Williams is 1 of about four-dozen colleges (out of 2,500) in the U.S. that practice need-blind admission for domestic applicants (including undocumented students and those with DACA status) and meet 100 percent of the demonstrated need of every admitted student, every year. Actually, we go beyond that—we seek out exceptional students from low-income backgrounds. We view financial aid as money well spent—an investment in our community.
Our mission is to make sure all students thrive academically at Williams and beyond through opportunities and programs that work to eradicate racial and socio-economic disparities in higher education.
Want to visit Williams but aren’t sure you can afford to? Windows on Williams (WOW) gives high school seniors the opportunity to spend three all-expenses-paid days at Williams. WOW is a selective program open to high school students in the U.S. and Puerto Rico; preference is given to high-achieving students who couldn’t otherwise afford to visit Williams.
On their way to a bachelor of arts degree, Williams students major in a core area of study (like Chinese or environmental policy). Instead of academic minors, we have concentrations, which are groupings of courses around certain topics that pull from many departments and disciplines (like cognitive science, which has elements of psychology, computer science, philosophy, math, and more). Still other opportunities exist for students to pursue emerging fields, take special classes, develop their own majors, and take part in experiential education or off-campus study.
While there are no required courses at Williams, all students take at least three in arts and humanities, three in social sciences, and three in science and mathematics. All students also take at least two writing-intensive courses and one course to improve their ability to reason mathematically and abstractly. And while Williams has no formal language requirement, we do require that all students explore diversity by taking at least one course that examines how groups, cultures, and societies interact with, and challenge, one another.
Devoted, accomplished, innovative, inspiring, curious, collaborative, tenacious, award-winning, risk-taking. All of these terms and more characterize the almost 400 faculty members at Williams College who teach our students, pursue creative, ground-breaking arts and scholarship, and contribute to the short and long-term operations of the college.Details about individual faculty appear on the web pages of the academic departments and programs in which faculty are appointed. New faculty are featured here. If you are a prospective faculty memberlooking to learn more about the resources available to faculty at Williams College, you have come to the right place.
Whether you are new to Williams, a seasoned faculty member, a department or program chair, or contemplating retirement (perhaps even already retired!), you will find information about how to support your work and who to contact in our office if you have questions.
A two-year masters program in conjunction with Williamstown’s Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, the Graduate Program in the History of Art offers exemplary preparation for careers in the academy, museums, and associated fields in the history of art.
A one-year masters program, the Center for Development Economics is designed for emerging leaders from developing economies who want to assume increasingly important roles in their home countries’ treasuries, central banks, and governments.At Williams you’ll follow your passions and discover new ones along the way. You’ll be challenged to think, learn and do research in new and different ways. You’ll be part of an incredibly close-knit, diverse community.You’ll get to know your professors–really. You’ll be prepared for your first job–and your last one. And yes, you can afford it.
The Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity at Williams College dedicates itself to a community where all members can thrive. We work to eliminate harmful bias and discrimination, close opportunity gaps, and advance critical conversations and initiatives that promote inclusion, equity, and social justice on campus and beyond.
The Vice President’s Office works to assess and improve campus climate, assists in the development and implementation of campus policies, procedures and practices impacting students, faculty and staff, recruit, retain and develop a diverse faculty, staff and student body, facilitates discussions around diversity, equity and inclusion in the community and resolves conflicts and grievances.
The Office of Special Academic Programs (OSAP) administers the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF), the Allison Davis Research Fellowship (ADRF), and the Summer Humanities and Social Sciences (SHSS) programs. Additionally, we work with the Summer Science Program, the C3 Undergraduate Fellowship, and other diversity initiatives at Williams or available to Williams students. OSAP is part of the Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Diversity.Together, this unit seeks to both transform the academy and strengthen the College’s commitment to inclusion by ensuring that diversity initiatives are advanced and celebrated.
Teaching and research come together here in a way that’s unusual, in the context of a broad liberal arts education that’s all about learning to think critically and exploring an issue from many perspectives. At Williams, undergraduates carry out research that at other places is done by graduate students. They actually contribute meaningfully to the creation of new knowledge.
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Arguably the best overall education you'll get at any college or university in the country. Small classes, interested and expert professors, no TAs teaching classes, no grad students to distract profs, tons of summer research, huge endowment, free tutoring in any class, cooperation instead of competition among students, big workload (it's why we came here), brilliant students, job and graduate program placement rivaling the top major universities, etc. We don't need rankings to tell us that we're the best... but they do anyway :)
By willwr (Dec, 2012) |
After visiting other schools, I cannot think of a better place to spend for years. Outstanding, committed faculty; small, challenging classes; an enormous endowment spend on students; brand new facilities; a scenic mountain valley; and warm, interesting, and brilliant students. The Williams experience is perhaps best captured by Henry David Thoreau's most famous quote about Williams: “It would be no small advantage if every college were thus located at the base of a mountain, as good at least as one well-endowed professorship ... Some will remember, no doubt, not only that they went to the college, but that they went to the mountain.
By Newton Johnson (Jun, 2007) |
Great school. Academically challenging but a lot of it had to do with how underprepared I was coming out of high school. I recommend that visitors (to any campus) get to know your host's friends- you'll get a much more well-rounded group. The Williams name has helped immensely in the job search. People take it for granted that you have a certain level of academic ability, and that has been invaluable. I'm very grateful for my Williams experience. My four years there were truly fantastic.
By Aubrey (Nov, 2002) |
If you're looking for a balanced mix of academics (both math/sciences and social sciences/humanities), athletics, and general college good times, you can't beat Williams. It has all the benefits of a smaller school (access to profs, individual attention) with a lot of the feel of a larger school (lots of support for athletics, people going to games, concerts together).
By Jeannie (Dec, 2001) |
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Williams College in Massachusetts has truly transformed my child's learning experience; the dedicated faculty and rich educational environment have fueled remarkable growth and confidence.
By Y.Y. (Jan, 2024) |