Commitment to the intellectual and personal development of students is Hamilton College's most important and enduring tradition. The faculty is dedicated to the promotion of academic achievement, integrity and personal growth. Hamilton students spend much of their time with their teachers and fellow students identifying problems, clarifying questions, thinking creatively, experimenting with solutions and frequently undertaking collaborative work. The College seeks mature and motivated students who desire to join this academic community and who are willing to take the responsibility for shaping their academic careers through sustained consultation with their advisors.
A Hamilton education is characterized by academic rigor and intellectual engagement. Faculty members provide opportunities for students of unusual talents to realize their fullest capacities, for their own benefit and that of the world in which they will live. To that end, professors design programs, courses and assignments that foster self-education and produce the intellectual toughness, creativity and flexibility necessary to excel in a rapidly changing world. Graduates should be poised to investigate new avenues of knowledge, to respond creatively to new and unexpected situations and to address problems and challenges in a morally and intellectually courageous manner.
The College expects its students to develop the ability to read, observe and listen with critical perception, and to think, write and speak with clarity, understanding and precision. Students should develop their appreciation for inquiry, combined with the confidence to evaluate arguments and to defend their own positions. They should learn to question creatively, derive information from and analyze data, and formulate hypotheses. They should recognize the limits of factual information and become attuned to how such information can be used and misused. Above all, students should develop respect for intellectual and cultural diversity because such respect promotes free and open inquiry, independent thought and mutual understanding.
At Hamilton, students are accorded freedom to pursue their own educational interests within the broad goals of a liberal arts education. In consultation with their advisors, Hamilton students regularly plan, assess and re-assess their educational progress and their success in fulfilling the ideals of the liberal arts.
Hamilton College is a private, independent, liberal arts college located in Clinton, New York. In 2009, U.S. News & World Report ranked Hamilton the 20th best liberal arts college in the United States. The college is known for its emphasis on writing and speaking. The school was founded in 1793, chartered as Hamilton College in 1812, and has been coeducational since 1978, when it merged with Kirkland College.
Hamilton is sometimes referred to as the "College on the Hill", due to the school's location on top of College Hill, just outside of downtown Clinton. Hamilton College is considered to be one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country, and is considered one of the "Little Ivies." A separate article listing notable Hamilton College alumni includes leaders in business, government, academics, arts, sports, and other fields.
Hamilton began in 1793 as the Hamilton-Oneida Academy, a K-12 school, and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812, making it the third oldest college established in New York, after Columbia and Union. Samuel Kirkland founded the College as part of his missions work with the Oneida tribe. The college is named for Alexander Hamilton, who was a member of the first Board of Trustees of the Hamilton-Oneida Academy (though he never set foot on campus). It was in factBaron von Steuben, acting as Hamilton's surrogate, who laid the college's cornerstone.
In 1978, the all-male Hamilton College merged with the all-female Kirkland College, which had been located adjacent to and founded by Hamilton; the primary public reason for the merger was Kirkland's imminent insolvency. It took nearly 7 years to fully complete the merger; female students were given the option of receiving a Kirkland diploma instead of a Hamilton diploma until 1979. Several former Kirkland faculty members teaching at Hamilton still fondly remember being part of a very different academic community prior to the merger.
