How to Apply to Chemistry at Middlebury College: A B.A. with a Chemistry Major, an ACS-Certified Major and a New Minor, Starting Courses Set by Placement Test or AP/IB, Optional Test Scores, and Admission and Prerequisites for Domestic, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Students

Middlebury College is a liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont, focused on undergraduate education. Chemistry is taught by the Department of Chemistry. Below is what the college’s admissions pages and the chemistry department site say, organized for US domestic applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. Biology, physics, neuroscience, environmental studies and medical programs are outside this guide; see the college website. Joint majors that overlap with chemistry get a line below.

1. Degrees, options and how admission works

• Degrees and accreditation: the department says it is accredited by the American Chemical Society (ACS) and offers a B.A. with a chemistry major, an ACS-certified chemistry major (ACS-CHEM, required for departmental honors) and a chemistry minor (new in 2025). It also takes part in a joint Environmental Studies–Chemistry major (Environmental Chemistry) and an interdisciplinary Molecular Biology and Biochemistry major. The department has 14 tenure-track and laboratory faculty.
• Chemistry major (for students entering fall 2025 or later): at least 9 chemistry courses plus up to 3 math and physics courses depending on placement. Starting course (section 2); chemistry core: CHEM 0205 Organic Chemistry I, CHEM 0211 Foundations of Analytical Chemistry, one physical chemistry course (CHEM 0355 Thermodynamics & Kinetics or CHEM 0455 Quantum Chemistry & Spectroscopy), and either CHEM 0231 Foundations of Inorganic Chemistry or CHEM 0322 Biochemistry of Macromolecules; four chemistry electives at the 0200–0700 level, at least one a College Writing (CW) lab course, with six laboratory courses at 0200 or above in the whole major; and cognates MATH 0121 and 0122 plus PHYS 0108 or 0109.
• ACS-certified major: at least 12 chemistry courses plus up to 4 math and physics courses; compared with the chemistry major it requires more breadth and depth in chemistry, a second semester of physics (PHYS 0111 or 0114) and a two-term senior thesis (CHEM 0400 and CHEM 0701), and three of the four electives must be lab courses including one CW lab.
• Minor: 5.0–5.5 chemistry courses: the starting course, CHEM 0205 and three chemistry courses at the 0200–0400 level, at least two with labs and at least one at the 0300 level or higher.
• Directions: the department says the majors are flexible, allowing electives aimed at biochemistry, chemical biology, environmental chemistry, materials science, medicine and engineering, and its page gives recommended courses for traditional chemistry careers, biological intersections and the health professions (for example Organic Chemistry II, Biochemistry of Macromolecules, a second physics semester and BIOL 0145 Cell Biology and Genetics), stressing that advising is essential, especially for students considering graduate school. Students who entered before fall 2025 may follow older requirements, which the page also gives, including a separate biochemistry major.
• Research and thesis: many students do independent research or a senior thesis, usually through CHEM 0400 and CHEM 0701; those wanting a thesis should talk to their advisor about finding a research advisor no later than winter term of junior year. A two-term thesis is required for ACS-CHEM, but other students may take part.
• Placement years: the department pages describe no placement-year program.
• How you are admitted: you apply to the college. The admissions pages read do not say whether chemistry has its own admission standard or capacity limit, or when and how a major is declared and what grades it requires; not published. Contact the department coordinator, Michelle Matot (mmatot@middlebury.edu, 802-443-5451), or admissions.

2. Starting course, placement and prerequisites

• High school preparation: the admissions and department pages read do not list minimum years of high school subjects or require high school chemistry, physics or calculus; not published. Ask admissions.
• Starting courses: the department offers three: CHEM 0102 Foundations in Chemistry (half credit, foundational concepts and problem solving), CHEM 0105 General Chemistry (full semester with lab, preparing for 200-level courses) and CHEM 0107 Advanced General Chemistry (full semester with lab, a more advanced and broader dive). Credit cannot be earned for both 0105 and 0107; students who begin in 0105 or 0107 are automatically waived out of 0102.
• Placement test and AP/IB: most students take the department’s online placement test (about 30 minutes, calculator allowed); students with an AP Chemistry score of 2 or higher or who completed IB Chemistry (SL or HL) do not. A placement score below 9 means CHEM 0102 and 9 or above means CHEM 0105 (for a test taken after 14 April 2025; an older scale used 19); AP Chemistry 2–3, or completed IB Chemistry, means CHEM 0105; AP Chemistry 4 or 5, or IB Chemistry 6–7, means CHEM 0107 (usually offered in fall, otherwise CHEM 0105). Whether AP or IB scores earn Middlebury credit is not stated on the pages read; confirm with the registrar.
• Math and physics: the major needs MATH 0121 and 0122 (or, if you placed out of 0122, a higher MATH course or STAT 0201 or above; the math department’s placement page was not read) and PHYS 0108 or 0109 (see the physics department’s placement information). The department recommends finishing CHEM 0105 or 0107 by the end of first year and MATH 0122 and PHYS 0108/0109 by the end of second year; this is a recommendation, not a strict requirement.
• ACS major and study abroad: the department warns that the ACS-certified major’s many required courses can make study abroad or other programs harder to schedule, and that it is not required for graduate school or a career in chemistry.

