Hamilton College: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Clinton, New York · Private nonprofit · Highly selective · CDS 2025-2026
Hamilton College is a private institution located in Clinton, New York and one of the highly selective schools in the country. For the most recent reporting cycle, Hamilton College admits roughly one in four applicants, with an overall admission rate of 12%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1487 and an ACT composite around 34. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $28,314 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Hamilton 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 Hamilton College?
Most admitted students at Hamilton 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 Hamilton College weight in admissions?
Hamilton College reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2025-2026). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Class rank
- • Academic GPA
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • Character/personal qualities
- • Standardized test scores
- • Interview
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Talent/ability
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Geographical residence
- • State residency
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Level of applicant's interest
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
SAT and ACT scores Hamilton College typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 710–780, with an EBRW midpoint near 730. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 32–35. 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 | 1440 |
| 50th percentile | 1480 |
| 75th percentile | 1510 |
| % submitting SAT | 35% |
| 25th percentile | 33 |
| 50th percentile | 34 |
| 75th percentile | 35 |
| % submitting ACT | 13% |
- • 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 | 86.36% |
| Top 25% of class | 97.73% |
| Top 50% of class | 100% |
| % submitting class rank | 18.41% |
How much does Hamilton College actually cost?
Published tuition is $65,740 for in-state students and $65,740 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $16,690 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $28,314 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 18% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $75,210 |
| Room and board | $19,290 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $28,314 |
| Application fee | $65 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Hamilton College
| Regular deadline | 1/6 |
| Notification date | 1-Apr |
| Reply deadline | 1-May |
| Offers Early Decision | Yes |
| ED deadline | 11/15 |
| ED acceptance rate | 28% |
Will my child graduate from Hamilton 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 New York parents ask about
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Hamilton College
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Hamilton 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 Hamilton College
What GPA do I need for Hamilton College?
Most admitted students at Hamilton 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 Hamilton College typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 710–780, with an EBRW midpoint near 730. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 32–35.
How much does Hamilton College actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Hamilton College after grants and scholarships is $28,314 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 Hamilton 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, Hamilton 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 2025-2026 Common Data Set submitted by Hamilton College, and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.