Hampshire College
Amherst, MA893 West St, Amherst, MA 01002-5001
413-549-4600
Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1965 as an experiment in alternative education, and was the first college to be accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges without requiring applicants to take standardized tests such as the SAT or the ACT. The college has an open curriculum, allowing students to design their own courses of study. Hampshire also evaluates students' work and awards academic credit for prior experience and self-designed learning, rather than relying solely on grades from traditional courses. Hampshire's motto is "Learning by doing," and the school emphasizes experiential learning and independent study.
Hampshire College was founded in 1965 by Ralph Nader, William H. Gates Sr., and other education reformers. The college was originally part of the University of Massachusetts system, but became independent in 1971. The college has an enrollment of about 1,400 students, and is known for its alternative education methods and liberal arts focus.
Hampshire College has an open curriculum, meaning that students are not required to take any specific courses or earn any specific credits to graduate. Instead, students design their own courses of study, which are evaluated by faculty on a credit-no credit basis. This allows students to focus on their interests and tailor their education to their needs.
Hampshire also evaluates students' work and awards academic credit for prior experience and self-designed learning, rather than relying solely on grades from traditional courses. This allows students to get credit for learning that takes place outside of the classroom, and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.
The college's motto is "Learning by doing," and it emphasizes experiential learning and independent study. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the many opportunities for learning that exist outside of the classroom, such as internships, research projects, and study abroad programs.
Hampshire College is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. It is also a member of the Five Colleges Consortium, which allows students to take courses at any of the four other colleges in the consortium (Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst).
Quick Facts
Enrollment: 522
Acceptance Rate: 58.82%
Type: Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above
Main Website: https://www.hampshire.edu/
Financial Aid: https://www.hampshire.edu/offices/1876.htm
Annual Costs
Total Cost In-State On-Campus: $67688
Total Cost Out-State On-Campus: $67688
Return on Investment Rating
The estimated cost for four years as an undergraduate at Hampshire College is $238161.75. This includes the average cost of attendance for four years plus the interest on the average loan over a ten year repayment minus the average of grants and scholarships per student.
We then contrast this figure with average early-career and mid-career average incomes of graduates of four year programs at Hampshire College. For graduates of Hampshire College, we saw an average early-career income of $50000.00 and mid-career income of $113300.00. We then ranked the school's value based on how many years of mid-career income it takes to repay the educational costs.