3. Deadlines and materials (first-year)

• Application deadlines (the admissions calendar; it prints no year, while the financial aid page states the 2027–2028 academic year): Early Decision I (binding) 2 November, financial aid materials 15 November, decision mid-December; Early Decision II 4 January, aid materials 4 January, decision mid-February; Regular Decision 4 January, aid materials 1 February, decision late March. Note that the admission options page gives the Regular Decision deadline as 5 January, which differs from the calendar’s 4 January; check the latest posting.
• How to apply: the Common Application, the Coalition Application or the QuestBridge Application. Use the prompts on the application; no supplemental essay is required.
• Recommendations: at least two teacher recommendations (a science teacher is not specifically required), plus the school report, the counselor recommendation and the transcript sent directly by the counselor. Senior grades are required: first-term grades for ED I as soon as possible, midyear grades by 15 January for ED II and by 15 February for RD; no decision is made without senior grades.
• Testing: optional (test optional); scores may be self-reported, and ACT applicants need not include the science section. The apply page gives a class profile for the Class of 2030 and 2030.5: SAT middle 50% 1460–1530 and ACT middle 50% 33–34.
• Interview: not required; an optional alumni interview can be requested after applying, or a 90-second Glimpse video or audio statement can be used instead.
• February start (Febs): about 100 students a year begin in February; they come from the same applicant pool, applying as a Feb does not change evaluation, and you can state September only, February only or either.
• Application fee: the admissions pages read do not state one; not published here, so confirm on the admissions site.
• Choosing a major: the admissions pages read do not say how or when a major is declared; not published. Ask admissions or the department. The department pages describe the major requirements and advising in sections 1 and 2.

4. US domestic applicants

• Costs (2026–27): tuition USD 72,924, on-campus housing and meal plan USD 20,920, student activity fee USD 542; the college’s estimated total cost of attendance, with books, transportation and personal expenses at USD 1,000 each, is USD 97,386. The college lists a single tuition rate, with no Vermont/out-of-state split. Full-time students must have health insurance and can buy the college plan.
• Winter term (J-term): students must enroll in at least two of four winter terms and earn at least two course credits toward the 36 needed to graduate; no fee is charged for winter term and no aid is provided for it.
• Financial aid: the college says aid is based entirely on need, that it meets all admitted students’ demonstrated need, and that tuition is free for families with incomes up to USD 175,000; about half of students receive aid and the average grant is about USD 66,000 (the college’s figures). US citizens and eligible non-citizens file the CSS Profile (school code 3526) and the FAFSA (school code 003691) plus parents’ 2025 tax returns and W-2s; deadlines are in section 3 and on the aid page: ED I 15 November, ED II 4 January, RD 1 February.
• Testing and in-state preference: testing is optional (section 3). The pages read describe no preference or guarantee for Vermont residents; not published.

5. International applicants

• Materials: the same application materials as domestic applicants, with secondary school administrators asked to forward all appropriate transcripts, test results and recommendations; the page notes some requested information may not apply to every education system.
• English proficiency: not required if your native language is English or your high school classes were taught entirely in English for the last three or four years (depending on the length of high school in your country). Otherwise the college requires verifiable TOEFL iBT, Duolingo English Test, IELTS or Cambridge English results; the recommended minimums are TOEFL iBT 5.5 (105 on the test taken before 21 January 2026), Duolingo 130, IELTS 7.0 and Cambridge English C1 Advanced.
• Testing and interview: tests are optional; an interview is not required, and the college recommends InitialView or Vericant for an interview that can be included in the application (both charge a fee).
• Financial aid: the college is need aware in admitting international students: if you want aid you must apply for it with your application, by the posted deadlines. Submit the CSS Profile (the ISFAA and paper CSS Profile are not accepted) and, through IDOC, parents’ 2025 non-US tax forms or an employer statement of total gross income, in English and signed by the employer.
• Costs: the cost page lists no separate international tuition, so section 4 applies; a proof-of-funds amount is not stated on the pages read.

