Private nonprofit · College
Williams College
Williamstown, Massachusetts · Fringe town
- 8.3%
- Admit rate
- $17,716
- Avg net price
- 94%
- Graduation rate
- $88,665
- Median earnings
Williams College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Williamstown, Massachusetts (fringe town setting), enrolling 2,076 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Williams College's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 8.3%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1490–1570
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 4.00
Enter a test score to see where you land against Williams College's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Williams College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Williamstown, Massachusetts
Williamstown is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. Originally called West Hoosac, the area was first settled in 1749. Prior to this time, its position along the Mohawk Trail made it ideal Mohican hunting grounds. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Fringe town
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 28 miles to Albany, NY
- To the ocean
- 98 miles
- Nearest airport
- 30 miles to Albany (ALB) · major hub
How Williams College compares
More selective than 98% · #4 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts
Higher than 98%
Higher than 97% · #5 of 66 in Massachusetts
Higher than 95%
Higher than 94% · #12 of 67 in Massachusetts
Cheaper than 61% · #12 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts
Lower than 94%
Lower than 94%
Larger than 58%
Percentiles compare Williams College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Massachusetts.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate2,07698%
- Graduate492%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,06451%
- Men1,01249%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White47%
- Black6.1%
- Hispanic14%
- Asian12%
- Other or multiracial21%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,076
- Graduate enrollment
- 49
- Student–faculty ratio
- 6 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 18%
- First-generation students
- 22%
- Students over 25
- 1%
- Median family income
- $52,356
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $137,853
- Endowment
- $3,530,439,948
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 541 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Massachusetts14%
- Other U.S. states77%
- International9.1%
A national draw — only 14% of first-years come from Massachusetts; 77% arrive from other states.
9% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 8.3%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1490–1570
- SAT average
- 1533
- SAT reading
- 740–780
- SAT math
- 750–790
- ACT composite
- 34–35
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 4.00
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $68,560
- Room & board
- $17,260
- Books & supplies
- $1,000
- Total cost of attendance
- $84,860
- Average net price
- $17,716
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 94%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 71%
- First-year retention
- 97%
- Transferred to another college
- 1%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $71,754
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $88,665
- Median debt at graduation
- $12,761
- Students with federal loans
- 5%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 81%
About 22% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 2,078
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 100%
- Housing charge (year)
- $8,300
- Meal plan (year)
- $8,000
- Application fee
- $65
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- New England Small College Athletic Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 962 (522 men · 440 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (19)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- D
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 6.3 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 32
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 9
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (2,164 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
-$1,978/year × about 4.4 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Williams College discounts heavily: 58% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $61,503. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 577 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $88,665
- Typical debt at graduation
- $12,761
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 14%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 69%
Typical debt would take roughly 1.4 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $31,089 (40%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 81°F
- Winter low
- 14°F
- Annual rain
- 42.3″
- Annual snow
- 75.2″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, North Adams Harriman AP, MA US station (2 mi from campus).
What Williams College graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Williams College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Williams College side by side →
Bowdoin College
Brunswick, Maine · Fringe town · 23 mi to Portland
- Students
- 1,873
- Admission
- 7%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1520
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $83k
Colby College
Waterville, Maine · Remote town · 69 mi to Portland
- Students
- 2,407
- Admission
- 7%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1501
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $80k
Pomona College
Claremont, California · Large suburb · 21 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 1,666
- Admission
- 7%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1534
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $78k
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore, Pennsylvania · Large suburb · 11 mi to Philadelphia
- Students
- 1,613
- Admission
- 7%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1534
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $80k
Amherst College
Amherst, Massachusetts · Small city · 19 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 1,911
- Admission
- 9%
- Net price
- $23k
- SAT
- 1533
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $78k
Wellesley College
Wellesley, Massachusetts · Large suburb · 14 mi to Boston
- Students
- 2,300
- Admission
- 14%
- Net price
- $25k
- SAT
- 1520
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $85k
Colleges near Williams College
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
North Adams, MA · Public · Bachelor's · 713 students
Charles H McCann Technical School
North Adams, MA · Public · Certificate · 41 students
Bennington College
Bennington, VT · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 780 students
Berkshire Community College
Pittsfield, MA · Public · Associate · 1,358 students
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 5,714 students
Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing
Troy, NY · Private nonprofit · Associate · 129 students
Hudson Valley Community College
Troy, NY · Public · Associate · 6,499 students
Russell Sage College
Troy, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,244 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.