Learn more about Bachelor’s Degree Programs
A program that focuses on environment-related issues using scientific, social scientific, or humanistic approaches or a combination. Includes instruction in the basic principles of ecology and environmental science and related subjects such as policy, politics, law, economics, social aspects, planning, pollution control, natural resources, and the interactions of human beings and nature. See more Environmental Studies. Schools or Online Environmental Studies. School Degree Programs
A program that focuses on the process and techniques of original composition in various literary forms such as the short story, poetry, the novel, and others. Includes instruction in technical and editorial skills, criticism, and the marketing of finished manuscripts. See more Creative Writing Schools or Online Creative Writing School Degree Programs
A general program that focuses on the English language, including its history, structure and related communications skills; and the literature and culture of English-speaking peoples. See more English Language and Literature Schools or Online English Language and Literature School Degree Programs
A program that focuses on the general study of dramatic works and their performance. Includes instruction in major works of dramatic literature, dramatic styles and types, and the principles of organizing and producing full live or filmed productions. See more Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts Schools or Online Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts School Degree Programs
Students in this major study the Chinese language and its associated dialects and literature, including Chinese philology, Archaic and Classical Chinese, Modern Standard Chinese (Guóyu), Mandarin, Cantonese, Taiwanese, Wu, Min, Hunanese, Hakka, other dialects and pidgins, and applications to business, science/technology, and other settings. See more Chinese Language and Literature Schools
This general program focuses on the literary culture of the ancient Graeco-Roman world and the Greek and Latin languages and literatures and their development prior to the fall of the Roman Empire. See more Classics and Languages, Literatures and Linguistics Schools
A program that focuses on two or more literary traditions in the original languages or in translation. Includes instruction in comparative linguistics; applicable foreign languages; English/French language and literature; literary criticism; and applications to genre, period, national, and textual studies as well as literary forms such as poetry, prose, and drama. See more Comparative Literature Schools
A general program that focuses on one or more modern foreign languages that is not specific as to the name of the language(s) studied; that is otherwise undifferentiated; or that introduces students to language studies at the basic/elementary level. See more Foreign Languages and Literatures Schools or Online Foreign Languages and Literatures School Degree Programs
A program that focuses on the French language and related dialects and creoles. Includes instruction in French philology, Metropolitan French, Canadian French, African and Caribbean Creoles, French regional dialects, and applications in business, science/technology, and other settings. See more French Language and Literature Schools
A program that focuses on the German language and related dialects as used in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, neighboring European countries containing German-speaking minorities, and elsewhere. Includes instruction in German philology; Old, Middle, and High German; Plattdeutsch and other regional dialects; and applications to business, science/technology, and other settings. See more German Language and Literature Schools
A program that focuses on the Spanish language and related dialects. Includes instruction in Spanish philology, Modern Castillan, various Latin American dialects, regional Spanish dialects, and applications in business, science/technology, and other settings. See more Spanish Language and Literature Schools
A program that focuses on the general study and interpretation of the past, including the gathering, recording, synthesizing and criticizing of evidence and theories about past events. Includes instruction in historiography; historical research methods; studies of specific periods, issues and cultures; and applications to areas such as historic preservation, public policy, and records administration. See more History Schools or Online History School Degree Programs
A general program that focuses on the introductory study and appreciation of music and the performing arts. Includes instruction in music, dance, and other performing arts media. See more General Music Schools or Online General Music School Degree Programs
A general program that prepares individuals to express ideas, feelings, and/or inner visions through the performance of one or more of the dance disciplines, including but not limited to ballet, modern, jazz, ethnic, and folk dance, and that focuses on the study and analysis of dance as a cultural phenomenon. Includes instruction in technique, choreography, Laban notation, dance history and criticism, and dance production. See more General Dance Schools
A program that focuses on ideas and their logical structure, including arguments and investigations about abstract and real phenomena. Includes instruction in logic, ethics, aesthetics, epistemology, metaphysics, symbolism, and history of philosophy, and applications to the theoretical foundations and methods of other disciplines. See more General Philosophy Schools or Online General Philosophy School Degree Programs
A program that focuses on the nature of religious belief and specific religious and quasi-religious systems. Includes instruction in phenomenology; the sociology, psychology, philosophy, anthropology, literature and art of religion; mythology; scriptural and textual studies; religious history and politics; and specific studies of particular faith communities and their behavior. See more General Religion/Religious Studies Schools or Online General Religion/Religious Studies School Degree Programs
Students of Art History study of the historical development of art as a social and intellectual phenomenon. Art History programs include the analysis of works of art, and art conservation, art history research methods, connoisseurship, the preservation and conservation of works of art, and the study of specific periods, cultures, styles, and themes. See more Art History, Criticism and Conservation Schools or Online Art History, Criticism and Conservation School Degree Programs
A program that focuses on the scientific, humanistic, and critical study of human communication in a variety of formats, media, and contexts. Includes instruction in the theory and practice of interpersonal, group, organizational, professional, and intercultural communication; speaking and listening; verbal and nonverbal interaction; rhetorical theory and criticism; performance studies; argumentation and persuasion; technologically mediated communication; popular culture; and various contextual applications. See more Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric Schools
Any instructional program that is derived from two or more distinct programs to provide a cross-cutting focus on a subject concentration that is not subsumed under a single discipline or occupational field. See more Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies Schools or Online Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies School Degree Programs
A program that focuses on the interdisciplinary scientific study of the molecular, structural, physiologic, cognitive, and behavioral aspects of the brain and nervous system. Includes instruction in molecular and cellular neuroscience, brain science, anatomy and physiology of the central nervous system, molecular and biochemical bases of information processing, behavioral neuroscience, biology of neuropsychiatric disorders, and applications to the clinical sciences and biomedical engineering. See more Neuroscience Schools
Study the chemistry of living systems in these four, six, or eight year programs. Students of biochemistry learn the intricacies of the chemistry of living systems and their chemical pathways and information transfer systems. This program includes instruction in bio-organic chemistry, protein chemistry, bioanalytical chemistry, bioseparations, regulatory biochemistry, enzymology, hormonal chemistry, calorimetry, and research methods and equipment operation. See more Biochemistry Schools
Students in this program study general biology at an introductory level. This major provides students with a broad overview of biology and includes instruction in general biology and programs covering a variety of biological specializations. See more Biology/Biological Sciences Schools or Online Biology/Biological Sciences School Degree Programs
A general program that focuses on the analysis of quantities, magnitudes, forms, and their relationships, using symbolic logic and language. Includes instruction in algebra, calculus, functional analysis, geometry, number theory, logic, topology and other mathematical specializations. See more General Mathematics Schools or Online General Mathematics School Degree Programs
A general program that focuses on the scientific study of the composition and behavior of matter, including its micro- and macro-structure, the processes of chemical change, and the theoretical description and laboratory simulation of these phenomena. See more General Chemistry Schools or Online General Chemistry School Degree Programs
A program that focuses on the scientific study of the earth; the forces acting upon it; and the behavior of the solids, liquids and gases comprising it. Includes instruction in historical geology, geomorphology, and sedimentology, the chemistry of rocks and soils, stratigraphy, mineralogy, petrology, geostatistics, volcanology, glaciology, geophysical principles, and applications to research and industrial problems. See more Geology/Earth Science Schools
A general program that focuses on the scientific study of matter and energy, and the formulation and testing of the laws governing the behavior of the matter-energy continuum. Includes instruction in classical and modern physics, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics, mechanics, wave properties, nuclear processes, relativity and quantum theory, quantitative methods, and laboratory methods. See more General Physics Schools
Students of Archeology study past societies, via the excavation, analysis and interpretation of their artefacts. Instruction in Archeology includes archeological theory, field methods, dating methods, conservation and museum studies, cultural and physical evolution, and the study of specific selected past cultures. See more Archeology Schools
A program that focuses on the systematic study of human beings, their antecedents and related primates, and their cultural behavior and institutions, in comparative perspective. Includes instruction in biological/physical anthropology, primatology, human paleontology and prehistoric archeology, hominid evolution, anthropological linguistics, ethnography, ethnology, ethnohistory, socio-cultural anthropology, psychological anthropology, research methods, and applications to areas such as medicine, forensic pathology, museum studies, and international affairs. See more General Anthropology Schools or Online General Anthropology School Degree Programs
African-American Studies focuses on the history, sociology, politics, culture, and economics of the African-Americans. The program focuses on the African-Americans of the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean but also including reference to Latin American African-Americans. See more African-American/Black Studies Schools
This program studies the history, society, politics, culture, and economics of the United States and its Pre-Columbian and colonial predecessors, including the flow of immigrants from other societies. See more American/United States Studies/Civilization Schools
This four year program focuses on the history, society, politics, culture, and economics of the peoples of the Asian Continent. Asian Studies programs include the study of Asian diasporas overseas. See more Asian Studies/Civilization Schools or Online Asian Studies/Civilization School Degree Programs
A program that focuses on the history, society, politics, culture, and economics of one or more of the peoples of the Russian Federation and its Soviet, Czarist, and medieval predecessors and related borderlands. See more Russian Studies Schools