6. Applicants from China

• Gaokao and transcripts: the admissions pages read do not say whether or how the Gaokao is used, or what Chinese transcripts or Huikao records are required; not published. Contact admissions (admissions@middlebury.edu).
• English and interview: as in section 5; applicants whose high school classes were not taught entirely in English submit TOEFL, Duolingo, IELTS or Cambridge English results.
• Other China-specific guidance: none on the pages read.

7. Research, honors and outcomes

• Research: the department page says faculty have funding for summer research assistants. Academic-year research is coordinated through a department application, with Fall and Spring windows: students fill in a form and the department matches them to faculty with open positions; the page says interest greatly exceeds capacity. The page also links a list of off-campus summer research and internship programs.
• Departmental honors: awarded for completing the ACS-CHEM major with at least a 3.00 average in non-thesis requirements and at least a B on the thesis (CHEM 0701); High Honors may be awarded for exceptional thesis and coursework.
• Outcomes: the department says graduates are well prepared for graduate and medical programs, for employment in the chemical and biotechnology private sector, and for careers in education. The page publishes no employment or graduate-school figures.
• Department scholarships: the pages read describe none specific to chemistry; not published.

8. Transfer students

• Eligibility and deadlines: anyone who has been or is currently enrolled in a full-time degree-seeking program must apply as a transfer student. Fall transfer: 1 March (aid materials the same day), decision mid-May; spring transfer: 2 November, decision mid-December. The page adds that in some circumstances the college may be unable to accommodate spring transfers and will notify applicants in early December, offering consideration for the following fall.
• Materials: the Common Application for transfers; official transcripts from every high school and every college attended; midterm reports (request progress grades from current professors through the Common App form, or upload a statement if you are not currently enrolled); a college report from each college (completed by the dean or registrar); at least one academic recommendation from someone who has taught you in a college course; a document of official course descriptions from each institution; and English proficiency results if applicable. Tests are optional.
• chemistry major: the transfer page gives no GPA threshold for moving into the chemistry major and no prerequisite requirement; not published. Ask the department. Neither the department pages nor the transfer page explain how chemistry courses transfer; ask the department coordinator.
• Credit: transfer students should expect to complete at least two full academic years at Middlebury (a minimum of 18 units). The college does not evaluate or estimate transfer credit before admission; the dean of curriculum and the registrar provide an estimate before the enrollment deposit deadline, and the final evaluation follows the final transcript.
• Financial aid: aid for transfer students is need-based and offered as resources permit. File the FAFSA and CSS Profile by 1 November for spring admission and by 1 March for fall admission (the aid page lists spring transfer as 2 November); international transfer students file the CSS Profile.

Checklist

US domestic applicants:

• Apply by 2 November (ED I) or 4 January (ED II or RD) through the Common App, Coalition or QuestBridge; two teacher recommendations; tests optional; CSS Profile and FAFSA by the aid dates; after admission choose CHEM 0102, 0105 or 0107 by placement test or AP/IB

International applicants:

• Same deadlines; English proof unless your schooling was entirely in English; apply for aid with the application; CSS Profile with non-US tax forms or an employer income statement

Applicants from China:

• How the Gaokao is used is not published, so ask admissions; English proof follows the international requirements

Transfer students:

• Apply by 1 March (fall) or 2 November (spring); expect at least two full years (18 units) at Middlebury; credit is evaluated only after admission

Sources: Middlebury College, Science and mathematics; Department of Chemistry; Chemistry: requirements; Chemistry: placement; Chemistry: research opportunities; Admissions: instructions and deadlines; Admissions: admission options; Admissions: apply; Admissions: financial aid; Tuition and fees; Financial aid application (first-year and transfer). The admissions deadline table prints no year, while the financial aid page states the 2027–2028 academic year; department pages that print no year should be checked against the latest posting. The course catalog and the registrar’s credit policies were not read, so confirm the current full chemistry major requirements on the college website.