The Best College Towns In Vermont For 2026

Vermont doesn't get a lot of attention for its colleges, but there are 5 towns in the state with at least one four-year school -- and some of them make great places to spend four years.

We wanted to know which ones are the best college towns. You know the type of place: plenty of students, plenty to do, affordable rent, and safe enough to walk around at night.

So we used Saturday Night Science to rank all 5 of them on the colleges themselves, the town around them, and things to do. Middlebury came out on top.

The 5 Best College Towns In Vermont For 2026

Middlebury, VT
Burlington, VT
Montpelier, VT
Brattleboro, VT
Bennington, VT

Want the bigger picture? See where Vermont's towns land among the best college towns in America.

For more reading, check out:

No. 1 college town in Vermont

Middlebury, VT

Source: Wikipedia User Alan Levine | CC BY 2.0

Colleges	Middlebury College
Undergrads	2,738 (38 per 100 residents)
Population	7,220
Median rent	$1,201
Graduation rate	91%
Cost to attend (per year)	$85,880

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Middlebury is home to Middlebury College. There are 38 undergrads for every 100 residents, the median rent is $1,201 a month, and the average cost to attend is $85,880 a year. It ranks 1st for crime among the 5 towns we ranked.

No. 2 college town in Vermont

Burlington, VT

Source: Wikipedia User Kenneth C. Zirkel | CC BY-SA 4.0

Colleges	University of Vermont, Champlain College
Undergrads	14,495 (32 per 100 residents)
Population	44,675
Median rent	$1,649
Graduation rate	70%
Cost to attend (per year)	$50,329

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Burlington is home to University of Vermont, Champlain College. There are 32 undergrads for every 100 residents, the median rent is $1,649 a month, and the average cost to attend is $50,329 a year. It ranks 5th for crime among the 5 towns we ranked.

No. 3 college town in Vermont

Montpelier, VT

Source: Wikipedia User The original uploader was Decumanus at English Wikipedia | GFDL

Colleges	Vermont College of Fine Arts
Undergrads	0 (0 per 100 residents)
Population	8,014
Median rent	$1,302
Graduation rate	78%
Cost to attend (per year)	$74,498

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Montpelier is home to Vermont College of Fine Arts. There are 0 undergrads for every 100 residents, the median rent is $1,302 a month, and the average cost to attend is $74,498 a year. It ranks 2nd for crime among the 5 towns we ranked.

No. 4 college town in Vermont

Brattleboro, VT

Source: Wikipedia User Qrpnut | CC BY-SA 3.0

Colleges	SIT Graduate Institute
Undergrads	0 (0 per 100 residents)
Population	7,657
Median rent	$1,113
Graduation rate	78%
Cost to attend (per year)	$74,498

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Brattleboro is home to SIT Graduate Institute. There are 0 undergrads for every 100 residents, the median rent is $1,113 a month, and the average cost to attend is $74,498 a year. It ranks 4th for crime among the 5 towns we ranked.

No. 5 college town in Vermont

Bennington, VT

Source: Wikipedia User Daniel Case | CC BY-SA 3.0

Colleges	Bennington College
Undergrads	780 (8 per 100 residents)
Population	9,245
Median rent	$1,115
Graduation rate	73%
Cost to attend (per year)	$87,284

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Bennington is home to Bennington College. There are 8 undergrads for every 100 residents, the median rent is $1,115 a month, and the average cost to attend is $87,284 a year. It ranks 3rd for crime among the 5 towns we ranked.

Saturday Night Science

How we determined the best college towns in Vermont

First, we decided that every town on the list had to have at least one four-year college -- a school that grants bachelor's degrees -- and at least 5,000 residents. There are 5 towns in Vermont that fit the bill.

Then we ranked every town on these categories:

The town: unemployment rate, median rent, and crime per capita
The colleges: graduation rate, the average cost to attend, and student body diversity
Things to do: bars, museums and libraries per capita, and population density
Students: undergrads as a share of the population
Size: population, since bigger towns have more going on

We ranked each town on every measure, averaged those ranks into a score for each category, and then averaged the categories. The town with the best overall score is the best college town in Vermont.

Our data comes from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (enrollment, graduation rates, cost, and diversity), the Census Bureau's 2020-2024 American Community Survey, the FBI's 2024 crime report. We left out colleges that are online-only or mostly online, since their students don't actually live in town. A handful of towns don't report crime to the FBI, so we gave them the average.

We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the best college towns in Vermont.

Summary

There You Have It -- The Best College Towns In Vermont

If you're looking for the best college towns in Vermont, Middlebury is where to start.

The best college towns in Vermont are Middlebury, Burlington, Montpelier, Brattleboro, and Bennington.

For more college towns, check out the best college towns in America.

Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best college town in Vermont for 2026?

Middlebury is the best college town in Vermont for 2026, followed by Burlington and Montpelier.

How did you rank the best college towns in Vermont?

We looked at every town in Vermont with at least 5,000 residents and a four-year college, then ranked them on city characteristics, college characteristics, things to do, the share of residents who are students, and size. The town with the best average rank is number one.

What is the worst college town in Vermont?

Bennington ranks last of the 5 college towns we ranked in Vermont for 2026.