For Counselors

From the Dean

At Hampshire, we recognize the critical role you have, as advisors, counselors, and mentors, in guiding students through the college search process. Your work and passion can change a student’s trajectory and inspire them to seek a college where their unbounded potential can be further honed. Hampshire is not for everyone, but for students who are looking for an individualized and a big idea approach to the liberal arts—we’re the place.

Hampshire is deeply committed to providing access to underserved and underrepresented populations; we embrace inclusivity and community; justice and equity; and anti-racism—in our practices, teaching, governance and mission. Students who want to join this environment find that we're serious about action, and actively working on these initiatives for the betterment of us all.

A little bit more about Hampshire students: they perceive an urgency in meeting the demands of the current day and future, and respond to this urgency with the creation of new knowledge and as leaders. They understand that failure is part of the process of exploration, and while there might be setbacks as intrepid spirits they see their academic and professional futures as boundless terrain—an open palette. A big question, challenge, or project is an opportunity to innovate and an invitation to ask more questions and identify new opportunities.

If this sounds like one of your students or you see this potential in them, be in touch. Thank you for all the work you do for your students, and for trusting us to continue supporting and challenging them.

— Fumio Sugihara, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, fsad@hampshire.edu

Test Blind Admission 

Hampshire committed to a test blind admissions process nearly a decade ago. This means that we do not accept the SATs or ACTs from our applicants. Learn more about our commitment on this page.

What we seek in students’ applications

What do we look for behind the scenes? We want to see who your student is in the context of your studies and your communities. Thriving Hampshire students exhibit the following traits:

• Growth-oriented mind-set
• Authenticity
• Passion for learning
• Motivation, discipline, and follow-through
• Empathy and an interest in building community
• Self-awareness and maturity
• Interest in many things and a tendency to see the connections among them
• Innovative and experimental with problem-solving
• Capacity to reflect on one’s work productively and to learn from adversity
• Excited to evolve as a student and person; eager to shape their surroundings
• Entrepreneurial
• Urgent and unbounded regarding their education

Requirements

We don't have strict course requirements for acceptance to Hampshire, but we do recommend:

• four years of English
• three years of math, science, and history/social studies
• at least two years of a foreign language

Students should be taking four to five academic courses each year. If their proposed schedule has fewer academic courses, we'll be looking for course participation at an advanced level. We trust students, working with their counselors, teachers, and family to build an appropriate curriculum that both challenges and engages them in their studies. Some of these traits manifest themselves in the trends on a student's transcripts, others in the work they do outside the classroom. Like everything else at Hampshire, the admissions process centers around each individual. If you want additional advice on course requirements, feel free to contact the admissions office with any specific concerns or questions.

Our CEEB code is 004661.

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Financial Aid

Hampshire administers both need- and merit-based aid from a budget of more than $16 million. Roughly 99% of Hampshire students receive some form of financial aid; the average financial aid package in 2022-2023 was $47,990. We are committed to making Hampshire affordable, especially to families for whom our “price tag” will at first seem out of reach.

We require the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for domestic/U.S. students; or the CSS Profile for international students to help make our determinations of a family’s financial need, after which we build financial aid packages. We offer merit aid, as well, with renewable scholarships up to $35,000. STUDENTS ARE AUTOMATICALLY CONSIDERED FOR MERIT SCHOLARSHIPS—NO ADDITIONAL APPLICATION IS REQUIRED

Deadlines for applying for financial aid can be found by clicking here.

Questions?

Contact admissions@hampshire.edu and we will be happy to help with any questions you may have.