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 must 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 more than 15 transferable college credits, you are eligible to apply as a transfer student.

To be considered eligible to apply as a transfer student, you must have completed at least 15 college credits with a grade of C or better. These courses cannot have been recorded for credit on your high school diploma. Hampshire College accepts transfer credits for courses taken at a regionally accredited college or university if the courses are comparable in content, nature, and intensity to courses offered at Hampshire College. The minimum residency requirement for graduation is three semesters, regardless of how many credits are transferable.