Williams College
Williamstown, MA · Private · Town (fringe) · Wiliams · Wiliams College · William · William College · Williams · Williams College
Private institution in Williamstown, MA · 2,060 undergraduates · 10% acceptance rate · $88,665 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 1%Graduation rate (4-year)
- Top 2%Acceptance rate
- Top 2%Average SAT
- Top 4%Median earnings, 10 years after entry
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $14,852668th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $64,8601,985th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $64,8601,985th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $81,1641,909th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $12,761217th lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $88,66580th highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $71,754101st highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 96.5%27th highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 96.5%96th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 10.0%32nd most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- 152719th highest of 1,022 reporting
- Median ACT
- —
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 2,060925th largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 6.0:194th smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 17.2%1,840th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 114 mi (BOS)
On 10 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
- Social Sciences#1
- History#2
- Most Selective Colleges in Massachusetts#5
- Highest Four-Year Graduation Rates#6
- Little Ivies — The 20 Most Selective Elite Liberal Arts Colleges#7
- the Highest SAT Averages#18
- Mathematics & Statistics#19
- Best Student-to-Faculty Ratios#22
- Resume Signal — Top 100 Undergraduate Brands#23
- Area & Ethnic Studies#24
Applying
- EDNov 15
- RDJan 5
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- $65
- Personal essay
- Required
- Writing supplement
- No
Supplemental prompts (2025-26)
- Williams does not require a writing supplement. However, some students feel they do their best writing in an academic context rather than through narrative pieces like admission applications. If you are interested in submitting an example of your academic writing, you may share a 3-5 page paper (excluding citations) written in the last year. The paper may be creative or analytical, can cover any topic, and need not be graded. Please include a description of the assignment or prompt and do not submit lab reports.
Source: Aristotle Circle 2025-26 supplemental prompt roundup
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 31 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | bachelors | $97,959 | $96,183 |
| StatisticsMathematics & Statistics | bachelors | $94,408 | — |
| EconomicsSocial Sciences | bachelors | $86,313 | $76,460 |
| Social Sciences, OtherSocial Sciences | bachelors | $82,440 | $68,219 |
| History | bachelors | $55,964 | $49,464 |
| MathematicsMathematics & Statistics | bachelors | $52,941 | $53,358 |
| Political Science and GovernmentSocial Sciences | bachelors | $45,696 | $51,482 |
| Psychology, GeneralPsychology | bachelors | $41,565 | $34,704 |
| Area StudiesArea & Ethnic Studies | bachelors | $39,729 | $44,384 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsForeign Languages | bachelors | $38,871 | $49,644 |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsForeign Languages | bachelors | $38,289 | — |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralEnglish Language & Literature | bachelors | $36,745 | $40,461 |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1793source
- Athletic nickname: "Ephs"source
- Competes in NCAA Division IIIsource
- School colors: #512698 and #FDCC09source
- Mascot: Ephelia, the Purple Cowsource
- Motto: "E liberalitate E. Williams, armigeri (Latin)"source
- Athletic conference: NESCACsource
- A [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program institutionsource
- A Space-grant]] institutionsource
- Football rivalry: Biggest Little Game In America (since 1884)source
- Fight song: ""Yard By Yard""source
- Notable alum: James A. Garfield (20th U.S. President)source
- Notable alum: Stephen Sondheim (Composer and lyricist)source
- Notable alum: Wangari Maathai (Nobel Peace Prize; environmentalist (Williams M.A.))source
Athletics — 19 sports
NCAA Division III with football · NCAA Division III
Athletic scholarships not allowed · Athletic aid $0 (M $0 · W $0)
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cross Country
- Field Hockey
- Football
- Golf
- Ice Hockey
- Lacrosse
- Rowing
- Skiing
- Soccer
- Softball
- Squash
- Swimming and Diving (combined)
- Tennis
- Track and Field (Indoor)
- Track and Field (Outdoor)
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport. Athletic scholarships are not allowed by association rule; non-athletic merit or need-based aid may still be available.
Notable alumni
- James A. Garfield20th U.S. President
- Stephen SondheimComposer and lyricist
- Wangari MaathaiNobel Peace Prize; environmentalist (Williams M.A.)
Illustrative alumni only — not exhaustive and not a quality ranking. Affiliation claims cite Wikipedia/Wikidata; confirm on primary bios before relying on them.
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to Williams College’s 2,060 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In MA
- Quincy CollegeQuincy, MA · 2,126 undergrads
- Mount Holyoke CollegeSouth Hadley, MA · 2,198 undergrads
- Springfield CollegeSpringfield, MA · 1,916 undergrads
- Amherst CollegeAmherst, MA · 1,907 undergrads
- Emmanuel CollegeBoston, MA · 1,874 undergrads
- Massachusetts College of Art and DesignBoston, MA · 1,812 undergrads
Elsewhere
- Otterbein UniversityWesterville, OH · 2,055 undergrads
- Art Center College of DesignPasadena, CA · 2,054 undergrads
- Cumberland UniversityLebanon, TN · 2,053 undergrads
- Union CollegeSchenectady, NY · 2,070 undergrads
- Minot State UniversityMinot, ND · 2,072 undergrads
- Seattle Pacific UniversitySeattle, WA · 2,073 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitewilliams.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 168342)
- Compare colleges in MARe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in MassachusettsEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with Quincy CollegeSide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: Williams College vs Quincy CollegeHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 19 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.