Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Geneva, NY · Private

Official website

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Admission rate

Hobart and William Smith Colleges admitted 66.7% of applicants university-wide (3,911 of 5,865).

CohortAdmit rateAdmittedApplicants
University-wide66.7%3,9115,865
In-state76.6%1,5141,976
Out-of-state82.7%2,0012,421
International applicants26.8%3931,464
Early Decision (binding)56.8%125220
Men63.0%1,7612,795
Women70.5%2,1092,991

Early Decision applicants were admitted at 56.8%, vs 66.7% overall — ED is a binding commitment.

Also offers Early Action (closes Nov 15) — the Common Data Set doesn't publish EA admit counts.

Of 3,911 admitted students, 488 enrolled (12.5% yield).

Hobart and William Smith Colleges Common Data Set 2025-2026 · Sections C1–C2 · 2025Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.

Test scores and GPA of admitted students

SAT (mid-50%)
1185–1380
ACT (mid-50%)
26–32
GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
3.254.00

Testing policy: Test-optional (considered if submitted)

Hobart and William Smith Colleges Common Data Set 2025-2026 · Sections C9–C12 · 2025Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.

Cost and financial aid

Published cost of attendance: $87,585/yr.

Out-of-state tuition$65,117
Fees, housing, food, books & other$22,468
Sticker cost of attendance$87,585/yr

Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)

Under $30k$14,650
$30k–48k$12,639
$48k–75k$22,108
$75k–110k$23,149
Over $110k$39,740

U.S. Dept. of Education · College Scorecard — average net price by family income (Title IV, from IPEDS) · 2023

US applicants

Need- and merit-based aid available.

  • President's Scholarship$32,000 per year (Merit)
  • Dean's Scholarship$28,000 per year (Merit)
  • Presidential Scholarship$25,000 per year (Presidential)
  • Faculty Scholarship$24,000 per year (Merit)
  • 1822 Scholarship$20,000 per year (Merit)
  • Hobart Leadership ScholarshipVaries (Merit)
  • Hobart and William Smith GrantVaries (Need Based)
  • Trustee ScholarshipFull tuition (Full Tuition)
  • William Smith Leadership ScholarshipVaries (Merit)

International applicants

Some aid available for internationals.

  • President's Scholarship$32,000 per year (Merit)
  • Dean's Scholarship$28,000 per year (Merit)
  • Presidential Scholarship$25,000 per year (Presidential)
  • Faculty Scholarship$24,000 per year (Merit)
  • 1822 Scholarship$20,000 per year (Merit)
  • Hobart Leadership ScholarshipVaries (Merit)
  • Hobart and William Smith GrantVaries (Need Based)
  • Trustee ScholarshipFull tuition (Full Tuition)
  • William Smith Leadership ScholarshipVaries (Merit)

Hobart and William Smith Colleges Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections G–H · 2024

Application requirements

US applicants

  • Common Application or Coalition Application
  • Personal essay
  • Official high school transcript
  • One teacher or counselor recommendation
  • Standardized test scores (SAT/ACT) (optional)
  • English proficiency test scores
  • Arts portfolio (optional)

International applicants

  • Common Application or Coalition Application
  • Personal essay
  • Official high school transcript
  • One teacher or counselor recommendation
  • Standardized test scores (SAT/ACT) (optional)
  • English proficiency test scores
  • Arts portfolio (optional)
  • GPA credential conversion
  • Predicted Class XII marksheet
  • Financial documentation (I-20)

Hobart and William Smith Colleges · Application requirements (official admissions pages) · 2025

Essay prompts

The Common App personal essay is required (one of 7 shared prompts), plus 1 college-specific supplement:

  1. Why are you interested in attending Hobart and William Smith Colleges? What possibilities do you see for yourself as a student at HWS?250 words · Required

Draft these in the free Essay Coach

Prompts from the Common App member feed · verified Jul 3, 2026

Graduate outcomes

Median earnings
$68,831
Median earnings · 10 years after entry
Graduation rate
77.2%
Within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
88.1%
Return for year two · CDS Section B
Median debt
$27,000
At graduation

Hobart and William Smith Colleges · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.

Published rankings

  • U.S. News Liberal Arts: #73
  • WSJ: #233
  • Forbes: #248
  • Niche: #370

Deadlines

  • 2026-11-15Early ActionNon-binding early round
  • 2026-11-15Early DecisionBinding early round
  • 2027-02-01Regular DecisionStandard deadline

Hobart and William Smith Colleges Common Data Set 2025-2026 · Sections C21–C22 · 2025

Academics and campus

Largest degree fields: Social sciences (25%), Biological & life sciences (10%), Psychology (10%).

Student–faculty ratio: 11:1 · 72% of class sections have under 20 students.

Hobart and William Smith Colleges Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections E, F, I · 2024Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.

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