Williams College: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Wellesley, Massachusetts · Private nonprofit · Highly selective · CDS 2024-2025
Williams College is a private institution located in Wellesley, Massachusetts and one of the highly selective schools in the country. For the most recent reporting cycle, Williams College admits roughly one in four applicants, with an overall admission rate of 14%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1513 and an ACT composite around 33. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $25,008 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Williams College is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Williams College?
Most admitted students at Williams College present unweighted GPAs in the 3.85–4.0 range with five or more AP or honors courses across high school. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Williams College weight in admissions?
Williams College reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2024-2025). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Academic GPA
- • Recommendations
- • Character/personal qualities
- • Class rank
- • Application essay
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • Standardized test scores
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Geographical residence
- • State residency
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Level of applicant's interest
- • Interview
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
SAT and ACT scores Williams College typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 720–780, with an EBRW midpoint near 735. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 33–35. Scores below the 25th-percentile mark are accepted occasionally, but the realistic submission target for most families is the school's middle-50 floor or higher.
| 25th percentile | 1470 |
| 50th percentile | 1520 |
| 75th percentile | 1550 |
| % submitting SAT | 43% |
| 25th percentile | 33 |
| 50th percentile | 34 |
| 75th percentile | 35 |
| % submitting ACT | 18% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
Where admitted students ranked in their high school class
Class rank distribution gives parents a clear sense of how academically dominant a typical admitted student was within their own high school cohort — often a more meaningful signal than absolute GPA.
| Top 10% of class | 90% |
| Top 25% of class | 99% |
| Top 50% of class | 100% |
| % submitting class rank | 23% |
How much does Williams College actually cost?
Published tuition is $64,320 for in-state students and $64,320 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $19,920 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $25,008 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 21% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | — |
| Room and board | — |
| Average net price (after aid) | $25,008 |
| Application fee | $0 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Williams College
| Regular deadline | 1/8 |
| Notification date | Late March |
| Reply deadline | Must reply by deadline in letter of admission |
| Offers Early Decision | Yes |
| ED deadline | 11/1 |
| ED acceptance rate | 30% |
Will my child graduate from Williams College?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Other colleges in Massachusetts parents ask about
- Harvard University3% acceptance
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology5% acceptance
- Boston University11% acceptance
- Boston College16% acceptance
- Tufts University10% acceptance
- University of Massachusetts-Amherst85% acceptance
- University of Massachusetts-Boston58% acceptance
- Northeastern University6% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Williams College
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Williams College recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Williams College
What GPA do I need for Williams College?
Most admitted students at Williams College present unweighted GPAs in the 3.85–4.0 range with five or more AP or honors courses across high school.
What SAT or ACT score does Williams College typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 720–780, with an EBRW midpoint near 735. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 33–35.
How much does Williams College actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Williams College after grants and scholarships is $25,008 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Williams College realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Williams College is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Williams College, and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.