Williams College
About
Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was killed in the French and Indian War in 1755.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates, a notably small equity gap.
Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 35 Title IV programs, 11 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 24 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing11 · 31.4%
- No Data24 · 68.6%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
New England Commission of Higher Education
Action history · 1
- Mar 2018Renewal of AccreditationNew England Commission of Higher Education
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 441 students received $2.7M in Pell grants, alongside $2.7M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 218 borrowers who entered repayment, 0 (0.0%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Williams College
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 19
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus12
Includes 8 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
- Religion3
- Race1
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
- Fayerweather Hall1 fireSmoking materialsDamage $0-$99
- Mission - Armstrong2 firesOtherDamage $0-$99
- Mission - Armstrong2 firesElectrical1 injured · 0 deathsDamage $0-$99
- Williams Hall1 fireOtherDamage $100-$999
- Mission - Pratt1 fireElectricalDamage $100-$999
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Williams College vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Williams College selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectWilliams College | 94% | 8.3% | 2,164 | $17,716 | Baccalaureate |
| 94% | 9.0% | 1,914 | $23,367 | Baccalaureate | |
| 95% | 7.1% | 1,881 | $14,398 | Baccalaureate | |
| 90% | 20.4% | 2,128 | $25,407 | Baccalaureate | |
| 96% | 5.4% | 6,938 | $29,519 | R1 Research | |
| 88% | 14.5% | 1,788 | $17,648 | Baccalaureate | |
| 90% | 12.4% | 1,431 | $25,314 | Baccalaureate | |
| 91% | 10.7% | 2,803 | $31,483 | Baccalaureate | |
| 93% | 7.1% | 1,700 | $19,285 | Baccalaureate | |
| 92% | 7.5% | 1,623 | $23,149 | Baccalaureate | |
| 93% | 16.5% | 4,011 | $30,177 | Baccalaureate | |
| Peer group median | 93% | 9.0% | 1,914 | $23,367 |
Institutions like Williams College
Explore the federal data for institutions in Williams College's comparison group.
- BaccalaureateMassachusetts
Amherst College
Grad rate94%Admit rate9.0%Enrollment1,914Net price$23,367View data - BaccalaureateMaine
Bowdoin College
Grad rate95%Admit rate7.1%Enrollment1,881Net price$14,398View data - BaccalaureateMinnesota
Carleton College
Grad rate90%Admit rate20.4%Enrollment2,128Net price$25,407View data - R1 ResearchNew Hampshire
Dartmouth College
Grad rate96%Admit rate5.4%Enrollment6,938Net price$29,519View data - BaccalaureateIowa
Grinnell College
Grad rate88%Admit rate14.5%Enrollment1,788Net price$17,648View data - BaccalaureatePennsylvania
Haverford College
Grad rate90%Admit rate12.4%Enrollment1,431Net price$25,314View data - BaccalaureateVermont
Middlebury College
Grad rate91%Admit rate10.7%Enrollment2,803Net price$31,483View data - BaccalaureateCalifornia
Pomona College
Grad rate93%Admit rate7.1%Enrollment1,700Net price$19,285View data - BaccalaureatePennsylvania
Swarthmore College
Grad rate92%Admit rate7.5%Enrollment1,623Net price$23,149View data - BaccalaureateConnecticut
Wesleyan University
Grad rate93%Admit rate16.5%Enrollment4,011Net price$30,177View data
Williams College Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
Institutional Research supports data-informed decision-making at Williams by providing accurate and timely information and analysis that enables Williams to track, critically assess, and communicate its progress.
Visit IR office page- Courtney WadeAssociate Provost for Analytics and Institutional Research
- James CartAssociate Director of Institutional Research
- Corinne GreenblattAssistant Director of Institutional Research
Research funding
External research funding from NSF, NIH, HERD, and federal spending sources.
Common Data Set
Williams College's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.
Reports & documents (3)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DashboardDashboardpublic.tableau.com
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- Strategic planWilliams College Strategic Plan2021Williams College's 2021 strategic plan aims to extend the college's excellence by defining a new standard of academic excellence, expanding access and affordability, and substantially increasing commitments to sustainability and diversity. Developed through extensive community input, the plan focuses on adapting to global challenges and societal shifts such as climate change and technological innovation. The strategy will prepare future graduates to thrive in unexpected circumstances while holding true to Williams' core values of liberal arts education and community engagement.president.williams.edu
Grants & funding (14)
Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.
- awardMassachusetts Life Sciences Center grantMassachusetts Life Sciences Centerinstitution_site$744,886
- awardMellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship ProgramMellon Foundationinstitution_site$143,000
- awardDavis UWC Scholars Programinstitution_site$110,000
- awardGetty Foundation grantGetty Foundationinstitution_site$100,000
- awardNational Science Foundation grantNational Science Foundationinstitution_site$98,706
- awardPer Jacobsson Foundation grantPer Jacobsson Foundationinstitution_site$75,000
- awardHelen Frankenthaler Foundation grantHelen Frankenthaler Foundationinstitution_site$50,000
- awardAmerican Chemical Society grantAmerican Chemical Societyinstitution_site$25,000
- awardProjects for Peaceinstitution_site$10,000
- awardNCAA grantsNational Collegiate Athletic Associationinstitution_site
- opportunityWilliams College Class of 1945 World Fellowship ProgramWilliams Collegeinstitution_site
- opportunityWilliams College Class of 1957 Summer Research ProgramWilliams Collegeinstitution_site
- opportunityWilliams College Oakley Center FellowshipsWilliams Collegeinstitution_site
- opportunityWilliams College Sabbatical Grant ProgramWilliams Collegeinstitution_site
Notable alumni of Williams College (39)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Brooke AckerlyAcademia
- Peter AdamsonAcademia
- Lawrence A. AlexanderAcademia
- Robert Z. AliberAcademia
- Richard T. AntounAcademia
- Bernard BailynAcademia
- Emily BalskusAcademia
- James Phinney Baxter IIIAcademia
- David BellingerAcademia
- Michael BeschlossAcademia
- Norman BirnbaumAcademia
- Allison DavisAcademia
Frequently asked questions about Williams College
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Williams College.
What is the acceptance rate at Williams College?
What is the graduation rate at Williams College?
How many students attend Williams College?
What is the average net price at Williams College?
What is the yield rate at Williams College?
Where is Williams College located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Williams College?
About the data on this page
Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.
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