Williams College

Williams College

Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williams town, Massachusetts, Williams is classified as "most selective" by U.S. News & World Report and "more selective" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. 

Williams College currently occupies 1st place in U.S. News & World Report's liberal arts ranking. Forbes magazine ranked Williams the second best undergraduate institution in the United States in its 2016 publication of America's Top Colleges. The college is one of the eight Little Ivies, and is known as a Hidden Ivy.

United States. There are three academic curricular divisions humanities, sciences, and social sciences, 24 departments, 33 majors, and two small master's degree programs in art history and development economics. Students may also concentrate in 12 additional academic areas that are not offered as majors (e.g., environmental studies). The academic year follows a 4–1–4 schedule of two four-course semesters plus a one-course "winter study" term in January.During the winter study term, students study various courses outside of typical curriculum for 3 weeks. Students typically take this course on a pass/fail basis. Past course offerings have included: Ski patrol, Learn to Play Chess, Accounting, Inside Jury Deliberations, and Creating a Life: Shaping Your Life After Williams, among many others. Williams students often take the winter study term to study abroad or work on intensive research projects.

The college's 2015-2016 Comprehensive Fee was $64,790; or $63,290 (if study abroad program is not pursued). 53% of students were given need-based financial aid, which averaged $46,006. For the 2015 admissions cycle, the acceptance rate was 16.8%. The admitted students’ academic profile showed average SAT scores of 735 in critical reading, 727 in math, and 735 in writing. The average super-scored ACT was a 33. 82% of the students who submitted high school rank were projected to graduate in the top ten percent of their class.