FINANCIAL AID AT WILLIAMS
Williams has a 100% need-blind admission policy.
Put simply, your financial circumstances will not affect your chance of admission to Williams in any way. Because we believe our community should include the best from all backgrounds, there is no limit on financial aid expenditures. This policy allows us to select students - both domestic and international - solely on the basis of academic promise. Furthermore, for those who have financial need, we meet that need in its entirety--and we make sure that the portion of need met by loans is competitively low. This can make a Williams education surprisingly affordable. For some, it may even cost less than the local state university.
There are no hidden costs at Williams.
Once you're here - no matter how much financial aid you may receive - you'll have access to the same opportunities as every other Williams student. Students may apply their financial aid to any study-abroad program throughout the world, and they also enjoy significant reimbursement costs for Winter Study trips and projects. Recognizing the value of an egalitarian environment, the college heavily subsidizes cultural, political, and social events on campus. Students attend parties free, movies for $1, and major concerts and events for less than $5 - making the cost of living at Williams far lower than at almost any other campus.
If you get into Williams, you can afford Williams.
It's a philosophical commitment: admit students on their merits, meet 100 percent of demonstrated need, and provide aid packages that minimize loans and campus employment. These policies allow us to maintain our academic standards at the highest levels while admitting students from the widest possible range of backgrounds. Students attend Williams to be a part of an extraordinary community where thinking and writing, leadership, even the evolution of friendships, take place in a surprisingly noncompetitive atmostphere. The academic opportunities at their disposal - two-to-one tutorials with renowned teacher/scholars, access to the latest research and most advanced equipment, careful personal advising - have a price. Yet Williams' substantial endowment ensures that students can pursue their ambitions free from concerns about finances.