Hampshire’s pedagogy develops each student’s ability to question, research, analyze, write, negotiate, and undertake substantial independent projects, competencies that graduate schools and employers seek in their ideal candidates. Hampshire's interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to education produces remarkable results.
100% of students completed at least two community engaged learning activities (CEL-1 and CEL-2) , which involve combining formal classroom study of a particular issue with direct real-world exposure to that issue in a community setting.
93% of students completed at least one internship, research assistantship, or similar activity. 70% of students completed two or more before their graduation.
65% of our alumni earn advanced degrees within ten years of graduating.
89% of Hampshire alumni report receiving a job offer within one year of graduation.
Top 3% of the nation’s colleges whose graduates go on to earn a research doctorate.
1 in 4 of our graduates have started their own business or organization.
HAMPSHIRE ENCOURAGED ME TO THINK AND WORK INDEPENDENTLY. 99%
Hampshire encouraged me to come up with innovative ideas and solutions. 95%
Hampshire improved my ability to synthesize information from across disciplines. 96%
Hampshire helped shape me into a life-long learner. 95%
30+ Examples of Alumni Excellence
I feel that my approach to solving problems and studying situations is a lot more comprehensive and I tend to be more confident than many of my peers in my ability to learn new things and find solutions.
Hampshire demanded a proactive approach to learning and instilled a greater sense of personal responsibility for one’s education.
Community, inquiry, justice, and innovation are built into my life in a real way.
"I gained a head start in my graduate school career by having already developed the ability to think critically after performing my own independent research project at Hampshire. This has allowed me to lead my own research rather than relying solely on the directions of my advisor. I am able to contribute to the study of biophysics with an uncommon uniqueness when compared to my peers who all have fulfilled a very standardized education, and therefore have a very standardized way of thinking."
Isaac Bruss, Ph.D. student in Polymer Science and Engineering at University of Massachusetts Amherst
*As part of a strategic-planning process, in spring 2013 Hampshire College launched a survey of alums. Via email, the College invited 8,160 alums to fill out an online questionnaire administered by the campus’s Alumni and Family Relations and Institutional Research offices. A total of 1,920 surveys were completed, yielding a response rate of 24%.
Note: The percentages in the data are based on the number of responses received for each question.