More selective than 95% of Massachusetts colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $84,860. College Scorecard.
Higher than 92% of Massachusetts colleges we cover and 98% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 84% of Massachusetts colleges we cover and 96% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Williams College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 11,465 applicants, Williams College admitted 1,145 and 541 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1490–1570 on the SAT or 34–35 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Williams College tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Williams College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Williams College took 4.3 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Massachusetts. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $0 | $0 | under 1 year |
| $30–48k | $0 | $0 | under 1 year |
| $48–75k | $0 | $0 | under 1 year |
| $75–110k | $3,030 | $12,878 | under 1 year |
| $110k+ | $49,594 | $210,775 | 4.3 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (74% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($88,665) minus $39,880 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $48,785 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Williams College majors, earnings & careers
Williams College offers 31 bachelor's majors across 6 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 13
- Science & Math · 8
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 5
- Arts & Design · 3
- Business & Finance · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at Williams College
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $209,574 | $12,208 |
| Economics | $166,678 | $12,925 |
| Mathematics | $134,304 | $13,807 |
| Political Science | $88,339 | $10,750 |
| Psychology | $72,891 | $13,416 |
| English | $69,065 | $13,125 |
| Biology | $65,357 | $13,454 |
| History | $59,535 | — |
Quick list of all 31 majors
- Anthropology—
- Area Studies$43,501
- Astronomy and Astrophysics—
- Biology$65,357
- Chemistry$51,050
- Classics—
- Computer Science$209,574
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Economics$166,678
- English$69,065
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- History$59,535
- Linguistics—
- Mathematics$134,304
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$88,339
- Psychology$72,891
- Religious Studies—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Social Sciences, Other—
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Statistics—
- Studio Art$55,012
- Theatre—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Computer Science → Software developer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Biology → Biological technician
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Pittsfield
Overall prices in the Pittsfield, MA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,704. Housing costs 27% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 42 inches of rain a year, 53 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, Berkshire County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Berkshire County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Williams College with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Massachusetts by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williams College | 8% | $17,716 | 94% | $88,665 | This school |
| Amherst College | 9% | $23,367 | 94% | $77,644 | |
| Wellesley College | 14% | $25,496 | 92% | $84,803 | |
| Babson College | 17% | $40,514 | 93% | $123,938 | |
| Smith College | 21% | $27,579 | 89% | $64,027 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Williams College would cost you $5,651 less per year than Amherst College, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Williams College, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$1,920).
- Williams College gives aided families $2,871 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Massachusetts resident | Williams College | Amherst College | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $68,560 | $70,480 | −$1,920 |
| Books & supplies | $1,000 | $1,000 | $0 |
| Housing & meals | $16,300 | $17,560 | −$1,260 |
| Personal & travel | $2,700 | $1,800 | +$900 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,700 | −$3,200 | −$500 |
| Sticker price | $84,860 | $87,640 | −$2,780 |
| Average grants | −$67,144 | −$64,273 | −$2,871 |
| You pay | $17,716 | $23,367 | −$5,651 |
“+” means Williams College costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Williams College
What is the Williams College acceptance rate?
Williams College accepts 8% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 1,145 of 11,465 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1490–1570 on the SAT or 34–35 on the ACT.
How much does Williams College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $84,860 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $17,716 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $0 and families earning $110k+ pay $49,594.
How much do Williams College graduates earn?
Former Williams College students earn a median $88,665 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Williams College graduation rate?
94% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 97% return for their second year.
How long does a Williams College degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Williams College costs about $0 after grants ($0 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $88,665 ten years after starting, $48,785 more than high school graduates in Massachusetts ($39,880), so the cost is repaid in under 1 year of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Williams College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/williams-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).