Hampshire College

• Every Hampshire student customizes their program of study in concert with a faculty advising committee. Instead of picking a major from a list, students base their studies on questions. For example, a student may build a major in applied design, computer sciences, and biology surrounding the question, “Can a robot teach itself how to climb?”
• The Divisional System, our three-part academic framework, guides students through the process of finding great questions, harnessing the skills of introspection and reflection, and navigating uncertainty amidst exploration.
• Professors evaluate students through detailed narrative feedback at the end of each course and on every assignment. This shows students where they’ve done well, how they need to improve, and what steps to take next.
• Hampshire is part of the Five College Consortium, which includes UMass Amherst, Amherst College, Smith College, and Mount Holyoke College. Students can cross-register for classes and join clubs across campuses.

• Hampshire is on the Forbes Top 20 Most Entrepreneurial Colleges list, in part because of our million-dollar student Seed Fund for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. 1 in 4 alumni found their own business or organization.
•  Hampshire is in the top 2% of the nation’s colleges whose students go on to earn a Ph.D.
• Hampshire College is #16 in the New York Times list ranking socioeconomic diversity on college campuses.
• Hampshire is named 7th Most Innovative School by the US News & World Report.
• Hampshire achieved carbon neutrality in 2022—the 12th college or university in the US to do so.
• Hampshire graduates have been awarded numerous prestigious academic fellowships and honors including Fulbright, Princess Grace, Gilman, Gates Millennium, MacArthur (“Genius Grant”) and others.
  

• Student-to-faculty ratio: 12:1
• Class sizes range from 12 to 25 students
• Students choose classes from 68 areas of study
• In-depth narrative evaluations sponsor close collaboration between faculty and students
• More than 7,000 courses among the Five College Consortium are available to students
• Over 9 million volumes are available through the Five College Interlibrary Loan system
• Hampshire’s curriculum is organized around four Learning Collaboratives, Environments and Change, In/Justice, Media and Technology, and Time and Narrative. Each Learning Collaborative consists of a cluster of courses, events, projects, and public forums for sharing work in progress.
• Hampshire offers Semesters Unbound, in which students and faculty collaborate on large-scale projects for an entire semester.

This list represents the breadth of courses and faculty scholarship at Hampshire that you may draw from to build your customized program of study. In addition, students have access to courses and programming among our Five College Consortium. For the most current listings, please check the college website.

Africana Studies
Agricultural Studies and Rural Life
American Studies
Animal Behavior and Cognition
Animation and Digital Art
Anthropology / Archaeology
Applied Design
Architecture / Environmental Design
Art History
Asian Studies
Biological / Life Sciences
Business / Entrepreneurship
Chemistry
Childhood and Youth Studies / Education
Cognitive Science
Communications / Media Studies
Computer Science
Culture, Brain, Development
Dance
Digital Media
Economics
Environmental Studies / Sustainability
Film / Video / Photography
Game Design and Development
Gender, Feminist, and Queer Studies
Global Studies and International Relations
Health and Pre-Medical Studies
History
Jewish Studies
Language, Linguistics, and Translation Studies
Latin American Studies
Legal Studies / Pre-law
Literature
Marine Science
Mathematics
Middle Eastern Studies
Music
Native American Studies
Neuroscience
Philosophy and Applied Ethics
Physics
Politics
Psychoanalytic Studies
Psychology
Religion
Social Movements
Sociology
Studio / Visual Arts
Theatre
Writing and Creative Writing

Five College Programs
Through the Five College Consortium, Hampshire students access thousands of courses, field research trips, student symposia, and shared lecture funding, as well as a range of cooperative academic departments and programs combining the strengths of the five institutions.

Five College Interdisciplinary and Area Studies Programs
African Studies, Coastal and Marine Sciences, East Asian Languages, Film and Video, Native American Studies, and more

Five College Certificate Programs (similar to a minor)
African Studies; Culture, Health, and Science; International Relations; Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies; Middle Eastern Studies; and more

• Most dorm rooms are singles
• Over 100 clubs, sports, and organizations, including ASL Collective, Blacksmith’s Guild, Circus Folk Unite, and Wool People
• Hampshire’s Outdoor Programs offer rock climbing, biking, canoeing, kayaking, and more outdoor and sporting activities
• Hampshire students are active in the governance and administration of the College, serving on the Board of Trustees, the financial committee, hiring committees, FundCom (Hampshire’s student activities fund committee), and more.
• Students enjoy frequent theatrical, dance, and musical performances, community outings, story circles, and community events.

• 90% of Hampshire alumni receive a job offer within six months of graduation
• 65% earn an advanced degree within 10 years of graduation.
• Graduate institutions most frequently attended: Columbia, University of Massachusetts Amherst, New York University, Harvard University, Boston University, Yale University, University of California Berkeley, Cornell University, Simmons College, and Smith College.
• Hampshire is in the top 2% of the nation’s colleges and universities whose alums go on to earn Ph.D.s
• 1 in 4 Hampshire alums start a business, organization, or non-profit.
• 24 of our alums have received Fulbright Awards since 2011, among the most in the country. Others have been recognized with Emmy, Academy, Peabody, and Grammy Awards; Pulitzer and Hillman Prizes; MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellowships; and many other honors.
• Hampshire alumni changing lives include award-winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o, Duolingo co-founder Jose Fuentes, comedian Eugene Mirman, and author Jon Krakauer.
• 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.
• Employers love Hampshire graduates because they know how to work well with others, take initiative, self-direct, solve problems, communicate effectively, and take risks.

• Fall 2024 incoming students: 285
• Number of high schools represented: 195
• Average HS GPA of first-year students: 3.5
• Acceptance rate: 70%
• BIPOC students: 30 percent
• International students: 4 percent
• First-generation students: 30 percent
• Countries Represented: 6
• States Represented: 34
• Languages spoken: 19
• Hampshire does not accept SAT or ACT scores