July 15. If a loan application is received after July 15, the process may not be complete by the time the bills are due on August 15.

Federal Stafford Student Loan application materials:

Federal Stafford Student Loan Request Form (for returning student borrowers; new borrowers must visit http://www.middlebury.edu/offices/support/sfs/loans/stafford_ug)

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), available online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Middlebury's FAFSA code is 003691. A Consortium Agreement is also required if the student will be studying abroad at a Non-Middlebury program.

Parent PLUS loan:

The Federal Direct PLUS loan (parent loan for undergraduate students) is specifically designed to enable families to increase their federal financial aid at an affordable interest rate. Direct PLUS loan repayment differs from the Direct Stafford loan - repayment begins 60 days after the second disbursement of the loan. Repayment of the loan is over a ten-year period of time. To apply for a Direct PLUS loan go to PLUS Loan Request Form.  A Consortium Agreement is also required if the student will be studying abroad at a Non-Middlebury program.

Application Deadlines

Satisfactory Progress

In compliance with federal financial aid regulations which, as of January 1, 1984, require all colleges to articulate a comprehensive statement of satisfactory progress, Middlebury has drafted a document outlining the criteria a student must meet in order to maintain his or her eligibility for Title IV funds. The complete statement is on file in the Office of Student Financial Services and is available to any student upon request.

Title IV Federal Student Assistance programs include the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Work Study Program, Federal Direct Stafford Loan, and Federal Direct PLUS Loan.

Student Accounts

The annual comprehensive fee at Middlebury for 2016-2017 is $63,917. This fee includes tuition, room in campus housing, full board in campus dining halls, and fees for certain campus services (such as the health center) that are provided to all students. The comprehensive fee covers fall semester, winter term, and spring semester; there is no reduction for a student who is not enrolled for winter term.

The student activities fee, $415 for 2016-2017, supports the extracurricular activities open to all students that are sponsored by student-run organizations officially recognized by the Center for Campus Activities and Leadership. A portion of the activities fee also supports the programs of the residential Commons System to which all students belong.

Entering students are asked to designate a financial contact for the duration of their studies at Middlebury. For most students, this will be their parents or other relatives who serve as their guardians. The College bills students and their financially responsible parties for the comprehensive fee and student activities fee twice a year. The first bill, for half of the fees (for 2016-2017: $32,166), is electronically forwarded on July 5 and is due August 15. The second bill is electronically forwarded on November 5 and is due December 15. The comprehensive fee appears on bills as a single charge. There is no itemization of tuition, room, or board.  Students who have received permission from the dean of the College to live or eat off campus are entitled to room credits of $3,819 per semester and board credits of $3,315.50 per semester.

Comprehensive fee bills also reflect credits for those portions of a student's financial aid offer (College Grant, College Loan, Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Stafford Loan) that have been finalized before the billing date. Please see the separate "Financial Aid" section of this catalog for further information on Middlebury's financial aid policies and procedures.

The net billed amount owed (after room and board credits and financial aid credits are applied toward the comprehensive fee, as described in the preceding paragraphs) is due in full by the stated due date. Failure to remit payment by the due date can result in late payment charges. An initial late payment fee of $250 will be assessed each semester on any past due account.

The College does not offer installment payment plans directly. However, ten month payment plans are available to Middlebury students and their families through Nelnet Business Solutions, an outside agency that administers these plans for the College. Second semester plans are available for students entering or returning in spring semester. Fall semester plans normally begin on June 1 and second semester plans on November 1. Please call Nelnet (800.609.8056) or Student Financial Services (802.443.5158) at Middlebury for additional information.

Students enrolled for either fall or spring semester only, including first-year or transfer students entering in February, are billed one-half of the annual comprehensive fee. There is no reduction in the comprehensive fee for students enrolled for fall or spring semester who are not enrolled for winter term.

The College offers student sickness insurance coverage through Gallagher-Koster Insurance Agency. The annual premium for this coverage for 2016-2017 is $1,949. A brochure describing this coverage is mailed in the summer. If a student is adequately covered by an existing family health insurance policy, the parents or guardians may choose not to purchase the College's sickness insurance coverage. The campus health center services are available to all students, even if their parents or guardians do not purchase the College sickness insurance. Second semester sickness insurance is available for students entering or returning in spring term. Middlebury students who are on leave studying at another college or university in the United States are not eligible for the College's sickness or accident insurance. These students should apply for insurance coverage to the school they are attending.

