Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Middlebury College

A $30,600 debt load for a program with estimated first-year earnings around $42,000 creates an uncomfortable reality: you're borrowing nearly three-quarters of what graduates from similar Vermont liberal arts programs typically earn in their first year. That's manageable on paper—about 8-9 months of gross income—but it means loan payments will claim a meaningful chunk of early paychecks at a stage when many graduates are still figuring out their career direction.

The limited data here stems from small graduate cohorts, typical for elite liberal arts schools where this broad major often feeds into graduate programs or varied career paths. Peer liberal arts programs in Vermont suggest earnings just above the national median for this degree, but notably far behind Champlain's more vocationally-focused programs that nearly double these figures. With Middlebury's 10% admission rate and sky-high test scores, families often assume outcomes will exceed typical liberal arts benchmarks—but without school-specific data, that's speculation rather than evidence.

The core tension is straightforward: you're paying elite private school prices (reflected in that debt estimate) for a generalist degree whose early earning power, based on Vermont comparables, looks decidedly middle-of-the-pack. If your child plans graduate school or views this as credentialing for family connections and networks rather than direct career preparation, the investment calculates differently. But if the plan hinges on quick financial independence after graduation, these estimated figures suggest a tougher climb than the college's prestige might imply.