Admissions Factors
What Williams Looks For
Williams rates 5 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, class rank, recommendations and character and personal qualities.
How Williams rates each factor
Each college sorts 18 factors into four levels on its Common Data Set.
Very important
Important
Considered
Not considered
The numbers behind the class
Overall admit rate
8.6%
1,336 of 15,520 applicants
Early decision admit rate
26.6%
Early decision admits equal 45% of the class
Admitted from the waitlist
2.9%
25 of 850 who stayed on it
88% of those who reported a class rank were in the top tenth of their class.
Frequently asked questions
What does Williams look for in applicants?
Williams rates 5 factors as very important: rigor of high school courses, academic GPA, class rank, recommendations and character and personal qualities.
Does Williams consider legacy status?
Williams rates alumni relation as "considered" in its 2025-26 Common Data Set.
Does Williams track demonstrated interest?
Williams rates the level of an applicant's interest as "not considered".
What is Williams's waitlist acceptance rate?
850 students stayed on the waitlist and 25 were admitted, a rate of 2.9%. The number changes a lot from year to year because it depends on how many admitted students enroll.
What is Williams's early decision acceptance rate?
Early decision: 256 of 964 applicants were admitted (26.6%), against 8.6% 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: Williams’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.
