How to Get Into Williams College: Acceptance Rate & Strategies

July 2, 2025

williams acceptance rate

Williams College is one of the most competitive liberal arts schools in the country, in the same league as the likes of Amherst, Pomona, and Swarthmore. While lesser known to the general public, these schools are every bit as competitive and prestigious as Ivy League universities, and boast of acceptance rates in the single-digits or extremely low double-digits. All colleges of this ilk, Williams included, reject a fair number of valedictorians each year as well as those with near-perfect scores on the SAT/ACT. None of this is meant to scare you鈥攚e just want to make sure that students and parents alike possess an accurate understanding of how competitive this admissions process truly is. In 2025, the Williams College acceptance rate was well under 10%.

To accomplish this goal, we will touch on the following topics:

  • Williams acceptance rate (and how to predict your chances with our free admissions calculator)
  • Williams Early Decision acceptance rate
  • SAT, GPA, and class rank of accepted Williams College applicants
  • Admissions trends
  • Williams College鈥檚 system for rating applicants
  • A look at the demographics of current Williams College undergraduates
  • The percentage of accepted students that attend Williams College (yield rate)
  • Tips for applying to Williams College
  • Williams College supplemental essay advice
  • How to assess whether applying to Williams College is even worth the $65 application fee (for you)

Let鈥檚 begin with an examination of the most recent admissions data.

Williams College Acceptance Rate 2024

A look at the Class of 2029 shows that out of 14,261 regular decision applicants, only 1,038 were accepted. This means that Williams College has an regular decision acceptance rate of around 7.3% (remember, these numbers don’t take into account ED or EA).

Historical (overall) Williams College acceptance rates are as follows:

Applicants Admits Acceptance Rate
Class of 2028 15,411 1,159 7.5%
Class of 2027 11,465 1,145 10%
Class of 2026 15,321 1,302 8.5%
Class of 2025 12,452 1,099 8.8%

Williams College Admissions Calculator

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Williams College ED Acceptance Rate 2024

In the 2024-25 early decision cycle, Williams accepted 249 out of 1,067 applicants. This 23% acceptance rate far exceeds that of the regular round.

What GPA do you need to get into Williams?

Williams does not report average GPA. However, based on class rank data (see below) and the average GPA at peer institutions, we’d recommend aiming for a 3.75+, and as close to a 4.0 as possible.

What class rank do you need to get accepted to Williams?

Among enrolled 2024-25 first-year students, 88% earned a spot in the top 10% of their graduating class, and an impressive 98% hailed from the top quarter. Moreover, 99% of all enrolled students were in the top half of their graduating class.

What is the minimum SAT or ACT score for Williams?

According to Class of 2028 statistics, the mid-50% SAT range for enrolled freshmen was 1500-1560, and the mid-50% ACT range was 34-35. Additionally, 35% of students submitted SAT scores and 17% submitted ACT test scores.

Admissions Trends & Notes – Class of 2027 & 2028

  • Early decision applications held steady and regular decision applications decreased by 8% year over year.
  • In the regular decision round, Williams accepted 18 students who had been deferred during the early decision round.
  • 46% of the Class of 2028 was admitted via early decision.
  • 42% of the Class of 2028 identified as students of color.

How Williams College Rates Applicants

Williams College labels five factors as 鈥渧ery important鈥 to the admissions process: rigor of high school course load, class rank, GPA, recommendations, and character/personal qualities. Items that are 鈥渋mportant鈥 as part of the admissions process are: first-generation status, essays, talent/ability, extracurricular activities, work experience, and volunteer work. Factors that are 鈥渃onsidered鈥 are geographical residence, religious affiliation, and legacy status.

Straight from the Williams admissions office: “Williams uses a holistic admission process that focuses on gaining a deeper understanding of an applicant鈥檚 academic achievements and personal character鈥hile the academic record is the most important factor in the admission process, we seek students who will serve as leaders not only in the classroom but also in the community at large. To that end, we also consider all candidates鈥 non-academic involvements and achievements at school and in their communities. A strong co-curricular record might reflect a wide range of talents and achievements or distinguished accomplishments in just one or a few areas.鈥

Since Williams wants to see achievement and leadership outside of the classroom as well, it鈥檚 important to grasp what highly competitive colleges are looking for when evaluating extracurricular activities. For more on that topic, visit our blog: How Many Extracurricular Activities Do I Need for College?

Williams College Demographics

Let鈥檚 look at the demographics of the Williams College undergraduate student body. Historically, the states that send the highest number of students to the college are:

  1. New York
  2. Massachusetts
  3. California

In recent years, the greatest percentage of international students come from the following countries:

  1. China
  2. Canada
  3. South Korea
  4. Pakistan

In terms of ethnic identity, the Class of 2028 breakdown is as follows:

  • White: 43%
  • Asian: 12%
  • Hispanic: 16%
  • Black or African American: 7%
  • Two or More Races: 8%
  • International: 11%

A look at the gender split reveals that the university enrolled a roughly even number of men and women in 2023:

  • Men: 48%
  • Women: 51%
  • Another gender: 1.5%

Between 2020 and 2023, the top majors were:

  • Mathematics
  • Biology
  • Psychology
  • Computer Science
  • Political Science
  • English

Williams College鈥檚 Yield Rate

Williams College鈥檚 yield rate鈥攖he percentage of accepted students who elect to enroll, divided by the total number of students who are admitted鈥攊s now 42%, a slight decrease from the previous year. For comparison, other top liberal arts schools have similar yields: Swarthmore College, Pomona College, and Amherst College.

Tips for Applying to Williams College

If you plan on joining the 15,000+ Williams College hopefuls for the next admissions cycle, you should know the following:

  • Williams’ test-optional policy will remain in place for the 2025-26 admissions cycle.
  • If Williams is your top choice, you鈥檒l want to strongly consider . The Regular Decision deadline falls in the first week of January, but the acceptance rates are significantly lower in this round.
  • This school does not use interviews as part of their evaluation process.
  • Williams College does not consider 鈥demonstrated interest鈥 so you will not be judged on whether or not you made a campus visit, contacted an admissions officer, etc.
  • Prospective Ephs (rhymes with “chiefs”) can apply through the Common Application or Coalition Application.
  • You鈥檒l need to submit a Mid-Year Report in late February so remember to keep those grades up throughout your senior year of high school.
  • Lastly, make sure to dedicate sufficient time and effort to the offered by Williams College:

Williams Writing Supplement 2025-26

Per admissions: Williams does not require a writing supplement. However, some students feel they do their best writing in an academic context rather than through narrative pieces like admission applications. If you are interested in submitting an example of your academic writing, you may share a 3-5 page paper (excluding citations) written in the last year. The paper may be creative or analytical, can cover any topic, and need not be graded. Please include a description of the assignment or prompt and do not submit lab reports.

Should I apply to Williams?

The vast majority of applicants to Williams have a 1500+ SAT and finished at or near the top of their high school class. If you check these boxes then you鈥檒l certainly be a competitive applicant at Williams, but those with additional attributes and talents will fare best. As the school states, 鈥淲e want creative thinkers, diverse opinions, and people who embrace intellectual challenges. People committed to bringing as much to the community as they鈥檒l gain from it.鈥

Williams College Acceptance Rate – Final Thoughts聽

Any student applying to a school of Williams鈥 caliber also needs to have a proper mix of 鈥渢arget鈥 and 鈥渟afety鈥 schools on their college list. More on creating a balanced college list can be found here.

Ready to start crafting your college applications? You might consider checking out the following: