Hamilton College: Acceptance Rate and Admissions Statistics

Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college with an acceptance rate of 16.4%. Located in upstate New York, Hamilton is one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country. For its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences, Hamilton College was awarded a chapter of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa honor society. The college's curriculum places particular emphasis on individualized instruction and independent research, and the school highly values communication skills such as writing and speaking.

Considering applying to this highly selective college? Here are the Hamilton College admissions statistics you should know.

Acceptance Rate

During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, Hamilton College had an acceptance rate of 16.4%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 16 students were admitted, making Hamilton's admissions process highly competitive.

SAT Scores and Requirements

Hamilton College has a flexible standardized testing requirement. Applicants may submit either SAT or ACT scores, or three individual exams (including AP, IB, or SAT Subject tests). During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, 41% of admitted students submitted SAT scores.

This admissions data tells us that most of Hamilton's admitted students fall within the top 20% nationally on the SAT. For the evidence-based reading and writing section, 50% of students admitted to Hamilton scored between 670 and 740, while 25% scored below 670 and 25% scored above 740. On the math section, 50% of admitted students scored between 700 and 780, while 25% scored below 700 and 25% scored above 780. Applicants with a composite SAT score of 1520 or higher will have particularly competitive chances at Hamilton College.

Requirements

Hamilton has a flexible policy regarding standardized tests. For those who submit SAT scores, the writing section is optional. Hamilton requests that applicants submit all scores; however, Hamilton will consider your highest score from each individual section across all SAT test dates.

ACT Scores and Requirements

Hamilton College has a flexible standardized testing requirement. Applicants may submit either SAT or ACT scores, or three individual exams (including AP, IB, or SAT Subject tests). During the 2018-19 admissions cycle, 40% of admitted students submitted ACT scores.

This admissions data tells us that most of Hamilton's admitted students fall within the top 3% nationally on the ACT. The middle 50% of students admitted to Hamilton received a composite ACT score between 32 and 34, while 25% scored above 34 and 25% scored below 32.

Requirements

Hamilton has a flexible policy regarding standardized tests. For those who submit ACT scores, the writing section is optional. Hamilton requests that applicants sbumit all scores; however, unlike many schools, Hamilton superscores ACT results; your highest subscores from multiple ACT sittings will be considered.

GPA

Hamilton College does not provide data about admitted students' high school GPAs. In 2019, 83% of admitted students who provided data indicated that they ranked in the top tenth of their high school class.

Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph

The admissions data in the graph is self-reported by applicants to Hamilton College. GPAs are unweighted. Find out how you compare to accepted students, see the real-time graph, and calculate your chances of getting in with a free Cappex account.

Admissions Chances

Hamilton College has a competitive admissions pool with a low acceptance rate and high average SAT/ACT scores. However, Hamilton has a holistic admissions process involving other factors beyond your grades and test scores. Strong application essays and glowing letters of recommendation can strengthen your application, as can participation in meaningful extracurricular activities and a challenging high school curriculum that includes AP, IB, or Honors classes. While not required, Hamilton offers optional interviews. Students with particularly compelling stories or achievements can still receive serious consideration even if their test scores are outside Hamilton's average range.

In the graph above, the blue and green dots represent accepted students. You can see that the majority of successful applicants had high school averages in the "A" range, combined SAT scores of 1300 or higher, and ACT composite scores of 28 or better. Many applicants had impressive 4.0 GPAs and SAT scores over 1400.

If You Like Hamilton College, You May Also Like These Schools

• Vassar College
• Cornell University
• Colgate University
• Swarthmore College
• Boston College
• Harvard University
• Wesleyan University
• Tufts University
• Dartmouth College

All admissions data has been sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics and Hamilton College Undergraduate Admissions Office.