1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. Williams College Research brief & institution hub Copy linkPrint brief # Williams College MA · Medium private nonprofit institution · Overall rank #189 nationally Data snapshot September 27, 2026 · Updated October 1, 2026 Overview[Cost & aid](/school/williams-college/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/williams-college/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/williams-college/admissions/)[Majors](/school/williams-college/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/williams-college/similar/) ## [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Williams College #189 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions. ### Who it’s a good fit for Williams College is a private nonprofit university in Williamstown, Massachusetts, where the largest degree families are Social Sciences and Physical Sciences. Return is among the highest we track. Graduates earn above the median at comparable institutions. Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study, so the four-year earnings figure captures a population that is largely in the labor force. At the bottom of the income scale, aid can exceed the published cost entirely. The spread between what the lowest and highest income bands pay is wide, and affordability is well above average. The admission rate is well below the median for comparable institutions. A student drawn to the social sciences should know that the largest departments are not the best-paid ones. ## Williams College at a glance ### Admissions and outcomes **Admission rate[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)** 8.3% **Six-year completion[\[2\]](#hub-data-note-completion)** 93.6% **Four-year earnings[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)** $80,487 ### Cost and family borrowing **Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)** \-$1,978 **Median student debt[\[4\]](#hub-data-note-student-debt)** $12,761 **Median Parent PLUS debt[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps)** $31,178 ## Williams College rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[\[5\]](#hub-data-note-rankings) Williams College is a private nonprofit university in Williamstown, Massachusetts, enrolling 2,076 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits near the top of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (87th percentile). The university admits 8.2% of applicants, a rate far below the 71.2% median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Once enrolled, students stay and finish at rates well above the peer benchmarks. 96.9% of full-time first-year students return for a second year, compared with a peer median of 83.4%. The [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) is 93.6%, against a median of 68.8% for similar schools. An estimated 1.1% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so the graduation figure describes nearly the entire student body. The four pillars sit far apart: return is the strongest (93rd percentile) and mobility is the weakest (43rd percentile). Affordability and access fall between them (82nd and 70th percentiles, respectively). Azimuth evaluates Williams College across return, access, mobility, and affordability pillars. The institution ranks #189 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions. The return pillar is the strongest, in the 93rd percentile, while mobility is the weakest at the 43rd percentile. Affordability sits in the 82nd percentile and access in the 70th percentile. 17.6% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. The middle 50% of submitted SAT scores among enrolled students fell between 1,490 and 1,570. The middle 50% of ACT scores fell between 34 and 35. Azimuth ranks Williams College #444 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks the university #840 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. [How value-added outcomes are assessed](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) · [How to interpret program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Williams College rankings in context | Geography | Rank | | --- | --- | | National | #189 | | [Massachusetts](/rankings/best-colleges-in-massachusetts/) | #9 | | [Northeast](/rankings/best-colleges-in-the-northeast/) | #44 | Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group. ### National pillar percentiles **Economic mobility** National percentile: 43 **Access & reach** National percentile: 70 **[Affordability](/school/williams-college/cost/)** National percentile: 82 **[Return on investment](/school/williams-college/outcomes/)** National percentile: 93 ### Top-ranked majors 1. Economics**#2** 2. English Language and Literature, General**#7** 3. Mathematics**#8** This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ. [Explore major rankings](/school/williams-college/majors/#major-rankings) 01 / Williams College briefing ## [Williams College cost & financial aid](/school/williams-college/cost/)[\[6\]](#hub-data-note-net-price)[\[7\]](#hub-data-note-gps) The published cost of attendance at Williams College is $84,860, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $68,560 and room and board are $17,260. For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what students pay after grants and scholarships—is $17,716. That is $9,655 below the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Grants and scholarships offset $67,144 of the sticker price for the average aid recipient. Azimuth ranks the university #255 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 82nd percentile. The published cost of attendance at Williams College is $84,860 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #255 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is -$2,610, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is -$1,978, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $49,594. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $52,204. Aid covers about 79% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $67,144 against the sticker price. The average net price across all aid recipients is $17,716, which is $9,655 below the median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $12,761 in federal student loans, $11,438 below the peer median of $24,199. About 59.6% of federal aid recipients take out federal loans. Parents who borrow through the federal [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) program hold a separate median of $31,178. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $145 a month. Your family income Choose a household income range to see estimated net price. $0–30K$30–48K$48–75K$75–110K$110K+ Reported average annual net price · $48–75K**\-$1,978** After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ. Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary. Net price can be negative: when grants and scholarships exceed the listed cost of attendance, students can receive the difference as a refund for other expenses. ### Borrowing and repayment at Williams College Williams College posts a median of $80,487 four years after completion, which is $12,237 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That places the university at the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, show a typical figure of $80,487, with a downside of $50,659 and an upside of $173,874. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $12,761 in federal loans, $11,438 below the peer median. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $145 a month. For the separate population of parent borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $31,178. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $145 a month if repaid over ten years. [How Financial GPS measures payment burden](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/) · [The four risk-and-reward zones](/analysis/4-zones-of-college-risk-and-reward/) Financial GPS ### What does repayment look like? **Institution median student debt** $12,761 **Institution Parent PLUS debt** $31,178 Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included. **Estimated student payment · monthly** $145/mo **Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly** $396/mo Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s. Payment assumptions Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. [Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=williams-college#student-tool) [Read the full cost & aid brief](/school/williams-college/cost/) 02 / Williams College briefing ## [Williams College career outcomes & earnings](/school/williams-college/outcomes/)[\[3\]](#hub-data-note-earnings)[\[8\]](#hub-data-note-scenarios)[\[9\]](#hub-data-note-value-added) Return is the strongest pillar at Williams College, in the 93rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $80,487, in the 89th percentile. That is $12,237 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of Williams College who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $80,487. That places the college in the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 305 completers. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, show how much the field of study can matter. The typical earnings scenario is $80,487, with a downside scenario of $50,659 and an upside scenario of $173,874. An estimated 42.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. That share means a substantial portion of the earnings picture unfolds after further education, beyond the four-year window captured here. Four years after graduating, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $80,487, which sits at the 89th percentile nationally. That figure is $12,237 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) Williams College #100 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. The return picture is not uniform across fields. Estimated from the program mix, the downside earnings scenario is $50,659 and the upside reaches $173,874. An estimated 42.9% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. The earnings scenarios show a wide spread, from a downside of $50,659 to an upside of $173,874. Program choice matters a great deal within that range. At the upper end, Computer Science graduates earn a median of $209,574 four years after completion, from 49 degrees awarded. Economics, the largest program, follows at $166,678 with 107 degrees awarded. Mathematics graduates earn $134,304 from 53 degrees awarded. Aid recipients at Williams College pay an average net price of $17,716 after grants and scholarships. That is $9,655 below the median at comparable institutions (same type and size), even though the published cost of attendance is $84,860 (an average across living arrangements). Aid covers about 79% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Among students who borrow and finish, the median federal student debt is $12,761. That amount is $11,438 below the median at comparable institutions (same type and size). Repaying that debt if repaid over ten years means an estimated payment of $145 a month. Parent PLUS borrowing is a separate pool, and parents who use it hold a median of $31,178. Private or institutional loans may add borrowing outside these federal figures. The below-peer net price and low median debt point the same way for students who borrow. [Read the full outcomes brief](/school/williams-college/outcomes/) 03 / Williams College briefing ## [Williams College acceptance rate & admissions](/school/williams-college/admissions/)[\[1\]](#hub-data-note-admission)[\[10\]](#hub-data-note-sat)[\[11\]](#hub-data-note-retention) Williams College admits 8.2% of applicants, a figure that sits far from the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the college reported 15,520 applicants, 1,336 admitted, and 567 enrolled first-year students. SAT: approximate enrolled-student range **Admission rate** 8.3% **Approximate lower endpoint** 1490 **Reported average** 1533 **Approximate upper endpoint** 1570 Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters. [Read the full admissions brief](/school/williams-college/admissions/) 04 / Williams College briefing ## [What are the largest majors at Williams College?](/school/williams-college/majors/)[\[12\]](#hub-data-note-programs) The highest-earning programs at Williams College are not the largest by degrees awarded, and the spread between them is wide. Computer Science graduates earn a median of $209,574 four years after completion, from 49 degrees awarded. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) the program #13 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. Economics is the largest program, with 107 degrees awarded and median earnings of $166,678. Azimuth ranks it #2 nationally. Mathematics awards 53 degrees and its graduates earn $134,304, ranking #8 in its field. History graduates earn $59,535 from 53 degrees awarded. The contrast between the highest-earning quantitative fields and the larger humanities and social science programs is a defining feature of the earnings picture here. Williams College has 9 nationally ranked bachelor's programs, and the strongest of them is Economics. [Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) it #2 within its field, with median earnings of $166,678 four years after completion. That program is also the largest on campus. It awards 107 degrees a year. Psychology is the second-largest at 64 degrees, with earnings of $72,891 and a national rank of #13. The highest-earning program is a smaller one: Computer Science, ranked #13 in its field, has median earnings of $209,574 four years out, from 49 degrees awarded. Mathematics, ranked #8 in its field, follows at $134,304, with 53 degrees. Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields **Economics 107 degrees awarded** $166,678 **Psychology, General 64 degrees awarded** $72,891 **Political Science and Government 63 degrees awarded** $88,339 **Mathematics 53 degrees awarded** $134,304 **History 53 degrees awarded** $59,535 **Computer Science 49 degrees awarded** $209,574 Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings. [Read the full majors brief](/school/williams-college/majors/) 05 / Williams College briefing ## [What colleges are similar to Williams College?](/school/williams-college/similar/)[\[15\]](#hub-data-note-peers) Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. [How matching works](/school/williams-college/similar/#peer-matching). ### A shortlist for different decisions Choose a row to compare the figures with Williams College. Admissions peerAmherst College9.0% admitted+ Comparison with Williams College | Measure | Williams College | Amherst College | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $80,487 | $79,243\-$1,244 vs Williams College | | Average annual net price | $17,716 | $23,367+$5,651 vs Williams College · higher cost | | Admission rate | 8.3% | 9.0% | [Explore Amherst College →](/school/amherst-college/) Higher-admission alternativeUnion College43.9% admitted+ Comparison with Williams College | Measure | Williams College | Union College | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $80,487 | $81,583+$1,096 vs Williams College | | Average annual net price | $17,716 | $34,561+$16,845 vs Williams College · higher cost | | Admission rate | 8.3% | 43.9% | Nearby alternativeAmherst CollegeNearby option · MA+ Comparison with Williams College | Measure | Williams College | Amherst College | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $80,487 | $79,243\-$1,244 vs Williams College | | Average annual net price | $17,716 | $23,367+$5,651 vs Williams College · higher cost | | Admission rate | 8.3% | 9.0% | [Explore Amherst College →](/school/amherst-college/) Higher-earnings alternativeHarvard University$134,794 earnings+ Comparison with Williams College | Measure | Williams College | Harvard University | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $80,487 | $134,794+$54,307 vs Williams College | | Average annual net price | $17,716 | $19,066+$1,350 vs Williams College · higher cost | | Admission rate | 8.3% | 3.7% | [Explore Harvard University →](/school/harvard-university/) Lower-cost alternativeCUNY Queens College$4,195 average net price+ Comparison with Williams College | Measure | Williams College | CUNY Queens College | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $80,487 | $68,713\-$11,774 vs Williams College | | Average annual net price | $17,716 | $4,195\-$13,521 vs Williams College · lower cost | | Admission rate | 8.3% | 64.4% | [Explore CUNY Queens College →](/school/cuny-queens-college/) Similar profileHamilton CollegeMatched across several measures+ Comparison with Williams College | Measure | Williams College | Hamilton College | | --- | --- | --- | | Peer earnings · 4 years | $80,487 | $79,130\-$1,357 vs Williams College | | Average annual net price | $17,716 | $28,985+$11,269 vs Williams College · higher cost | | Admission rate | 8.3% | 13.6% | Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable. [Read the full similar schools brief](/school/williams-college/similar/) ## Data scope & methodology Structured payloads generated September 27, 2026 · Governed hub narrative September 28, 2026 · Governed spoke corpus September 28, 2026 Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection. Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them. Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects. Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release. Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source. Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth. [Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations](/methodology/) · [About College Azimuth](/about/) Read the analysis behind [value-added earnings](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) and the [change to four-year graduate earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/). These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com. ## Data notes & source fields Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the [U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/files/InstitutionDataDocumentation.pdf); notes with a different source link it below. 1. **Admission rate.** Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability. Source fields: `ADM_RATE` 2. **Six-year completion.** First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree. Source fields: `C150_4` 3. **Four-year institutional earnings.** Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion. Source fields: `MD_EARN_WNE_4YR` 4. **Median federal student debt.** Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students. Source fields: `GRAD_DEBT_MDN` 5. **National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks.** Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ. Source fields: `Azimuth rankings` [College Azimuth · Ranking methodology](/methodology/) 6. **Annual net price by family income.** Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers. Source fields: `NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV` 7. **Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration.** Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations. Source fields: `PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations` [College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/) 8. **Downside and upside earnings; yellow band.** The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median. Source fields: `Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios` [College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) 9. **Value added and its components.** Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. Source fields: `Azimuth statistical model` [College Azimuth · Value-added methodology](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) 10. **SAT score range and reported midpoint.** Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range. Source fields: `SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG` 11. **First-year retention.** Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions. Source fields: `RET_FT4` 12. **Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots.** Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity. Source fields: `EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE` [College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/assets/FieldOfStudyDataDocumentation.pdf) 13. **Pell recipients.** Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year. Source fields: `PCTPELL` 14. **Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group.** This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns. Source fields: `1 − PFTFTUG1_EF` 15. **Peer earnings and signed differences.** Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure. Source fields: `Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR` [College Azimuth · Comparison methodology](/methodology/) [How to interpret program rankings](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/)