A program that focuses on the history, sociology, politics, culture, and economics of women, and the development of modern feminism in relation to the roles played by women in different periods and locations in North America and the world. Programs may focus on literature, philosophy, and the arts as much as on social studies and policy. See more Women’s Studies Schools or Online Women’s Studies School Degree Programs
A general program that focuses on the systematic study of the production, conservation and allocation of resources in conditions of scarcity, together with the organizational frameworks related to these processes. Includes instruction in economic theory, micro- and macroeconomics, comparative economic systems, money and banking systems, international economics, quantitative analytical methods, and applications to specific industries and public policy issues. See more General Economics Schools or Online General Economics School Degree Programs
A general program that focuses on the systematic study of political institutions and behavior. Includes instruction in political philosophy, political theory, comparative government and politics, political parties and interest groups, public opinion, political research methods, studies of the government and politics of specific countries, and studies 0f specific political institutions and processes. See more General Political Science and Government Schools or Online General Political Science and Government School Degree Programs
A program that focuses on the systematic study of international politics and institutions, and the conduct of diplomacy and foreign policy. Includes instruction in international relations theory, foreign policy analysis, national security and strategic studies, international law and organization, the comparative study of specific countries and regions, and the theory and practice of diplomacy. See more International Relations and Affairs Schools or Online International Relations and Affairs School Degree Programs
A general program that focuses on the scientific study of individual and collective behavior, the physical and environmental bases of behavior, and the analysis and treatment of behavior problems and disorders. Includes instruction in the principles of the various subfields of psychology, research methods, and psychological assessment and testing methods. See more General Psychology Schools or Online General Psychology School Degree Programs
A program that focuses on the systematic study of human social institutions and social relationships. Includes instruction in social theory, sociological research methods, social organization and structure, social stratification and hierarchies, dynamics of social change, family structures, social deviance and control, and applications to the study of specific social groups, social institutions, and social problems. See more Sociology Schools or Online Sociology School Degree Programs
A program that focuses on the systematic analysis of public policy issues and decision processes. Includes instruction in the role of economic and political factors in public decision-making and policy formulation; microeconomic analysis of policy issues; resource allocation and decision modeling; cost/benefit analysis; statistical methods; and applications to specific public policy topics. See more Public Policy Analysis Schools or Online Public Policy Analysis School Degree Programs
A general program that focuses on computing, computer science, and information science and systems as part of a broad and/or interdisciplinary program. Such programs are undifferentiated as to title and content and are not to be confused with specific programs in computer science, information science, or related support services. See more Computer and Information Sciences Schools or Online Computer and Information Sciences School Degree Programs
|
Full-Time vs. Part-Time
|
Men vs. Women
|
||||
|
Race/Ethnicity
|
|
In State vs. Out-of-State
|
Top States for Incoming Freshman
|
| Percent of Students International: | 5% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 101% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | Yes |
| Member of: | NAA, NCAA |
| Sports Include: |
Football (New England Small College Ath Conf) Basketball (Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association) Baseball (New England Small College Ath Conf) Track (New England Small College Ath Conf) |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | Expenses | ||
Published Tuition and Fees: |
$ 36,860 | ||
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 36,500 | ||
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 360 | ||
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 4,728 | 11% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 2,392 | 18% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 21,232 | 56% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 2,911 | 30% | |
Any Aid: |
60% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 28% (Most Selective) |
| Application Fee: | $ 50.00 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Not Required |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Recommended |
| High School GPA: | Required |
| High School Rank: | Recommended |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Required |
| TOEFL: | Required |
| Test Scores: | Recommended |
College Advice on Hamilton College |
Question: Which college should I go? CMU/Vanderbilt/Columbia or Hamilton?I got into those 4 schools. only CMU and Vanderbily give me 15K in aid. money isnt a big issue for me now but i dont want to ask money from my parents. I want to be a bio major and go to Med school after undergrad. can anyone with experiences give me some suggestions? thanks.35 months ago
Best AnswerCongratulations on getting into four excellent colleges. I graduated Hamilton in 1998 and had a wonderful experience. The college just finished a 56 million science center recently that is state-of-the art. The strongest science departments on campus were the following: psychology & biology. You do get more opportunities when you go to a small school to do research like a Hamilton. However, I agree with the other writers, Columbia is your best bet here due to reputation and the selectivity this year. best of luck :) |