Get into Williams College

Everything you need to know about Williams College Admissions.

About Williams College

Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, a small town in the Berkshires. Established in 1793, Williams is one of the oldest colleges in the country and has an enrollment of 2,061 undergraduate students. This year, Williams earned the #1 spot in the annual U.S. News & World Report ranking of “Best Liberal Arts Colleges” and #1 among liberal arts colleges in the 2022 Forbes Magazine ranking of America’s Top Colleges. Although the school was originally founded as a men’s college, women were first admitted in 1971 and, in the 1960s, the college’s fraternities were abolished.

Williams has a number of unique opportunities within their curriculum like Winter Study, the Difference, Power, and Equity requirement, and a number of interdisciplinary opportunities available within the more than 50 areas of study across the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. It utilizes a 4-1-4-based academic calendar so that, each January, students can pursue a single subject on a pass/fail basis. The Winter Study offerings also include short-term trips and independent research as well as fieldwork and internships.

Williams prides itself on its small class sizes, with a student-teacher ratio of 7:1, and its Oxford-style tutorials, which rely heavily on student participation. Since almost all students are required to live on campus, there is a palpable sense of community both in the classroom and in the dormitories. Williams is a member of the Division III New England Small College Athletic Conference and, in addition to 32 varsity teams, it has an active club and intramural sports program. More than 60% of Williams’ students compete on at least one varsity, junior varsity, or club team.

Although Williams has a focus on undergraduate teaching, there are roughly 50 graduate students who are enrolled in one of the two graduate-level programs. The Center for Development Economics (CDE) at Williams offers an intensive, one-year master’s degree program designed for economists from low and middle-income countries who have some practical experience. The second program, the Williams Graduate Program in the History of Art, is administered in conjunction with the Clark Art Institute and has a two-year curriculum that combines academic course work, internships, workshops and international travel.

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Applying to Williams

As one of the most selective colleges in the country, Williams admits fewer than one in ten applicants. Williams accepts the Common Application, the Coalition Application, or the QuestBridge application. There is also an optional Williams Writing Supplement that requires an additional essay. While they claim there are no firm requirements for admission, competitive candidates typically study English, math, natural science, foreign language and social studies in four-year sequences and present a distinguished record throughout their secondary school career.

If Williams is your first-choice college, you may apply under the binding Early Decision program. Early Decision applicants may submit an Early Decision application to only one institution and if admitted under Early Decision are expected to withdraw all other college applications. You may also apply under the non-binding Regular Decision plan. If admitted, you have until May 1 to accept your place in the class.

Interested applicants are encouraged to visit the Williams campus, which is an hour drive from Albany International Airport/Rensselaer Train Station and three hours from Boston and New York City. Although there are no on-campus interviews offered, you can attend a campus tour and information session, attend a class, or stay overnight. If you cannot afford to visit Williams, you can apply for the Windows on Williams (WOW) program, which gives high school seniors the opportunity to spend three all-expenses-paid days at Williams. Preference is given to high-achieving students who couldn’t otherwise afford to visit Williams. This commitment to economic diversity is also seen in Williams’ financial aid program. Admission decisions are made without considering the U.S. students’ financial needs and the college provides grants and other assistance to meet 100% of the demonstrated financial need of every student, which alleviates debt levels for graduating seniors.

Williams College Admissions Wrap Up

Class of 2028
Williams received 15,411 applications for the Class of 2028. The acceptance rate was a historic low of 7.5 percent. They received a historic high 1,068 early applications to the Class of 2028. They accepted 249 for a rate of 23 percent.

Top Tier Admissions Can Help You Get Into Williams:

Michele, I know E has already written you but I wanted to reach out and say thank you to you and R as well as the rest of the Top Tier Team. E is over the moon and being able to enjoy the rest of the year without the stress of college decisions is priceless. We all appreciate what you and your team were able to do to help guide the process as well as make the essay writing much smoother that it would have been otherwise.

C.B.

Application Boot Camp parent

I wanted to share that M GOT INTO PRINCETON! We are so happy for her. She worked super hard. She couldn’t have done the application questions and created a niche without all of your support. Thank you so much for everything. We will forever be in gratitude.

D.J.

Application Boot Camp parent

We wanted to let you know that L was accepted at Tufts – his first choice and ED app! Thanks again for all of your help!

G.Y.

Application Boot Camp parent

I wanted to share with you the great news that I was accepted to Tulane ED yesterday! Thank you both so much for your advice and help along the way. I can’t imagine how hard it would have been without it. I am so excited and looking forward to the fall. Thank you!!

E.R.

Application Boot Camp student

I’m not in complete TTA withdrawal after ABC, thanks to you continuing to keep us on track! My heartfelt gratitude for all you have done for the K family. Your care and calm have meant the world to us. So much appreciation for being our rock and guiding light!

P.L.

Application Boot Camp parent

She’s IN at Stanford! Thank you for all your support and hard work, and to the others at TTA who worked over her application. You are very much appreciated. K is a great kid and I trust her to do good in the world.

E.W.

Application Boot Camp parent

While H awaits his early round decisions, I wanted to give you an update on R. He just finished his first semester at Occidental and he has been crushing it. He loves the school and he is motivated, curious and working so hard. It has been an ideal place for him.

