Hampshire at a Glance

Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, is among the most innovative colleges in the country. Students at Hampshire pursue their passions by designing their own programs of study and recruiting a faculty committee to guide them on their path of intellectual discovery.

Through active, engaged, and collaborative learning, students become creators of knowledge and are encouraged to connect their academic work and the wider world.

Hampshire’s success can be measured in the mainstreaming of many of its experimental ideas in education, and in its roster of alumni achievement: Oscar and Emmy winners, best-selling authors, scientists, historians, Peabody awardees, MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipients, and more Ph.D. candidates than any other school of its size.

Financials

Endowment $54.5 million (80% is donor-restricted) (FY22)
One year return on investment 4.3% return (FY22)
Annual operating budget $35.7 million (FY22)
Tuition $52,714 (2022-23)
Room and board $14,432 (2022-23)
Books, supplies, and personal expenses $2,490 (2022-23)
Average financial aid package $46,818 (2022-23)
Financial aid budget $16.5 million (FY22)
Students receiving financial aid 99% (2022-23)
Average student debt upon graduation $30,268* (2020)
Alumni loan default rate 5.6% (2021)

*This amount includes both federal and private loan borrowing. As of the 2020 graduating class, the national average for federal and private loans at private non-profit colleges is $33,700; the overall national average is $28,800. However, federal loan borrowing is typically the only amount most institutions provide on their websites—the average federal loan borrowing only for Hampshire College is $25,841, lower than the overall national average for federal loans ($28,400).

Admissions 

Acceptance rate 70% first-year; 54% transfer (2022-23)
High school ranking only 29% of high schools report a rank – N/A
Applications received 2,087 first-year, 155 transfer (2022-23)
First year students 237 (2022-23)
Transfer students 38 (2022-23)
Yield 15.8% first-year; 42.9% transfer (2022-23)

Students 

Enrollment 508 degree-seeking (Fall 2022)
Race/Ethnicity 56.3% White; 14.6% Hispanic/Latino; 8.1% two or more races; 7.3% nonresident alien; 7.3% Black or African-American; 4.5% race and ethnicity unknown; 1.6% Asian; 0.4% American Indian or Alaska Native; 0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. (Fall 2022)
Residential life 92% of students live on campus  (Fall 2022)
Number of states represented 35  (Fall 2022)
Number of countries represented 10  (Fall 2022)
Percentage of first generation students 75% (Fall 2022)

Academics

Degree offered Bachelor of Arts
Student/faculty ratio 9:1 (2022-23)
Average size of class 17 (Fall 2022)
Number of full-time faculty 38 full-time,19 part-time (2022-23)
Faculty with Ph.D. or other terminal degrees in their fields 95% (2022-23)
Faculty of color 24% (2022-23)
Typical length of study 84% typically graduate in 4 years (2022 graduates)
Students who take at least one Five College course 88% (2022 graduates)
Students who complete at least two Community Engaged Learning projects 100% (2022 graduates)
Students who do an internship, research assistantship, or similar activity 78% (2020-22 graduates)
Students who complete two or more similar activities before graduation 52% (2020-22 graduates)
Retention (overall) 72% (2022)
Six-year graduation rate 63% (2022)

Outcomes

We're in the top 2% of institutions for producing graduates that go on to earn Ph.D.s
Graduate institutions most frequently attended UMass Amherst, Columbia University, NYU, Boston University, UC Berkeley, CUNY Hunter, Harvard, Simmons University, Harvard University, Antioch University, Smith College, The New School, University of Pennsylvania, CUNY Graduate School, UCLA, University of Michigan, Pratt Institute (2022)
Alums of record since 1970 (attended at least 2 semesters) 20,000 (2022)
All graduates since 1970 12,766 (2022)
Percentage of alumni with jobs or in grad school within 6 months of graduating 78% (2020-22 graduates)
Percentage of alumni who are entrepreneurs/self-employed 23% (2020)
Percentage of alumni who give on an annual basis 28% (2019)
Percentage of graduates who have made a gift during their lifetime 66% (2022)

Fellowships

Hampshire students, challenged by the College to design their own programs of study and present to faculty committees, have a record of earning national awards equal to students of other top colleges and universities. Awards received by Hampshire students and grads since 2011 are:

  • Fulbrights: 24
  • Gilman Scholarships: 14
  • Princess Grace Awards: 8
  • National Merit Scholarships: 6
  • Freeman Asia Scholarships: 5
  • Gates Millennium Scholarships: 2
  • Philip Evans Scholarships: 2
  • Daniels Fund Scholarships: 2
  • Jack Kent Cooke Scholarships: 2
  • Critical Language Scholarships: 2
  • Bishop Scholarship Foundation: 1
  • Brower Youth Award: 1
  • National Health Service Corps Scholarship: 1

Accreditation

Hampshire College is fully accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education to award the Bachelor of Arts degree. Membership in the association indicates that the institution has been carefully evaluated and found to meet standards agreed upon by qualified educators. 

NECHE has issued a Notation that Hampshire College is in danger of being found not to meet the standard on Institutional Resources.

Hampshire College is an independent, not-for-profit institution.

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