Established in 1793 with funds bequeathed by Colonel Ephraim Williams, the college is private, residential, and liberal arts, with graduate programs in the history of art and in development economics. The undergraduate enrollment is approximately 2,000 students.
Williams seeks to provide the finest possible liberal arts education by nurturing in students the academic and civic virtues, and their related traits of character. Academic virtues include the capacities to explore widely and deeply, think critically, reason empirically, express clearly, and connect ideas creatively. Civic virtues include commitment to engage both the broad public realm and community life, and the skills to do so effectively. These virtues, in turn, have associated traits of character. For example, free inquiry requires open-mindedness, and commitment to community draws on concern for others.
There are three academic divisions (humanities, sciences, social sciences), 24 departments, 33 majors, plus concentrations and special programs. The student:faculty ratio is 7:1. The academic year consists of two four-course semesters plus a one-course January term.
Fraternities were phased out beginning in 1962. Coeducation was adopted in 1970. The school color is purple. The mascot is the Purple Cow. Sports teams are called "Ephs."
Williamstown is located in the Berkshires in northwestern Massachusetts, 135 miles from Boston and 165 miles from New York City.
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts.
Williams was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams as a men's college, located in the Berkshires in northwestern Massachusetts, at the foot of Mount Greylock. In 1834, the first non-secret fraternity in the United States, Delta Upsilon, was founded on its campus. Fraternities were phased out beginning in 1962. The college became coeducational in 1970. Williams forms part of the historic Little Three colleges, along with Wesleyan University and Amherst College.
There are three academic curricular divisions (humanities, sciences, and social sciences), 24 departments, 33 majors, and two small master's degree programs in art history and development economics. There are 315 voting faculty members, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 7:1. Williams College is ranked first among liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report with rival Amherst College. As of 2008, the school has an enrollment of 1,997 undergraduate students and 49 graduate students.
The academic year follows a 4-1-4 schedule of two four-course semesters plus a one-course "winter study" term in January. An intensive summer research schedule involves about 200 students on campus doing projects with professors.
Colonel Ephraim Williams was an officer in the Massachusetts militia and a member of a prominent landowning family. His will included a bequest to support and maintain a free school to be established in the town of West Hoosac, Massachusetts, provided that the town change its name to Williamstown. Williams was killed at the Battle of Lake George on September 8, 1755.
After Shays' Rebellion, the Williamstown Free School opened with 15 students on October 26, 1791. The first president was Ebenezer Fitch. Not long after its founding, the trustees of the school petitioned the Massachusetts legislature to convert the free school to a tuition-based college. The legislature agreed and on June 22, 1793, Williams College was chartered. It was the second college to be founded in Massachusetts.
Learn more about Bachelor’s 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 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 Japanese language. Includes instruction in Japanese philology; Ancient, Medieval, and Modern Japanese; Japanese dialects; and applications to business, science/technology, and other settings. See more Japanese Language and Literature Schools
A program that focuses on the Russian language. Includes instruction in Russian philology, Old Russian, Modern Russian and dialects, literature, and applications to business, science/technology, and other settings. See more Russian 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 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
Art and Art Studies is a general, introductory program that focuses on the study and appreciation of the visual arts. Students of these two or four year programs receive instruction in art, photography, and other visual communications media. See more Art/Art Studies Schools or Online Art/Art Studies School Degree Programs
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
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
Astronomy is a general program lasting anywhere from four to eight years that focuses on the planetary, galactic, and stellar phenomena occurring in outer space. Astronomy students are taught celestial mechanics, cosmology, stellar physics, galactic evolution, quasars, stellar distribution and motion, interstellar medium, atomic and molecular constituents of astronomical phenomena, planetary science, solar system evolution, and specific methodologies such as optical astronomy, radioastronomy, and theoretical astronomy. See more Astronomy Schools
Astrophysics studies the structure, properties, and behavior of stars, star systems and clusters, stellar life cycles, and related phenomena. Instruction in Astrophysics includes coursework in cosmology, plasma kinetics, stellar physics, convolution and non-equilibrium radiation transfer theory, non-Euclidean geometries, mathematical modeling, galactic structure theory, and relativistic astronomy. See more Astrophysics Schools
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
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
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, 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 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
See more Other Social Sciences Schools
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 general program that focuses on computers, computing problems and solutions, and the design of computer systems and user interfaces from a scientific perspective. Includes instruction in the principles of computational science, and computing theory; computer hardware design; computer development and programming; and applications to a variety of end-use situations. See more General Computer Science Schools or Online General Computer Science School Degree Programs
