Welcome

Why Williams

Williams offers a life-shaping education that will inspire and guide you to think, create and act with purpose. Our location in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts is a place where you can find both focus and connection. It’s a community where you'll surround yourself with over two thousand passionate and intelligent peers, learning with others who are dedicated to becoming deeper thinkers and more effective leaders.

Home to endless curiosity and exploration, Williams will help you climb higher and farther than you imagined possible.

 

Learn Deeply
Explore Widely

What does it mean to attend one of the trailblazing schools that launched American higher education? You have the opportunity to explore 65 different areas of study, punctuated by transformative experiences that take you far beyond conventional ideas about academic rigor.

Academics at Williams
7:1
Williams’ student-faculty ratio—among the lowest of any college
100%
of classes taught by professors (not teaching assistants)
~40%
of students conduct funded research each year
700+
courses available annually
65+
Oxford-style tutorials offered each year across the curriculum

FOR THOSE WITH
ENDLESS INTERESTS

With 200+ student-run groups and 350+ local grassroots organizations connecting students with service and experiential learning opportunities, Williams is ideal for the naturally curious and engaged. Whether singing with the Gospel Choir or playing Club Volleyball, advocating for sustainability with Environmental Council or sharing best practices with Entrepreneurship at Williams, there is always a new horizon to reach for.

edit unfiltered gallery here
Students in a classroom Photograph of a dress rehearsal for the student group Ritmo Latino Student dancers perform on the MainStage of the 62 Center for Theatre and Dance Students participate in Caps and Bells- student produced theater Two roommates, one a videographer and one a photographer, in the Matt Cole Library in the Center for Environmental Studies, housed in the Class of 1966 Environmental Center, a Living Building. Students participate in Ultimate Frisbee, a club sport at Williams Students making coffee at work A piano-side rehearsal for one of Williams' many singing groups. Student riding their bike past a public art installation A student does sports therapy with weights in Cole Field House. A student arranges photographs on the wall of her dorm room. A student poses in his dorm room. Players on Williams' women's soccer team cheer on their teammates from the sidelines. Students practicing dance

Williams Life in Photos

#WILLIAMSUNFILTERED
Student Life
A video introduction to Williams

A legacy of extraordinary outcomes

Williams alumni are the secret to your success. From your very first semester you’ll be connected to a global alumni network of business leaders, innovators, scholars, public servants, researchers, artists and others, who are determined to help. Our extensive alumni mentorship and internship programs give you the chance to learn from their successes and reach for your own.

Amazon, ESPN, Goldman Sachs, Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Institutes of Health
Top employers
92%
of the class of '23 were employed, in graduate school or volunteering within six months of graduation
Most frequently attended graduate programs:
Harvard,
Columbia,
Yale
1821
Oldest alumni association in the world—and one of the most generous

Williams
makes it all
possible

From tutorials to career mentoring, a Williams education is about the whole person. We think about all of your needs in our financial aid program, too–not just tuition, room and board, but also textbooks, study away, even health insurance and summer storage. And with our all-grant program, loans have been eliminated from all award packages, and you won't be required to work on campus or during the summer.

Few U.S. colleges can make that kind of commitment to student success. Then again, most colleges aren't Williams.

Financial Aid
Nation's first ALL-GRANT financial aid program–no loans, work study or summer earnings
53%
of all students receive aid from Williams
27%
of students pay nothing
100%
of demonstrated need met
Free
textbooks, course materials, music lessons & health insurance for all students receiving aid

Experience Williams
for yourself

There are many ways to get to know Williams, in person and virtually. While we hope you can experience campus firsthand, we're eager to connect in whatever way works best for you. Use the Connect & Visit tab above to explore the options.

It would be no small advantage if every college were thus located at the base of a mountain.

Henry David Thoreau, writing on Williams in 1844

Begin your
Williams Journey

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