Hamilton College is a private institution that was founded in 1812. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,861, its setting is rural, and the campus size is 1,300 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Hamilton College''''''''s ranking in the 2012 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, 17. Its tuition and fees are $42,640 (2011-12).

Hamilton College is located in Clinton, N.Y., 45 minutes east of Syracuse and 90 minutes west of Albany. The college offers a wide variety of unique student clubs on campus, from the cooking club Love ’n Spoonful to the comedy troupe Urban Outwitters. Hamilton also has an active Greek life, with 18 fraternities and sororities on campus. The school fields NCAA Division III varsity sports teams and is a member of the New England Small College Athletic Conference. All underclassmen are required to live on campus, and about 98 percent of students live in the 27 residence halls.

Hamilton is the third-oldest college in New York and was named after its former board of trustee and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton College was originally a men’s college until 1978 when it became coeducational after uniting with its sister institution, Kirkland College. Nearly half of students study abroad during their time at Hamilton through 180 programs around the world or the school’s consortium programs in Spain, India, France, and China, as well as U.S. locations in New York, Boston, and Washington. Annual traditions on campus include FebFest, a winter carnival; and May Day, a spring outdoor concert festival. Notable alumni include poet Ezra Pound, actor and writer for The Office Paul Lieberstein, and psychologist B.F. Skinner.

School mission (as provided by the school):

Students come to Hamilton to find their voice. As a national leader in teaching students to write effectively, learn from each other and think for themselves, Hamilton produces graduates who have the knowledge, skills and confidence to make their voices heard on issues of importance to them and their communities.

A key component of the Hamilton experience is the College''''''''s open curriculum. In place of distribution requirements that are common at most colleges, Hamilton gives its students freedom to choose the courses that reflect their unique interests. Faculty advisors assist students in planning a coherent and highly individualized academic program - in fact, close student-faculty relationships are a distinguishing characteristic of the College - but ultimately students at Hamilton take responsibility for their own future.

Part of that future includes a lifelong relationship with the College. Hamilton alumni are exceptionally loyal and passionate supporters of their alma mater and the students and faculty who live and work on College Hill. That support manifests itself through internships, speaking engagements on campus, job-shadowing opportunities and financial donations. Due to the extraordinary generosity of alumni, Hamilton is one of fewer than 50 colleges and universities in the U.S. that are need-blind in admission and that meet the full demonstrated need of every student they accept.