Hamilton found itself in a favorable spot on the 2006 U.S. News & World Report
rankings of liberal arts colleges -- tied for 15 with Colgate
University and Grinnell College. It marks the highest ranking ever for
the College in the much-publicized listing. Hamilton, Vassar College
and Colgate University are the only three New York institutions ranked
among the top 25 liberal arts colleges.
Hamilton is also 26th among liberal arts colleges on the "Great
Schools, Great Prices" list, up from 28 the year before. Some 56
percent of the entering class is receiving need-based or merit
scholarship funds from the College. Admitted students were offered
approximately $14.3 million in institutional grants and scholarships.
The average annual student financial assistance package is $25,751 for
an incoming first-year student.
Announcement of the recognition by U.S. News coincided with the arrival
of the Class of 2009, the most academically competitive class ever
enrolled at Hamilton as measured by SAT scores and class standings.
Average SAT scores for the class are 1347, and 70 percent ranked in the
top 10 percent of their high school class.
The first-year class of 501 students is 30 more than the target, which
was a good sign, according to Dean of Admission and Financial Aid
Monica Inzer. "Our yield (percentage of admitted students who chose
Hamilton) was 33 percent -- the highest it has been in more than 10
years. Given that this is measurably the highest quality admit pool in
our history, this is good news indeed."
First-year students also comprise the most culturally diverse class in
the College's history. Eighteen percent of entering students are
multicultural students from the U.S., and another five percent are
international. Thirty-six states and 18 countries are represented.
