• Degree-seeking undergraduates
• 1,936
• Ratio of men to women
• 49:51
• Percent of Williams students who frequently felt bored in class in their senior year of high school
• 44
• Percent of Williams students who speak more than one language at home
• 15
• Percent of students living on campus
• 96
• Percent of American students of color
• 27
• Percent of students from other countries
• 6
• Percent of students from outside of New England
• 78
• Percent of Williams first-years who returned for sophomore year
• 97
• Percent of students participating in Greek life
• 0

Williams students would probably do a pretty good job of educating one another, even if the faculty stayed home. Beyond an intelligent interest in many things, most Williams students have a guiding passion as well—whether for the geometry of numbers, gene mapping, or the writings of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. They bring these passions with them, find kindred spirits among their peers and the faculty, and with each passing semester these passions are fleshed out, becoming more multi-dimensional and, often, the driving force behind future work.

"We’re proud that neither academics, athletics, nor any other single extracurricular activity will prove the center of your social universe at Williams."

Perhaps it’s the type of person we attract, but our campus culture, marked by openness and community support, is reinforced by our students in the way they conduct their lives – inside the classroom and beyond. Concern for others motivates our students to work as tutors, peer counselors and volunteers in the Williamstown community. It’s why the unpaid position of Junior Advisor (living with and counseling first-year students in our entry system) has three applicants for every opening – and why programs like the Writing Workshop, in which students revise and critique one another’s writing, are so popular.

A natural feature of this kind of community is the College Honor Code, upheld and administered by students since its inception in 1896. This student-authored pledge of academic honesty, signed by all students each Fall, creates a space where trust prevails, allowing for such benefits as self-scheduled exams and professors’ comfort with student collaboration on labwork and problem sets. The point of everything we do at Williams is, quite simply, to make it easier—and more fun—to learn.

But academic prowess and a profound sense of community aren’t all that Williams students bring to the table. Williams has won the NACDA Director’s Cup (formerly known as the Sears Cup) 10 of the last 11 years as the nation's top Div. III NCAA athletic program. It might have something to do with the fact that nearly forty percent of our students participate in varsity sports. That said, we’re proud that neither academics, athletics, nor any other single extracurricular activity will prove the center of your social universe at Williams. Social circles overlap to the point where it’s impossible to pigeonhole any Williams student as simply a “jock” or “scientist” or “theatre buff”; more often than not, any attempt at labeling a Williams student will require at least three such descriptors, and will still fall short of painting the full picture.