Ninth Semester of Aid

Students are expected to complete their bachelor degree program requirements within eight academic terms, and institutional and federal financial assistance is provided with this expectation. However, extenuating circumstances may dictate the need for a full ninth semester.  Financial aid for a ninth semester may be approved if the circumstances requiring it were both extreme, and were beyond the student’s control.  Students in these circumstances must contact the Office of the Dean of Students for approval. It is normally not possible for students to receive financial aid for more than nine semesters. Students who need less than a full ninth semester may apply for Special Student status; please see below.

Special Students

The comprehensive fee applies to a course load of three, four, or five courses for a fall or spring term. Students who wish to register for only one or two courses for a fall or spring term may do so with permission from the Administration Committee. These students are designated as special students and are expected to live and eat off campus. Special students are billed at the per course rate of $6,175 for 2016-2017. This same per course rate applies to graduate students in the sciences. Students participating in the ninth semester teacher education program are charged $6,175 for the semester in which they are student teaching; financial aid is available for students in this ninth semester program based on financial need.

In cases with special circumstances, the Administration Committee may grant permission for special students to live and eat on campus. These students are billed the customary comprehensive fee for the term, less the per course rate for one course, as that is the only distinction between these students and those taking three courses during the term.

Study Abroad

The College maintains several Middlebury schools abroad—for the study of Arabic in Alexandria, Egypt and Amman, Jordan; Chinese in Hangzhou, Kunming, and Beijing; French in Paris and Poitiers; German in Berlin and Mainz; Hebrew in Beer Sheva, Israel; Italian in Florence and Ferrara; Japanese in Tokyo; Portuguese in Niteroi and Belo Horizonte (in Brazil); Russian in Moscow, Irkutsk, and Yaroslavl; and Spanish (in Spain) in Madrid, Getafe, Logroño, and Segovia, and (in Latin America) in Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay—to which undergraduates may apply through International Programs and Off-Campus Study. The College bills students participating in the Arabic, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish programs for tuition only. For 2016-2017, tuition for these programs is $13,145 to $15,795 per semester. Students do not pay room and board directly to Middlebury for these programs, with the exception of German room rent for students who choose to live in university dormitories in Berlin or Mainz. Further information on living and eating options for these programs is available from International Programs and Off-Campus Study. For 2016-17, tuition for Moscow, Yaroslavl and Irkutsk is $14,185 per semester. For the program in China, the fee varies from $18,910 to $23,220 per semester; this includes tuition, visas, health insurance, orientation, excursions, textbooks, and shared dormitory room with a Chinese roommate.

Financial aid credits are applied toward C.V. Starr-Middlebury Schools Abroad tuition bills in a manner similar to that described previously under "Comprehensive Fee." Payment plans administered by the College's outside agency Nelnet Business Solutions are also available for C.V. Starr-Middlebury Schools Abroad tuition as described under "Comprehensive Fee." The College emails the fall term bill on July 5 (due August 15) and the spring term bill on November 5 (due December15).

All students studying abroad for academic credit on a Middlebury or an approved non-Middlebury sponsored program are billed a study abroad administrative fee. For 2016-2017, this fee is $1,500 per semester.

Students should consult the Study Abroad Guidelines from International Programs and Off-Campus Study for more details on the availability of financial aid for specific non-Middlebury programs. Questions about the process of applying for and receiving aid for approved programs can be answered by the Student Financial Services staff at 802.443.5158.

Students participating in the University of Nottingham or University of East Anglia exchange programs in England are billed the standard Middlebury comprehensive fee applicable to the terms they are enrolled in at Nottingham, or East Anglia.

Sickness and accident insurance coverage is offered to students studying abroad with the C.V. Starr-Middlebury Schools Abroad.

Other Academic Fees and Expenses

An administrative fee of $100 is billed to students for each 0555 course approved by the Administration Committee.

Students taking lessons in practical or applied music are billed the standard fee for private instruction. In budgeting for a year's expenses at Middlebury, students and their parents or guardians should also consider the additional personal expenses students normally incur, which are not billed directly by the College. The Student Financial Services Office estimates that for 2016-2017, the average student's expenses for books, supplies, and other personal items amounts to $2,000. Travel costs during the year between a student's home and Middlebury must also be taken into consideration beyond this estimate.

Enrollment Deposits

Entering first-year or transfer students pay a $300 enrollment deposit at the time they accept the Admissions Office's offer of admission to the College. This deposit is applied as a credit to the comprehensive fee bill for the first term the student attends Middlebury. The deposit is not refundable.