We cannot thank you enough for all of your help and truly wonderful advice. We are so grateful!

T.C.

Application Boot Camp parents

I got into Brown University! I’m so excited to attend!! Thank you for all your guidance and support during the whole process. I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome, and Top Tier was critical in this result.

M.R.

Application Boot Camp student

We are thrilled to inform you that H has been accepted to Duke University and will be joining his brother K there this fall. We were admittedly a little nervous when Application Boot Camp (understandably) went virtual, but we should not have worried as H came away super-prepared for application season. We really appreciate all of the frank advice and counsel we have received from everyone at Top Tier over the last few years as our sons have journeyed through this process.

W.R.

Application Boot Camp parent

We want to share the good news that P was admitted ED to Williams yesterday! Thank you!

W.B.

Application Boot Camp parents

I wanted to share the good news that I was accepted to Wharton ED last night!! Thanks again to you and ABC for all the support.

W.P.

Application Boot Camp student

I wanted to share the good news that J was accepted to Duke early admission. Thank you for your support!

S.D.

Application Boot Camp student

I hope you are enjoying some extremely well-deserved R&R after the intensity of Bootcamp! We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for offering R and I your warmth, encouragement, expertise, and seasoned insight. R was so very lucky to have the chance to work with you. We now count you as part of our beloved extended family! ABC was certainly rigorous but it was wonderful to see R’s pride and relief when she came home on Friday.

C.W.

Application Boot Camp parent

Trust The Process. Those words are etched in my brain forever. We were so happy and excited to watch our daughter find out she had been accepted early into Notre Dame last night.
I felt like a millstone that had been hanging around my neck was taken off immediately.
Thank you for your patience and for your expertise in guiding our daughter. Her friends from ND are coming home this weekend and she is so happy and proud to be able to wear a ND sweatshirt she had been keeping in her closet since she picked it up at ND last June.
The Boot Camp was really awesome in teaching her how to write essays for the supplemental questions. I would say it also boosted her confidence, knowing that experts such as yourselves taught her the pearls of wisdom in writing college applications.
From South Dakota to South Bend… it was a journey uphill but our daughter is finally home… Thank you!

O.P.

Application Boot Camp parents

I just wanted to let you guys know I’ve officially been admitted to Williams. I am SO excited and so grateful for all of your help along the way. Thank you so much. Woohoo!

E.A.

Application Boot Camp student

I can’t thank you enough for all your guidance and encouragement during ABC! I’m still exhausted but also really happy about my essays. It’s a huge relief to have my common app in such good shape. I’ll never forget how much you and the rest of the amazing TTA team helped me.

K.R.

Application Boot Camp student

I just got my Brown Early Decision back and I wanted to let you all know that I got in!!!! Thank you, guys, so much for all the help with my application and my essays. I couldn’t have done it without your help! I am so happy that I got into my first-choice school!!! Once again, I can’t thank you all enough for all the help and guidance

C.A.

Application Boot Camp student

MASSIVE thanks to you for all you did to shepherd us through this nerve-racking process! You are the rock, the hub, and the heart of TTA. H is so extraordinarily fortunate to have had you supporting, guiding, and believing in her.
I saw her grow right before my eyes during Bootcamp (which was phenomenally well run, due to your effort and skill). I still marvel at how much she accomplished in such a condensed period of time but I am most grateful for how you nurtured her spirit and confidence. Empowering her in that way has made all the difference this year.
I know everyone must say “we couldn’t have done it without you” but that sentiment is true beyond words. You have given her a gift that will keep giving for the rest of her life and you have changed us for good AND for the better.

R.C.

Application Boot Camp parent

We are enormously grateful for your nurturing presence in our lives and we can’t thank you enough for the gift of your extraordinary experience and expert advice during this nerve-racking process. I still can’t get over the collective brain power in the “room” at ABC.

You might be surprised at what I heard H say yesterday but it’s such a tribute to how hard he worked, how much support he received, and the connections he made. After his 3-hour nap on Friday, a celebratory dinner, and a great night’s, he got up on Saturday and said, “Mom, I want to go back to Bootcamp!” True story. I’m not sure how you do it with the pace and intensity of ABC but T felt truly seen, deeply respected, pushed in the best way possible, and overjoyed about the results. We appreciate your help more than words can express.

H.B.

Application Boot Camp parent

I just wanted to share with you the very exciting news that I was accepted into the University of Miami!!! Thank you so much for all your help and support during this process. All the team from Top Tier really made a difference and were extremely supportive.

L.W.

Application Boot Camp student

I just wanted to let you all know that I was accepted into Northwestern! Thanks for all your help!

R.G.

Application Boot Camp student

Without ABC I would have had a strictly mediocre application.

R.V.

Application Boot Camp student

I’m already envious of the red carpet you are rolling out for ABC; these kiddos are so fortunate to be in such caring and attentive hands! T is very excited for Bootcamp and that is a gift in and of itself. A million thank yous for creating an application experience that generates more enthusiasm than panic.

E.A.

Application Boot Camp parent

I KNOW that YOU were beyond instrumental in this process and I wanted to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for your efforts from August in Boston onward. You were always available and such a massive help for K with her supplements.

H.T.

Application Boot Camp and Essay Guidance parent