First-Year Students

Unsatiated intellectual curiosity? A compulsion to collaborate and create? An infectious enthusiasm for ideas? If these are the symptoms, Hampshire’s the cure. Apply now.

Apply online via
THE COMMON APPLICATION

The category first-year students includes students who have completed some college work prior to enrollment at Hampshire (fewer than 15 transferable semester credits).

Application Deadlines

First Year Student Admission Plan	Deadline	Notification
Regular Decision (spring 2018)	November 1, 2017	December 1, 2017
Early Decision I (fall 2018)	November 15, 2017	December 15, 2017
Early Decision II (fall 2018)	January 1, 2018	February 1, 2018
Early Action (fall 2018)	December 1, 2017	February 15, 2018
Regular Decision (fall 2018)	January 15, 2018	April 1, 2018

Required Application Materials

We do a holistic read of your application, meaning we look at everything. To apply, submit the following materials through the Common Application:

Completed Common Application
Writing Supplement*
Current transcripts
School report, including guidance counselor recommendation
Teacher letter of recommendation

Optional Application Materials

Some optional application materials can be submitted through the Common Application. You will also have the opportunity, after applying, to submit additional optional materials such as photos, videos, PDFs, Word documents, and music files through your online application portal with Hampshire College.

Tell us about a collaborative, group, or community engaged activity that has been especially meaningful to you and why.
Video/media supplement. This could be music, dance, film, animation, monologue, etc. (provide link)
Project sample: Submit an example of your independent or collaborative project work. This project can be creative, scientific, or otherwise showcase the type of work you've done in high school. Provide a link if necessary.
Additional letters of recommendation, up to three.

We also highly recommend an interview.

*Writing Supplement

We like to geek out here at Hampshire, and our essay questions give you a chance to do the same. So here's a sneak peek at the questions you'll find on the Common App. We can't wait to read what you come up with.

Analytic Essay: Submit an academic paper of any length, written in English, that you've produced for a class in the past year. This should not be a personal or creative piece or poem. Suggested length, 3-10 pages.

Describe a proposal for a hypothetical research project that explores the connections between two or three different disciplines (for example: math, creative writing, and psychology). Which academic disciplines would you draw from and how would you utilize Hampshire's unique curricular structure to realize and enhance your project? (300 word minimum.

Students receive narrative evaluations at Hampshire instead of letter or number grades. At the end of each course, students also complete a self-evaluation reflecting on their goals and class performance. Write a self-evaluation of a favorite class or other learning activity in high school. What were your goals? Where did you succeed? What do you wish had gone differently? (300 word minimum)

After Submitting Your Application

Once we process your application, we will send an acknowledgment letter that includes a username and password for you to check the completeness of your admissions file online. Hampshire College has entered the 21st Century and now releases decisions online. To make sure that you receive your decision, we recommend not opting out of email communications.

FAQ

Still have questions? Check out our FAQ page, contact us at admissions@hampshire.edu, or listen to any episode of our Navigating the Application podcast on Soundcloud. Each episode deals with a different section of the application. Here are quick links to each, short episode:

Common App Support

Prospective Applicants can get Common App online support through the Applicant Help Center. From the Help Center, click the "Ask a Question" tab to contact our support team and access a comprehensive FAQ resource covering different aspects of the application process.

Counselors/Recommenders with Common App questions or suggestions can contact them through the Recommender Help Center. You can also receive real-time support through the new chat program available now from 12-4 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.

Hampshire is a top producer of Fulbright Scholars

The U.S. State Department and the Chronicle of Higher Education have named Hampshire College a top producer of Fulbright Scholars for 2016-17. Hampshire is one of 11 bachelor’s institutions to receive the designation this year.

"There are two reasons why Hampshire graduates achieve so much. One is the kind of person the college attracts. The other is what the college does for them by equipping them to become their own wide-ranging explorers and connection-seekers."
Loren Pope, Colleges that Change Lives (2006)

Hampshire College is a member of Colleges that Change Lives, a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and support of a student-centered college search process.