Summer Programs

Middlebury offers three summer programs of study to which undergraduates enrolled during the regular College year may apply by contacting the appropriate summer program offices on campus. Admission to a summer program is separate from admission to Middlebury College as an undergraduate. Please contact the offices of the Language Schools, the Bread Loaf School of English, or the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference for detailed information on their programs' application procedures.

Fees for summer can be found at http://www.middlebury.edu/ls/apply/fees

Applying for financial aid for the summer programs is also a separate process from Middlebury College undergraduates. The financial aid application is available online or after October 1.

The application can be found at http://www.middlebury.edu/offices/support/sfs/forms.

Financial aid credits are applied toward summer program bills, in a manner similar to that described previously under "Comprehensive Fee." The College electronically forwards summer session bills on May 1 for the Language Schools and the Bread Loaf School of English, and on June 1 for the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. The net-billed amount owed (after financial aid credits) is due in full before the first day students are scheduled to arrive to begin their particular session. Due to the brief period of time the summer programs are in session, no payment plans are available through the College or its outside agency.

Refunds

Credit Refunds
Occasionally, a combination of payments, financial aid credits, or room and board credits creates a net credit balance on a comprehensive fee account. The credit balance is normally left on account to be applied toward the next term's charges for the student. Parents or guardians may also request that a refund check for the credit balance be issued to them as the financially responsible party. If parents or guardians wish to have the refund check issued directly to the student or to have the credit balance applied to the student's miscellaneous charge account, these instructions need to be received in writing from the financially responsible party.

Withdrawal Refunds
In cases of dismissal from the College, no refund of the comprehensive fee is made. In other cases of absence or withdrawal from the College for medical reasons or serious emergencies, fees are refunded according to the schedule below. In all cases, the enrollment deposit is forfeited.

The College will remit approved refunds by check to the party financially responsible for the student's account. To the extent any authorized refund represents in whole or in part the proceeds of any federal financial aid (Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Stafford Loan), the amount of the refund to be returned to each of these programs, as well as to the financially responsible party, is based on the applicable federal refund formula as required by law. The applicable portions of such refunds are returned directly to the sources from which the funds were originally received: the federal government or the financially responsible party.

The College offers optional tuition refund insurance through the Tuition Refund Plan administered by A.W.G. Dewar. Second semester tuition refund insurance is available for students entering or returning in spring term.  Premiums are to be paid directly to Dewar, not to the College. Please contact Dewar (617.774.1555) for further information.

Rights and Responsibilities

The College reserves the right to change, if necessary, any charges or fees quoted in this publication.

The College assumes no responsibility for loss of student property through fire, theft, or disappearance.

The College issues an academic transcript of record on request to students wishing to transfer or to receive a statement of their course credits for any other purpose. The first transcript copy is provided free of charge. A fee of $5 is charged for each subsequent copy provided. No fee is charged for transcripts submitted to any branch of the military. The Office of the Registrar will not release a transcript for any student who owes past due charges to the College until satisfactory arrangements have been made with Student Financial Services. Students may not receive final grades or diplomas nor expect honorable dismissal from the College upon completion of their studies until all financial accounts are settled.

Students who wish to be eligible to register for courses in November or May for the subsequent semester or to draw a room in April for the subsequent year need to ensure that all of their financial accounts are current. Any past due charges on a student's account must be settled in full. Students who have dean's loans also need to ensure that their loan payments are current.

Students assume full ultimate responsibility for payment of their accounts, including any other fees charged to their accounts. Should the College have to refer any delinquent account balance to a collection agency once a student is no longer enrolled at the College, the student will then also become liable for any additional collection agency or legal fees incurred by the College to collect the delinquent account.  All students who are readmitted to the College need to be aware that should there be any past due financial accounts at the College, these need to be paid before a student can be readmitted.  Inquiries concerning past due financial obligations should be addressed to Student Financial Services (802.443.5158).  It is also the student's responsibility to obtain health insurance.

Educational Financing

Families may choose to finance the cost of a Middlebury College education over a number of years through parent and student loans, including educational and personal loans. Recent legislation has affected the tax deductibility of interest on qualified education loans, so we encourage you to consult your tax advisor for further information.

Federal Perkins Loan: This Federal loan will allow you to borrow up to the amount we suggest at a 5 percent interest rate. The interest on the loan is subsidized by the federal government while you are in school, and does not begin to accrue until you begin repayment nine months after you graduate or cease to be enrolled at least half time. You will be automatically considered for this loan when you apply for aid from the College.

