Hamilton College

Clinton, NY · Private

Official website

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Admission rate

Hamilton College admitted 13.6% of applicants university-wide (1,162 of 8,531).

CohortAdmit rateAdmittedApplicants
University-wide13.6%1,1628,531
In-state20.0%3291,644
Out-of-state20.8%7633,660
International applicants2.2%703,227
Early Decision (binding)42.9%300700
Men13.0%5153,964
Women14.1%6454,560

Early Decision applicants were admitted at 42.9%, vs 13.6% overall — ED is a binding commitment.

Of 1,162 admitted students, 453 enrolled (39.0% yield).

Hamilton College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C1–C2 · 2024Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.

Test scores and GPA of admitted students

SAT (mid-50%)
1460–1530
ACT (mid-50%)
33–35
GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
3.504.00

Testing policy: Test-optional (considered if submitted)

Hamilton College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C9–C12 · 2024Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.

Cost and financial aid

Published cost of attendance: $88,770/yr.

Out-of-state tuition$68,960
Fees, housing, food, books & other$19,810
Sticker cost of attendance$88,770/yr

Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)

Under $30k$8,028
$30k–48k$9,489
$48k–75k$10,863
$75k–110k$20,614
Over $110k$46,907

U.S. Dept. of Education · College Scorecard — average net price by family income (Title IV, from IPEDS) · 2023

US applicants

Need- and merit-based aid available.

  • Hamilton College GrantVaries (Need Based)
  • Hamilton College Merit ScholarshipVaries (Merit)
  • Need-Based Financial Aid for International StudentsMeets full demonstrated need (Need Based)

International applicants

Meets full demonstrated need for internationals.

  • Hamilton College GrantVaries (Need Based)
  • Hamilton College Merit ScholarshipVaries (Merit)
  • Need-Based Financial Aid for International StudentsMeets full demonstrated need (Need Based)

Hamilton College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections G–H · 2024

Application requirements

US applicants

  • Common Application or Coalition Application (via Scoir) or QuestBridge Application
  • High School Transcript
  • Recommendation Letters
  • Personal Essay
  • Mid-Year Grade Report
  • SAT or ACT Scores (optional)
  • Application fee

International applicants

  • Common Application or Coalition Application (via Scoir) or QuestBridge Application
  • High School Transcript
  • Recommendation Letters
  • Personal Essay
  • Mid-Year Grade Report
  • SAT or ACT Scores (optional)
  • Application fee
  • English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
  • GPA credential conversion
  • Predicted Class XII marksheet
  • Financial documentation (I-20)

Hamilton College · Application requirements (official admissions pages) · 2025

Essay prompts

The Common App personal essay is required (one of 7 shared prompts), plus 1 college-specific supplement:

  1. Hamilton's motto is 'Know Thyself.' How might Hamilton help you achieve this, and how might you contribute to helping others at Hamilton do the same?300 words · Required

Draft these in the free Essay Coach

Prompts from the Common App member feed · verified Jul 3, 2026

Graduate outcomes

Median earnings
$78,411
Median earnings · 10 years after entry
Graduation rate
90.6%
Within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
94.8%
Return for year two · CDS Section B
Median debt
$17,000
At graduation

Hamilton College · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.

Published rankings

  • U.S. News Liberal Arts: #13
  • WSJ: #213
  • Forbes: #73
  • Niche: #54

Deadlines

  • 2026-11-01Early DecisionBinding early round
  • 2027-01-01Regular DecisionStandard deadline

Hamilton College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C21–C22 · 2024

Academics and campus

Largest degree fields: Social sciences (27%), Biological & life sciences (12%), Visual & performing arts (8%).

Student–faculty ratio: 9:1 · 73% of class sections have under 20 students.

Hamilton College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections E, F, I · 2024Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.

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