Learn more about Master’s 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 systematic study of the economic development process and its application to the problems of specific countries and regions. Includes instruction in economic development theory, industrialization, land reform, infrastructural development, investment policy, the role of governments and business in development, international development organizations, and the study of social, health, and environmental influences on economic development. See more Development Economics and International Development Schools or Online Development Economics and International Development 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: | 7% |
| On-Campus Housing Available: | Yes |
| Percent of Students Living On-Campus: | 93% |
| Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: | Yes |
| Member of: | NAA, NCAA |
| Sports Include: |
Football (New England Small College Ath Conf) Basketball (New England Small College Ath Conf) Baseball (New England Small College Ath Conf) Track (New England Small College Ath Conf) |
| Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) | Expenses | ||
Published Tuition and Fees: |
$ 35,670 | ||
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 35,438 | ||
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads: |
$ 232 | ||
| Financial Aid | Avg. Amount Received | % of Students Receiving Aid | |
Federal Grants: |
$ 2,856 | 15% | |
State and Local Grants: |
$ 1,603 | 6% | |
Institutional Grants: |
$ 26,299 | 48% | |
Student Loans: |
$ 2,156 | 23% | |
Any Aid: |
49% |
| Acceptance Rate: | 19% (Most Selective) |
| Test Scores | |
| SAT Scores: | |
| % of Students Submitting SAT Scores: | 97% |
| Bottom 25th Percentile: | Verbal: 660, Math: 660 |
| Top 75th Percentile: | Verbal: 760, Math: 760 |
| Application Fee: | $ 60.00 |
| Formal Demonstration of Competencies: | Not Required |
| High School Diploma or Equivalent: | Recommended |
| High School GPA: | Not Required |
| High School Rank: | Recommended |
| High School Record: | Required |
| Recommendations: | Required |
| TOEFL: | Not Required |
| Test Scores: | Required |
College Advice on Williams College |
Question: what do you think about these schools?Amherst College Boston College Boston University Brandeis University Clark University Emerson College Fordham University Hampshire College New York University Penn State Trinity College (Connecticut) University of Texas Williams College anny comments or concerns are welcolme!!31 months ago
Best Answerthe most prestigious on this list are amherst and williams, they are small liberal arts schools in the northeast that have served many generations of new england's elite. texas and penn state are huge public institutions. texas is the more selective of the two. NYU is the most popular school in new york, and is one of the largest private universities in the nation. it has great film and arts programs. boston u and boston college are breeding grounds for future yuppies of america. both are very good schools. brandeis has a lot of jewish students. if your academic credentials are top notch, i would decide first if you want a small liberal arts college environment (amherst), a midsize university (boston college), or a big university (texas). then narrow it down. |
Question: My son just accepted a full scholarship to Williams College, can anyone tell me more about the college & Mass?33 months ago
Best AnswerThat's a fantastic college, one of the top liberal arts schools in the country. It's in Williamstown, MA, which is pretty small. It's south of the Berkshires, about an hour south of Amherst MA and three hours from Boston. MA has traditional New England weather - gorgeous summers and falls, cold winter. I went to a liberal arts school in western MA, and I loved it - I'd move back there in a second. |
Question: Are you familiar with Williams College???in your opinions,what would you say about your years at Willliams if you are a current student or an alumnus? and where would you place Williams among Ivy schools? finally, what is your opinion on Williams' selectivity? thanks!!35 months ago
Best AnswerI'm very familiar with Williams. My husband is an alum and my son is currently attending. No doubt they both feel that the education they received/are receiving at Williams is on par with the best Ivy educations. Opinion about selectivity? What do you mean? Williams is certainly selective, not as much as Princeton, but then again, Williams isn't as widely known as other bigger name schools... ie so they don't get the same ratio of applications for open spots. My husband loved it there and counts his best friends among his former classmates. He's worked on behalf of alumni relations and feels very strong ties to the school. My son is loving it there, as well...has totally thrown himself into all aspects of the school...terrific academics, student council, club/intramural sports. He loves walking outside and enjoying the beautiful surroundings. He's made several very good friends already and looks forward to the rest of his time at Williams. |
Question: Just read an article stating that Williams College is the MOST arrogant, egocentric and snobbish institution?True or false? Anyone have first hand knowledge?36 months ago
Best AnswerThe "Most" arrogant might be stretching it a bit. I'd personally give that honor to Columbia University but they're all pretty arrogant. Williams College students do have a reputation for always bring right, uppity, and rather eccentric but they're no worse than any other ivory tower school (like Columbia, Princeton, Duke, etc.). |
Question: I'm very interested in Williams College located in Massachusettes. Do you guys know anything about it?I've been looking at colleges and this one really got my attention. It looks like a great liberal arts school45 months ago
Best AnswerI have a friend studying American Studies there. He really likes it and has enjoyed his time there so far! |