Direct Stafford Loan - Subsidized: This Federal loan has an interest rate of 3.76%. The interest on the loan is subsidized by the Federal government while you are in school and does not begin to accrue until you begin repayment six months after you graduate or cease to be enrolled at least half time.  Since July 1, 2010, Middlebury participates exclusively in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program, in which borrowers obtain loan funds directly from the U.S. Government.

Direct Stafford Loan - Unsubsidized: This loan is similar to the subsidized Stafford Loan described above, except that the Federal government does not subsidize the interest while you are in school. You may either pay the interest quarterly or let it accrue while you are in school.

College Loan: This loan source is offered only as part of a financial aid package. The terms are similar to the Federal Perkins Loan. This loan is offered in circumstances where a federal student loan is restricted due to citizenship or need calculation.

Direct Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS): Federal PLUS loans have an interest rate of 6.31% and are repaid over a ten year period. Since July 1, 2010, Middlebury participates in the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan program, in which borrowers obtain loan funds directly from the U.S. Government.

Services

The Student Financial Services staff can answer questions on financial aid, billing, fees, account balances, refunds, and payment plans. With proper identification (student ID card), the Cashier's Office located at the front of the second floor of the Service Building, will accept payments on student accounts and will also cash traveler's checks and checks from parents or guardians made payable to the student for amounts up to $100. Students should cash their own personal checks at the local bank where the account is maintained. With proper identification (student ID card), students may cash accounts payable or student payroll checks issued by the College at the local banks where the College maintains the accounts on which the checks are drawn. It is not possible to cash College-issued checks at the Cashier's Office.

Tax Reporting Information (Form 1098-T) for
U.S. Citizens and Green Card Holders

Most funds you receive from the College for financial aid to cover tuition, living and school expenses are reportable by Middlebury College on an IRS form called Form 1098-T, Tuition Statement. This includes, but is not limited to additional financial aid you receive from outside sources and most funds you receive from departments at the College for travel, stipends, internships, fellowships, grants or awards. This tax form is mailed each January for the previous calendar year. The form will show tuition billed to you (Box 2) and any additional aid applied to your account (Box 5). Any financial aid that is greater than tuition is taxable income and must be reported as taxable income on your or your parent’s tax return. If you received no aid or aid less than tuition, you may be able to claim an education tax credit. See this website for more information http://www.middlebury.edu/offices/business/tax.
Although some types of financial aid are not reportable to the IRS on your 1098-T such as financial aid for non-degree programs, aid personally received from outside sources and various departmental aid, they are considered as taxable income and will have to be reported on your tax return. You can find more information on what is or is not taxable under this link: http://www.middlebury.edu/offices/business/tax.

Tax Reporting Information (Form 1042-S) for
Foreign Nationals

All foreign nationals are required to provide information such as visa, passport, address, etc. for tax filing purposes by filling out a form on a secure website. You will receive an email with a link, username, and password for use on the secure website called FNIS (Foreign National Information System) in advance of your program start date. It is your obligation to respond in a timely matter to this request. Based on the information provided, we will determine whether you are a non-resident alien or a resident alien for tax purposes. We do not share this information with immigration officials. We use this information to determine whether any financial aid received by you or tuition billed to you is reportable to the IRS. Once your tax status is determined, you will be asked to provide signed tax documents (usually a summary of the data you submitted and Form W-8BEN or Form W-9, and in some instances Form 8233). In addition, we generally need copies of the picture page of your passport, visa page of passport, both sides of I-94 and I-20 or DS-2019, etc. depending on your actual visa status. Resident aliens for tax purposes are treated like U.S. citizens and will receive Form 1098-T (see U.S. Citizens and Green Card Holders above). Most funds you receive from the College for financial aid to cover living and school expenses (basically aid greater than tuition), are reportable by Middlebury College on an IRS form Form 1042-S, Foreign Person’s U.S. Source Income Subject to Withholding. This includes, but is not limited to additional financial aid you receive from outside sources, most funds you receive from departments at the College for travel, stipends, internships, fellowships, grants or awards. This tax form is mailed each February for the previous calendar year. In addition, the College is required to withhold taxes. The tax for most visa types is 14% on the amount greater than tuition and on all other types of funding unless a tax treaty applies. The applicable tax is withheld directly from the aid received and forwarded to the IRS. The tax withholding is reported on your Form 1042-S. For more information on which countries have tax treaties and similar questions see the Tax Office web site.

If you continue to have questions, please contact the Tax Office at Middleburytaxoffice or 802.443.5633.