Additional Information for U.S. Military Service Member and Veteran Applicants

Williams welcomes applicants who've served our country, including both active-duty U.S. military service members and veterans. We're proud to partner with Service to School (S2S), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides service members and veterans with free application counseling, peer-to-peer guidance and networking support.

Williams automatically waives the application fee for all service member and veteran applicants. If you’ll be applying for financial aid, you can also request a fee waiver for the CSS Profile. We seek the most exceptional candidates regardless of financial need. Your request for a waiver won’t affect your application and we won’t consider it when making our admission decision.

Williams Travel Grant Program

The Williams Travel Grant offers all-expenses-paid campus visits for prospective transfer and veteran students who reside in mainland U.S. and Puerto Rico. Priority is given to students who began their post-secondary education at a community college, in the U.S. military or elsewhere in the workforce. The application is now closed but will open again in summer 2024.

Financial Aid for Veterans and Yellow Ribbon

Williams considers the applications of U.S. military veterans without regard to their ability to pay, and we promise to meet 100 percent of each admitted student’s demonstrated financial need for their entire career at Williams. In many cases, the amount we provide will exceed the aid provided by veterans’ benefit programs. 100 percent of our current veteran students pay nothing to attend Williams.

If you’re a student veteran, you have the option to activate your Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits toward the cost of attendance at Williams, or to defer your benefits and have your full demonstrated need met through a combination of federal, state, private and institutional funds. If you elect to use your Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, you’ll be permitted to keep all of your Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), with the expectation that you’ll use it toward additional living and personal expenses incurred because of your unique status as a veteran. Williams participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program and we provide unlimited institutional matching funds with no cap on the number of Yellow Ribbon recipients admitted.

Preparing for Your Application

We understand that military service can lead to gaps in school enrollment. If your service has taken you away from your academic commitments for more than two years, we recommend that you enroll in challenging college-level courses prior to applying to Williams. Military service builds highly desirable capacities for a college applicant. Combining your experience with a successful record of post-secondary coursework will enable you to make your best case as an applicant.

Our standard application options, the Common Application and Coalition Application, may not capture the full range of your individual interests and experiences. In order to make Williams aware of all your qualifications, please be sure to describe your unique circumstances in the “additional information” section. You can also consider submitting an additional letter of recommendation for your military experience. We take a holistic approach to the admission process: the more you can tell us about yourself, the better.

Learn more about the liberal arts, affordability, and our holistic review admission process in this informational video that may help you in preparing your application.

Housing for U.S. Military Veterans

Community is central to the Williams ethos and experience. We guarantee housing for all students for the entirety of their enrollment and are committed to providing students with a type of housing that works best for them. Veteran students have lived in our first-year entry system, upperclass dorms, and in campus-affiliated apartment-style units within close walking distance to campus. Regardless of living location, student veterans are welcomed into campus life and engagement with the Williams community.

You can read more about our housing policy on the Office of Campus Life website.

If you have questions at any point during the process, please check out our transfer FAQ page, email Associate Director of Admission Dean Mendes, or book an appointment with him.