First-Year Students

Unsatiated intellectual curiosity? A compulsion to collaborate and create? An infectious enthusiasm for ideas? If these are the symptoms, Hampshire’s the cure.

To be eligible to apply as a first-year student you must have received, or be on track to receive, a high school diploma or high school equivalency and be 17 years of age or older at the time of enrollment. College coursework completed during high school often counts towards advanced standing and possibly an accelerated timeline towards graduation. If you have completed 15 or more transferable college credits,* you are eligible to apply as a transfer student.

*Transferable credits are courses attended at a regionally accredited college or university that are comparable in content and nature to courses offered at Hampshire College and valued at three or more semester credit hours with a grade of C or above, or P in a pass/fail course.

Questions? Contact admissions@hampshire.edu

Apply via the Common App

Application Deadlines

Spring 2025

Deadline Notification
Domestic First-Year Students November 1 December 1
International First-Year Students November 1 November 10

Fall 2025

Deadline Notification
First-Year Early Decision I November 15 December 15
First-Year Early Action December 1 February 15
First-Year Early Decision II January 1 February 1
First-Year Regular Decision January 15 April 1

Required Application Materials

Hampshire exclusively uses the Common Application. To apply, submit the following materials:

  • Completed Common Application 
  • Mid-Year Report (if currently attending high school)
  • Current or completed high school transcript(s)
  • School report and college counselor recommendation
  • One (1) teacher letter of recommendation

Optional Application Materials

Some optional application materials can be submitted through the Common Application. You will also have the opportunity, after applying, to submit additional optional materials such as photos, videos, PDFs, Word documents, and music files through your online application portal with Hampshire College.

  • Video/media supplement. This could be music, dance, film, animation, monologue, etc. (provide link)
  • Project sample: Submit an example of your independent or collaborative project work. This project can be creative, scientific, or otherwise showcase the type of work you've done in high school. Provide a link if necessary.
  • Additional letters of recommendation, up to three.
  • An interview with a Hampshire student or counselor.

Application Status

Once we process your application, we will send an acknowledgment email that includes a username and password for you to check the completeness of your admissions file online. To make sure that you receive your decision, we recommend not opting out of email communications.