Williams College Admissions: Record-Low 6.3% Acceptance Rate for Class of 2030

Williams College admitted a record-low 7.4 percent of applicants to the Class of 2030, according to data released Friday by the college’s admissions office. The combined acceptance rate, factoring in early decision and regular decision admissions, marks the most selective admissions cycle in the institution’s history.

The college offered admission to 981 students through the regular decision process on March 20, joining 258 students admitted through early decision and 14 students matched via Questbridge. This brings the total number of admitted students to 1,239, a decrease of 74 from the previous year. Despite the highly selective admissions rate, the incoming class is expected to maintain a target size of 560 students, consistent with last year’s enrollment.

This year’s cycle saw a record-breaking 15,534 regular decision applications, an increase of over 1,000 applications compared to the previous year. The regular decision acceptance rate alone reached a new low of 6.3 percent. The previous record low overall acceptance rate was 7.5 percent during the 2023-2024 cycle, when the target class size was slightly smaller at 550 students.

Dean of Admission and Financial Services Liz Creighton ’01 stated, “We’re absolutely thrilled about the remarkable students we were able to admit during this cycle and seem forward to meeting many of them.” Admitted students have been invited to Williams Previews on April 19 and 20.

The college also waitlisted 2,138 applicants and denied admission to 12,395. Historically, Williams has admitted a small number of students from its waitlist; during the 2024-25 cycle, 25 students were admitted after being waitlisted, according to the college’s Common Data Set.

Students admitted to the Class of 2030 have until May 1 to respond to their offers of admission.