Hamilton College acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
Hamilton College is a private college in New York that admits about 14% of applicants, which puts it in the highly selective range. A rate like this means it turns away most applicants; the bar is less about clearing a single cutoff and more about how your full profile compares to admitted students.
Use this page to see what Hamilton College weighs, where it ranks among New York schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1500, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What is the early decision acceptance rate at Hamilton College?
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, Hamilton College admitted 28.1% of Early Decision applicants (315 of 1,120), against about 11.5% of everyone else. Its overall rate that year was 13.6%.
Source: Hamilton College Common Data Set 2025-26, IPEDS admissions survey, fall 2023. Updated October 30, 2026.
What do students study at Hamilton College?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into Hamilton College?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Hamilton College, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Hamilton College?
At Hamilton College, your real chance depends on far more than the published 14% admit rate. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for Hamilton College in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Hamilton College hard to get into?
Hamilton College is highly selective: it turns away most applicants, with about a 14% acceptance rate. Strong academics are expected here, so the rest of your profile usually decides the outcome.
What GPA do you need to get into Hamilton College?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Hamilton College, but most admitted students present roughly a 3.8 to 4.0 GPA with a rigorous course load. Hamilton College reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at Hamilton College by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Hamilton College for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 6 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at Hamilton College with a 3.9 GPA and a 1500 SAT?
About 26% (Target), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.9 unweighted GPA and a 1500 SAT, the middle of Hamilton College's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 4.0 GPA with a 1550 SAT comes out near 30%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/hamilton-college.
Early Decision, Early Action and the waitlist at Hamilton College
From Hamilton College's own 2025-26 Common Data Set (fall 2025 entering class): sections C1, C2, C21-C22 and D2.
What is the early decision acceptance rate at Hamilton College?
28.1%. Hamilton College admitted 315 of 1,120 Early Decision applicants for fall 2025, against 13.6% of all 8,904 first-year applicants (Hamilton College's 2025-26 Common Data Set).
Does applying early decision help at Hamilton College?
On the raw numbers, yes: Early Decision applicants were admitted at 28.1% versus about 11.5% for everyone who applied another way, 2.4x the rate, and Early Decision filled 26% of the admitted class. Part of that gap is who applies early (recruited athletes and legacy applicants often do), so it is not all the round itself. Early Decision is binding: apply only if Hamilton College is your clear first choice and the family can commit without comparing aid offers.
How many students get off the waitlist at Hamilton College?
49 for fall 2025. Hamilton College offered 2,032 applicants a waitlist spot, 1,226 accepted one, and 49 were admitted from it: 4% of those who stayed on (Hamilton College's 2025-26 Common Data Set).
What is the transfer acceptance rate at Hamilton College?
18.7%: 42 of 225 transfer applicants were admitted for fall 2025 (Hamilton College's 2025-26 Common Data Set).
Source: Hamilton College Common Data Set 2025-26. Every figure appears verbatim in the document. See how early rounds compare across colleges in the Early Decision rankings.
How to get into Hamilton College
Built from Hamilton College's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Getting into Hamilton College comes down to four decisions, each one visible in the data on this page.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Hamilton College carries about a 3.85 core GPA and a 1500 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. At this selectivity that is the entry ticket, not the deciding factor.
The admitted middle 50% is 1450 to 1550 SAT (33 to 35 ACT). Submit a score at 1500 or higher; below 1450, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
Hamilton College rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: essays that sound like you and answer the actual prompt, and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
Selective private colleges admit a larger share of their class in binding Early Decision; if Hamilton College is your clear first choice and the net price works, ED is the single biggest lever an applicant controls. Most early deadlines fall on November 1 and Regular Decision on January 1 to 15; confirm Hamilton College's exact dates at www.hamilton.edu.
How many students apply to Hamilton College, and how many get in?
9,643 students applied to Hamilton College for fall 2023; 1,135 were admitted (11.8%). 462 enrolled. Roughly 41% of admitted students enrolled, a typical yield for a school in this range. Hamilton College enrolls about 2,030 undergraduates in total, 56% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Hamilton College?
Admitted students at Hamilton College post SAT scores of 1450 to 1550 in the middle 50%, with an average of 1506. On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 33 to 35. A score above 1550 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 1450 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. Hamilton College is test-optional: scores are considered if you submit them but not required. Send a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one and let your transcript lead.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What Hamilton College looks for
What Hamilton College weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
Hamilton College signals that it values rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay above the rest of the file. At this level of selectivity, the difference between admits is rarely the transcript alone; essays, recommendations, and a coherent story matter. These ratings come from Hamilton College's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at Hamilton College
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does Hamilton College cost after financial aid?
The full sticker price at Hamilton College (tuition, fees, housing, food, books) is about $84,230 a year. Tuition and fees alone are $68,960. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $28,985 a year, and it ranges from $8,028 for families earning under $30,000 to $46,907 for families earning over $110,000. 18% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do Hamilton College graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Median earnings for Hamilton College students ten years after entry are $78,411 ($60,082 at the six-year mark). 91% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 95% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $17,000; 29% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How Hamilton College compares in New York
Hamilton College ranks #6 most selective of 59 schools in New York in our database.
Among the 59 New York schools we track, Hamilton College ranks #6 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like Columbia University (4%) and Cornell University (9%) sit nearby, which makes New York a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list.
Similar to Hamilton College
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
If Hamilton College is on your list, schools with a similar admit profile are worth a look: Colgate University, Tulane University, and Washington and Lee University. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is Hamilton College's acceptance rate?
Hamilton College admitted 1,135 of 9,643 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 11.8% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 41% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for Hamilton College?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1450 to 1550 on the SAT and 33 to 35 on the ACT. A score above 1550 is in the top quarter of admits. Hamilton College is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is Hamilton College test-optional?
Yes. Hamilton College reports that test scores are considered but not required. Submit a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one.
How much does Hamilton College cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Hamilton College, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $28,985 a year against a sticker price of about $84,230. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $8,028 on average.
What do Hamilton College graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Hamilton College are $78,411 a year among students who received federal aid, and 91% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Hamilton College value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Hamilton College weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Hamilton College consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Hamilton College's full factor profile is charted on this page, and CollegeCalcAI models a legacy effect scaled to a school's selectivity.
How can I improve my chances at Hamilton College?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at Hamilton College specifically.
What makes an application stand out at Hamilton College?
Beyond strong academics, Hamilton College rewards a clear, specific story: focused activities with real impact, essays in an authentic voice, and recommendations that corroborate it. Depth beats a long list of unrelated activities.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.