Percentile rankings vs 1,600+ peer institutions. Higher is better.
Career OutcomesAzimuth ranks Hamilton College #483 for overall value on Azimuth's composite among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn median 4-year earnings of $79,130, placing Hamilton College in the 86.3 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Economics #11 nationally for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $130,633 — a program-level anchor within Hamilton College's social-sciences-led degree portfolio. Hamilton College's composite ranking reflects strong graduate earnings relative to cost, with median 4-year earnings placing the college well above most nonprofit four-year institutions on Azimuth's return measure. The Economics program's national ranking illustrates how Hamilton College's strongest fields translate the liberal arts foundation into durable financial outcomes for graduates.
Azimuth ranks Hamilton College #483 for overall value on Azimuth's composite among nonprofit four-year institutions. A private university located in Clinton, NY, Hamilton College enrolls roughly 2,030 undergraduates. Retention stands at 94.8% and the six-year graduation rate is 90.6%, reflecting strong student persistence through degree completion. Where Hamilton College performs strongest is return on investment. Azimuth ranks Hamilton College #164 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn median four-year earnings of $79,130, a figure that reflects the institution's concentration in Social Sciences and related fields that connect well to graduate study and professional careers. The earnings beyond expectations performance places Hamilton College among the stronger institutions in the Azimuth coverage set for translating a liberal arts education into durable financial outcomes. Access and affordability shape the composite's lower pillars. Hamilton College admits about 13.6% of applicants, a selectivity level that, by design, limits the size of each entering class and the share of low-income students enrolled — 17.7% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants and 13.3% are first-generation college students. Hamilton College sits in the 65.7 percentile for access and the 29.0 percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions, with mobility in the 34.0 percentile — outcomes that reflect both the selectivity of the admissions process and the institution's smaller undergraduate scale.
Hamilton College's published cost of attendance is $84,230. Need-based aid reshapes that figure across income levels: low-income families pay approximately $8,028, middle-income families pay around $10,863, and higher-income families pay approximately $46,907. Azimuth ranks Hamilton College #1012 for post-graduation affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Net prices by income band are medians within those bands; individual aid packages vary, so some families in each band pay more and some less than the figures shown. Hamilton College's aid structure is need-based, with no merit component. Families apply using the FAFSA and CSS Profile. The college commits to meeting demonstrated financial need in full under current financial aid policies. Work-study is available as part of the aid package for students with demonstrated need. Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $17,000, and families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $45,578; private or institutional loans may add further borrowing that falls outside these federal-only figures — see the Parent PLUS risk framework for how household context shapes PLUS decisions. For a graduate at the institution's median four-year earnings of $79,130, median federal debt of $17,000 projects to a monthly payment of about $192 under standard ten-year repayment. For personalized projections across earnings scenarios — including Parent PLUS planning — use Azimuth's Financial GPS tool.
Hamilton College is a strong fit for students drawn to the social sciences, humanities, and writing-intensive fields who want a small private liberal arts college experience in Clinton, NY, and who are prepared for a highly selective admissions process — the college admits about 13.6% of applicants. Graduates earn in the 86.3 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, and Azimuth ranks Hamilton College #164 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The aid structure matters here: higher-income families pay a net price of $46,907, and median student debt at graduation is $17,000, so the financial case is strongest for families who can navigate the sticker price or who qualify for need-based aid. 17.7% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants and 13.3% are first-generation students, reflecting a more limited access profile than broader public institutions. Fit depends on two realistic filters: the highly selective admit rate means the application process is competitive, and Hamilton College's program mix is concentrated in Social Sciences and related analytical fields — students whose interests align with those areas and who can manage the cost will find the earnings trajectory and return on investment among the strongest for a private university in the Northeast.
This school profile was generated using Azimuth's proprietary ROI framework, developed by founder Daniel Rogers. Our methodology transforms federal education data into actionable insights for families.
College Azimuth is a private research initiative and is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education or Federal Student Aid. Data sourced from College Scorecard.
This content is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, investment, or professional advice. Consult a qualified advisor before making any financial decisions.
Comprehensive Analysis
Detailed metrics, charts, and full data breakdown
Financial GPS Tool
Personalized cost and earnings calculator
This is the Hamilton College hub overview page. Related admissions, cost, outcomes, majors, and similar-school pages provide the detailed school data.
