Founded in 1793, Williams College is a premier liberal arts college located in a region of Massachusetts known as the Berkshires. Each year around 2,200 students come to study in Williamstown, a beautiful college town surrounded by mountains that is affectionately known as the Purple Valley. Students choose among 65 areas of study and have remarkable freedom to structure their curriculum. Over 50% of students double major and around 50% of students major in STEM fields, where they have access to shared facilities that are rare at small colleges. All of this is done in a setting that is collaborative instead of cutthroat, nurturing excellence through close connections with faculty and peers.

Students take advantage of personalized academic opportunities like the Williams Tutorial, a style of course with just two students and one professor, offered in every discipline and all four years. The vast majority of Williams students also conduct paid research with professors outside of the classroom and the college provides substantial research funding for students historically underrepresented in higher education.

Williams is home to the nation’s first All-Grant financial aid program, which meets 100% of demonstrated need without loans, and replaces a campus job requirement with cash upfront each semester for students’ personal expenses. Through All-Grant, all textbooks and course materials are also FREE for all students on aid.

Williams is also home to the nation’s oldest alumni association, founded in 1821, which translates into remarkable career opportunities for students. 72% of the class of 2025 connected with alumni directly for their internships or post-Williams plans, and Williams alumni fund low-paying or unpaid internships through the Alumni-Sponsored Internship Program each summer. The '68 Center for Career Exploration regularly places students in internships and full-time jobs via on-campus recruiting, Williams-specific job listings and networking events. Williams offers pre-professional advising for students interested in pursuing health professions, law, engineering, and business.

At Williams, all first-years live together in a thoughtfully constructed microcosm of the Williams community known as an Entry. Campus life is vibrant and centered on campus, with over 225 clubs and organizations that allow students to connect through shared identities and interests in the arts, the outdoors, professional pathways, and much more, in addition to 32 Division III athletic teams.