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Williams College

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Williams College campus

In addition to all the things that make liberal arts colleges the global gold standard—small classes, attentive faculty, close-knit community—Williams offers unique opportunities like our renowned tutorial classes (just two students and one professor!) and research programs. Choose among over 60 areas of study across the humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. Your intellectual journey will be guided by accomplished scientists and scholars whose own work often transcends traditional academic boundaries. Williams has one of the most generous financial aid programs in the nation, practicing need-blind admission and meeting 100 percent of the demonstrated need of every student, every year. We were the first in the nation to introduce an all-grant financial aid program: work study and loans are NOT part of our financial aid packages. It's the breadth and depth of students' experiences—intellectual and experiential, theoretical and practical, local and global—that position Williams graduates to thrive and lead in fields as diverse and evolving as they are themselves.

Accepts first-year applicationsNew EnglandPrivateRuralMedium (2,001 to 14,999)Co-Ed
Virtual Tour

Academic programs

  • Research
  • Science
  • Technology
  • Liberal Arts
  • Education
  • Music
  • Art & Design
  • Economics
  • Government/Political Science
  • Health Science
  • Performing Arts
  • Social Science
  • Visual Arts
  • Psychology
  • Computer Science
  • Public health

Student experience

  • Athletics
  • Co-op/Internship Opportunities
  • Disability Services
  • Intramural/Club Sports
  • LGBTQIA Services
  • Military/Veteran Services
  • On-Campus Housing
  • Study Abroad
  • Undergraduate Research
  • Veteran Fee Waiver

Application information

First-year

Students with less than one year of full-time college coursework are encouraged to apply as first-years. Students with one year or more of full-time college coursework completed or in process should apply as transfers. Regardless of how you apply, college credit may be considered for course placement. Early Decision Application Deadline: November 15, 2025 Regular Decision Application Deadline: January 5, 2026. If the $65 application fee poses a financial hardship, a fee waiver can be requested on the Common Application. Also note that there are no separate requirements for international students.

Transfer

Students with one year or more of full-time college coursework completed or in process should apply as transfers. Students with less than one year of full-time college coursework are encouraged to apply as first-years. Regardless of how you apply, college credit may be considered for course placement. While our standard transfer policy is stated above, we understand that your own experience might fall somewhere outside these parameters. For questions or guidance, please contact the Office of Admission by emailing admission@williams.edu. The transfer application deadline is March 2, 2026.

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Additional information

There are plenty of ways to get to know Williams. Go online where you can take a virtual tour, or check out the many photos on Instagram.

We also announced the nation's first all-grant financial aid program in 2022. Get a sense of how generous and extensive our wraparound financial aid support is by using our MyinTuition Quick College Cost Estimator (for domestic applicants) to get an estimate in just minutes. 
However you are able to experience Williams, we look forward to connecting with you.

Please also note that all students applying during the 2025-2026 admission cycle have the option of applying under a test-optional policy. We are truly test-optional!

Visit us

The sounds of the Berkshires, the smiles of familiar strangers, the engagement in each class discussion, the buzz of Paresky Student Center, the roar of Ephs (what we call ourselves..."eefs") on game day, the sense of knowing you’re in the right place. We can’t wait for you to experience it all in person. But even if you can't make it to campus, we're eager to help you explore Williams from where you are. We encourage you to learn more about life at Williams and connect with the people—students, faculty, and staff—who make it the special community that it is.

“It would be no small advantage if every college were thus located at the base of a mountain.” — Henry David Thoreau, writing of Williams in 1844.