Williams College
What Williams College's own numbers say, from its Common Data Set 2025-26.
See your odds at Williams College →All 6 insights at Williams College PRO
Early DecisionWilliams College
Williams College's ED number is inflated.
27% of Early Decision applicants get in, but that pool includes recruited athletes and legacies, admitted at far higher rates. Without them, our estimate is about 21%. Everyone else: 7.4%.
ED, as reported27%
ED, without hooks (estimate)≈21%
Everyone else7.4%
Source: Williams College's Common Data Set 2025-26; hooked share is an estimate (A12)
Getting harderWilliams College
Getting into Williams College is 1.5× harder than in 2019.
The admit rate fell from 13% (2019-20) to 8.6% (2025-26).
2019-2013%
2025-268.6%
Source: Williams College's Common Data Set 2025-26
WaitlistWilliams College
Williams College's waitlist is a long shot: 2.9%.
25 of 850 students who stayed on the list got in.
Admitted off the list2.9%
Not admitted97%
Source: Williams College's Common Data Set 2025-26
MoneyWilliams College
Williams College meets 100% of need.
The average need-based grant is $80,302 a year.
Average grant$80k
Source: Williams College's Common Data Set 2025-26
ApplicationsWilliams College
Applications to Williams College are up 62%.
From 9,560 in 2018-19 to 15,520 in 2025-26.
2018-199,560
2025-2615,520
Source: Williams College's Common Data Set 2025-26
Early DecisionWilliams College
45% of Williams College's class is filled in Early Decision.
That leaves about 311 seats for 14,556 applicants outside ED.
Admitted Early Decision45%
Everyone else55%
Source: Williams College's Common Data Set 2025-26
7 more things the data says PRO
- Early Decision filled about 45% of the 2025-26 first-year class, less than most similar colleges.
- ED applicants were admitted at 27%, against 7.4% for everyone else: 3.6 times the rate.
- 850 students stayed on the waitlist and 25 were admitted from it (2.9%).
- 42% of admitted students chose to enroll, lower than 95% of similar colleges.
- After ED, 311 of 567 seats were left for 14,556 other applicants: about one seat for every 47.
- It reports meeting 100% of financial need for first-years who have need.
- Applications rose 62% from 2018-19 to 2025-26 (9,560 to 15,520), faster than 74% of colleges here.
What students say PRO
From students' own posts on Reddit and admissions forums: self-reported, unverified, never used in your odds.
- Most admits who named a round (24 of 29) applied Regular Decision; 3 used Early Action and 2 Early Decision.
- Most admits who shared scores had SAT about 1500-1590 or ACT 33-36, with GPAs mostly 3.9 to 4.0.
- About 16 admits say they are first-generation college students, and many carry family duties like caring for siblings or relatives.
- Many admits founded or led nonprofits, clubs or programs, such as a youth STEM nonprofit, a music school or a community fundraising project.
- Many admits had research, including first-author or co-authored papers, university lab work or policy research.
- Students report a record-low overall acceptance rate of about 7.4 percent in 2025-26, with ED around 25-27 percent, so odds are better early.
- Students report strong applicants were waitlisted or rejected, and few come off the waitlist (25 for the Class of 2030).
- Students report Williams admits very few international students, and those needing aid are often rejected.
- Students report strong financial aid packages, with one saying aid covers over 80 percent of costs and another getting a need-based full ride.
Every number, year by year: Williams College on Open College Data. Something wrong? Suggest a correction.