Admissions Factors
What Hamilton Looks For
Hamilton rates 3 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA and class rank.
How Hamilton rates each factor
Each college sorts 18 factors into four levels on its Common Data Set.
Very important
Considered
Not considered
The numbers behind the class
Overall admit rate
13.6%
1,210 of 8,904 applicants
Early decision admit rate
28.1%
Early decision admits equal 66% of the class
Admitted from the waitlist
4%
49 of 1,226 who stayed on it
86.4% of those who reported a class rank were in the top tenth of their class.
Frequently asked questions
What does Hamilton look for in applicants?
Hamilton rates 3 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA and class rank.
Does Hamilton consider legacy status?
Hamilton rates alumni relation as "considered" in its 2025-26 Common Data Set.
Does Hamilton track demonstrated interest?
Hamilton rates the level of an applicant's interest as "considered".
What is Hamilton's waitlist acceptance rate?
1,226 students stayed on the waitlist and 49 were admitted, a rate of 4%. The number changes a lot from year to year because it depends on how many admitted students enroll.
What is Hamilton's early decision acceptance rate?
Early decision: 315 of 1,120 applicants were admitted (28.1%), against 13.6% overall. Early pools include recruited athletes and other students with a strong tie to the college, so the gap overstates the boost for an ordinary applicant.
Source: Hamilton’s own Common Data Set 2025-26, Section C. Last checked 2026-10-08. The ratings are the college’s own description of its process. Counts are for one entering class.