Consider these schools with similar outcomes but higher acceptance rates:
| School | State | Accept Rate | Median Earnings | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Binghamton University Higher acceptance rate (26 percentage points higher) with similar program focus and located 72 miles away; similar graduate earnings | NY | 38% | $80,596 | Compare |
Hobart William Smith Colleges Higher acceptance rate (45.5 percentage points higher) with similar program focus and located 81 miles away; similar graduate earnings | NY | 57% | $68,831 | Compare |
University At Albany Higher acceptance rate (58.1 percentage points higher) with similar program focus and located 84 miles away; similar graduate earnings | NY | 70% | $67,979 | Compare |
University Of Rochester Higher acceptance rate (24.1 percentage points higher) with similar program focus; similar graduate earnings | NY | 36% | $79,042 | Compare |
Brandeis University Higher acceptance rate (23.5 percentage points higher) with similar program focus; similar graduate earnings | MA | 35% | $77,231 | Compare |
Peer institutions with comparable quality and outcomes:
| School | State | Accept Rate | Median Earnings | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mercer University Similar quality tier (#15458 ranked) | GA | 69% | $58,354 | #15458 | Compare |
Kettering University Similar quality tier (#15476 ranked) | MI | 79% | $94,823 | #15476 | Compare |
Regis College Similar quality tier in Northeast (#15479 ranked) | MA | 70% | $52,873 | #15479 | Compare |
Avila University Similar quality tier (#15426 ranked) | MO | 88% | $52,773 | #15426 | Compare |
Concordia University-Chicago Similar quality tier (#15418 ranked) | IL | 93% | $54,089 | #15418 | Compare |
Economics
88 graduates
Political Science and Government
40 graduates
Mathematics
32 graduates
International Relations and National Security Studies
25 graduates
Chemistry
14 graduates
Hamilton College's program mix is anchored in Social Sciences, with Social Sciences accounting for 30% of graduates, followed by Arts at 9% and other STEM fields at 7%. This distribution reflects the college's liberal-arts identity — a portfolio oriented toward analytical, humanistic, and policy-adjacent fields rather than the applied-professional concentrations typical of larger research universities.
Across 32 programs, 5 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold, serving roughly 614 students annually. The strongest financial outcomes cluster in economics and quantitative social-science fields.
Economics, with a cohort of 88 graduates, leads the institution for early-career pay, with median earnings of $130,633 four years after enrollment; Azimuth ranks the program #11 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, per [how Azimuth evaluates programs](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/). Political Science follows with median earnings of $88,019 and a cohort of 40 graduates — Azimuth ranks it #23 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Mathematics and International Relations and National Security Studies, with median earnings of $83,211 and $64,585 respectively, round out the top-earning tier; Azimuth ranks Mathematics #45 and International Relations and National Security Studies #45 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The most-enrolled programs — Economics (88 graduates), Biology, General (41 graduates), and Political Science (40 graduates) — reflect the breadth of a liberal-arts curriculum, with Research Psychology (36 graduates) and Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services (34 graduates) rounding out the five largest fields.
Several of these are grad-school-dependent pathways — particularly the natural and social sciences — where four-year earnings undercount the longer-term trajectory of graduates who continue to law, medical, or doctoral programs. The [supply and demand for college graduates](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides context for how these program families align with national labor-market trends.
Based on federal data for students receiving aid. Actual costs may vary.
Hamilton College's published cost of attendance is $84,230. Need-based aid reshapes that figure across income levels: low-income families pay approximately $8,028, middle-income families pay around $10,863, and higher-income families pay approximately $46,907.
Azimuth ranks Hamilton College #1012 for post-graduation affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Net prices by income band are medians within those bands; individual aid packages vary, so some families in each band pay more and some less than the figures shown.
Hamilton College's aid structure is need-based, with no merit component. Families apply using the FAFSA and CSS Profile.
The college commits to meeting demonstrated financial need in full under current financial aid policies. Work-study is available as part of the aid package for students with demonstrated need.
Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $17,000, and families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $45,578; private or institutional loans may add further borrowing that falls outside these federal-only figures — see the [Parent PLUS risk framework](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) for how household context shapes PLUS decisions. For a graduate at the institution's median four-year earnings of $79,130, median federal debt of $17,000 projects to a monthly payment of about $192 under standard ten-year repayment.
For personalized projections across earnings scenarios — including Parent PLUS planning — use [Azimuth's Financial GPS tool](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).
Graduates of Hamilton College earn median 4-year earnings of $79,130, placing Hamilton in the 86.3rd percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Hamilton #164 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions — in the 89.0th percentile for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The earnings pattern reflects the institution's concentration in Social Sciences. Economics is the largest program with 88 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $130,633, and Azimuth ranks the program #12 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions [per the program-ranking methodology](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/). Azimuth ranks Political Science and Government #23 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions with 40 graduates earning $88,019, and Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics rounds out the top programs with 34 graduates.
