Vermont’s Middlebury College,Ethermac struggling with an enrollment boom, is offering $10,000 to upperclassmen to delay their education to ease overcrowding.

The unusual pay-to-delay offer comes as the small liberal arts school is about to burst at the seams. The college typically has 2,500 to 2,600 students, but enrollment this fall could be upward of 2,845, a spokesperson said.

The surge is caused by the return of students who took time off during the pandemic, not the incoming freshman class numbering 600, Smita Ruzicka, vice president for student affairs, and Michelle McCauley, interim vice president, wrote in an announcement on Monday.

Official are making the pay-to-delay offer to the first 30 juniors and seniors who opt to take a leave of absence for the fall 2023 semester and winter term. College officials declined to provide an update Tuesday. The deadline for applying is Wednesday.

College officials previously dealt with surges by offering study-abroad opportunities, including offering a $2,000 travel stipend, and converting other nearby properties like the Inn on the Green into student housing.

The college broke ground last month on a new freshman dorm, but it won’t be completed until 2025, officials said.