Skip to content
AlmaSpire

Geneva, NY · Private · 1,786 undergraduates · town

Hobart William Smith Colleges

Moderately selective

Add to my college list Review admission

The surviving coordinate-college structure gives one shared institution two historical identities, traditions, and some student-life structures.

Campus image / Publicly hosted campus image

Institutional profile

Well established Exceptional in student experience, and solid in academic standing.
Academic Solid Affordability Steady Career Solid Mobility Steady Experience Exceptional
Academic standing Solid
Affordability Steady
Career outcomes Solid
Mobility Steady
Student experience Exceptional
Admission
57.3% admitted

5,560 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Varies across five income ranges

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
73.8%

$68,831 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets Hobart William Smith Colleges apart

Academic design

The curriculum is organized around integrated goals in critical thinking and communication plus broader goals such as scientific inquiry and understanding cultural difference. Students build individualized paths rather than following a single prescribed core sequence.

Campus pattern

HWS is an overwhelmingly residential community on Seneca Lake, with traditional halls, townhouses, theme houses, and some residences still connected to Hobart or William Smith identities. The lake and Geneva are recurring settings for recreation, research, community engagement, and campus traditions.

Defining feature

The surviving coordinate-college structure gives one shared institution two historical identities, traditions, and some student-life structures.

Can I get in?

57.3% admitted

Start with academic preparation, then show why this particular academic and campus environment fits you.

Recent applicant pool

5,560

About 57 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 57.3%
Entering class

Academic range

SAT middle 50%1220–1360
11201460
ACT middle 50%26–32
2236

Of admitted students, 27% submitted an SAT, and 7% submitted an ACT. Treat the ACT range as a guide to the students who submitted that test, not to everyone admitted.

Academic benchmarkModerately selective

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for Hobart William Smith Colleges, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What Hobart William Smith Colleges weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

The curriculum is organized around integrated goals in critical thinking and communication plus broader goals such as scientific inquiry and understanding cultural difference. Students build individualized paths rather than following a single prescribed core sequence.

02

Make the fit specific

Students who want an intimate residential liberal-arts campus, substantial curricular flexibility, and a strong sense of place in the Finger Lakes.

03

Account for the tradeoff

Geneva offers a smaller-city environment, so students looking for a major metropolitan setting or a large university-scale social scene may find the campus comparatively self-contained.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and make the school-specific case concrete.

Early DecisionNov 15
Early Decision IIJan 15
Early ActionNov 15
Regular DecisionFeb 1
Fee and waiverNo application fee

Check eligibility for a fee waiver

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$90,232
Average annual cost after aid$32,000
Affordability profileSteady

College funding

Scholarships and financial aid

Review available aid, application requirements, and renewal terms.

Hobart William Smith Colleges publishes two merit awards, the largest reaching full tuition or more. one require a separate scholarship application. All of them renew past the first year.

Consideration not stated An award reaching full tuition or more

Open across the university · Merit · Competitive · Renews each year

Separate scholarship application An award reaching full tuition or more

Open across the university · Merit · Competitive · Renews each year

In the season card

These two awards, by name

What each one is called, what it pays, the grades and scores it asks for, and what to send.

  • The name of each award 
  • What it pays 
  • The grades and scores it asks for 
  • How to be considered 
  • What to send, and where 
See the full read
Plan with your figuresOpen this college’s net price calculator
Open financial aid plan

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at Hobart William Smith Colleges

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

The surviving coordinate-college structure gives one shared institution two historical identities, traditions, and some student-life structures.

Complete within 8 years73.8%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one87.8%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$68,831

Reported 10 years after enrollment

Academic portfolio

Largest bachelor’s fields

How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.

Economics

Recent graduates51
Median earnings$111,833

Psychology, General

Recent graduates40
Median earnings$59,317

Natural Resources Conservation and Research

Recent graduates36
Median earnings$61,905

Communication and Media Studies

Recent graduates34
Median earnings$73,650

Architecture and Related Services, Other

Recent graduates28
Median earnings$68,341

What is campus life like?

Hobart William Smith Colleges beyond the classroom

HWS is an overwhelmingly residential community on Seneca Lake, with traditional halls, townhouses, theme houses, and some residences still connected to Hobart or William Smith identities. The lake and Geneva are recurring settings for recreation, research, community engagement, and campus traditions.

Academics

A defining academic feature

The curriculum is organized around integrated goals in critical thinking and communication plus broader goals such as scientific inquiry and understanding cultural difference. Students build individualized paths rather than following a single prescribed core sequence.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

HWS is an overwhelmingly residential community on Seneca Lake, with traditional halls, townhouses, theme houses, and some residences still connected to Hobart or William Smith identities. The lake and Geneva are recurring settings for recreation, research, community engagement, and campus traditions.

Distinctive edge

What changes the experience

The surviving coordinate-college structure gives one shared institution two historical identities, traditions, and some student-life structures.

1,786 undergraduatesMid-Atlantictown setting100% of first-year students live on campus