Hobart William Smith Colleges

At Hobart William Smith Colleges, the published cost of attendance is $82,602 (an average across living arrangements), so grants and scholarships make a large difference to what aid recipients pay. Tuition and fees are listed at $65,117, with room and board at $17,768.

For aid recipients, average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $31,563. Financial aid reduces the published charge by $51,039 on average, although the sticker total remains the starting point before aid.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $22,347, and this college’s average is above it by $9,216. Azimuth ranks Hobart William Smith Colleges #1,317 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The published price and comparison with peers point to a costly position for aid recipients.

The published cost of attendance at Hobart William Smith Colleges is $82,602, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $65,117, and room and board are $17,768.

Azimuth ranks the university #1,317 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $14,650 for families earning under $30,000, $12,639 for those earning $30,001 to $48,000, $22,108 for the $48,001 to $75,000 band, $23,149 for the $75,001 to $110,000 band, and $39,740 for families earning over $110,000.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $25,090. Aid covers about 62% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $51,039 against the sticker price.

The average net price across all aid recipients is $31,563, which is $9,216 above the peer median of $22,347 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $27,000 in federal student loans, with 95.9% of federal aid recipients borrowing.

That median is $2,000 above the $25,000 median for comparable institutions. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $61,178 in Parent PLUS loans.

If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month.

The return picture at Hobart William Smith Colleges is mixed. Graduates earn a median of $70,017 four years after completion, in the 76th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

That is $14,102 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). However, graduates earn about $17,254 less than the model expects for similar students.

That places the gap at the 6th percentile. Azimuth places the return pillar at the 53rd percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures subtracts $2,767. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $14,487.

Hobart William Smith Colleges graduates report a solid earnings level after completion, though the model-based comparison is less favorable. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings are $70,017 four years after completion.

Azimuth places that earnings measure in the 76th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions; the reported cohort includes 477 completers. Graduates earn about $17,254 less than the model expects for similar students.

The typical earnings scenario aligns with the reported median, while the downside and upside scenarios span from $52,166 to $96,338. An estimated 38.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix.

The observed earnings level and the modeled shortfall point in different directions.

Mobility is the strongest Azimuth pillar for Hobart William Smith Colleges, while its return measures point in different directions. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $70,017 four years after completion, placing them in the 76th percentile.

That figure is $14,102 above the peer median of $55,915, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $17,254 less than the model expects for similar students.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is in the 6th percentile. Azimuth ranks the university #689 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix put typical earnings at $70,017, with a downside scenario of $52,166 and an upside scenario of $96,338. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) subtracts $2,767.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $14,487. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,623.

Above-peer median earnings and below-expected earnings make the return picture mixed. Economics is the largest program, with 70 degrees awarded and median earnings of $111,833 four years after completion; that is 1.35x the national median for its field.

Computer and Information Sciences had 12 degrees awarded and median earnings of $103,822, or 1.12x the national field median. Political Science recorded 31 degrees awarded and $79,778 in median earnings, while Communication and Media Studies had 63 degrees awarded and median earnings of $73,650.

At Hobart William Smith Colleges, modeled earnings differ substantially by scenario and field. The downside earnings scenario is $52,166, while the upside scenario is $96,338; both are estimated from the program mix rather than observed groups of graduates.

Among higher-earning fields, median earnings four years after completion are $111,833 in Economics, $103,822 in Computer and Information Sciences, and $79,778 in Political Science. These field figures give the scenario range a concrete program-level context.

At Hobart William Smith Colleges, borrower debt sits above its peer benchmark while earnings fall below the model’s expectation. Borrowers who completed had median federal student loan debt of $27,000.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median is $25,000, placing the university above it by $2,000. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.

The debt measure covers federal-loan borrowers who completed, rather than every undergraduate. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, offer a second view of return.

Graduates earn about $17,254 less than the model expects for similar students. Debt above the peer median and below-expected earnings point in the same direction for the return picture.

Hobart William Smith Colleges admitted 64.0% of applicants in the reported cohort, below the median of 75.7% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 5,865 first-year applicants, 3,912 admitted applicants, and 488 enrolled students.

The published rate summarizes an applicant cohort rather than forecasting a decision for an individual application.

Hobart William Smith Colleges has a pronounced upper end in program earnings, led by Economics, whose completers had median earnings of $111,833 four years after completion. The program awarded 70 degrees in one academic year.

Computer and Information Sciences also sat at the higher end, with median earnings of $103,822 and 12 degrees awarded. The picture becomes more moderate in Political Science, where median earnings were $79,778 four years after completion across 31 degrees awarded.

Communication and Media Studies recorded $73,650 and awarded 63 degrees. The spread between these fields shows that the earnings picture varies substantially by program, with larger programs appearing at both the higher and more moderate ends.

Program outcomes vary substantially across the largest fields, with Economics standing apart on earnings. The spread makes field choice especially relevant here.

The bachelor's degree mix at Hobart William Smith Colleges is anchored in the social sciences, with Social Sciences accounting for 24.2% of degrees awarded. Communication & Journalism follows at 10.6%, and Natural Resources & Conservation at 9.1%.

Across 15 programs with published four-year earnings data, the largest single program is Economics, at 70 degrees awarded, followed by Communication and Media Studies with 63 and Natural Resources Conservation and Research with 54. Economics is also the highest-earning program, with a median of $111,833 four years after completion, a benchmark ratio of 1.35x against the national median for its field.

Computer and Information Sciences graduates earn $103,822, though the program is small at 12 degrees awarded. Political Science follows with a median of $79,778 from 31 degrees awarded, and International Relations and National Security Studies graduates earn $77,977 from 16 degrees awarded.

The pattern is one of concentration: the largest program is also the best-paid, and the earnings spread between the top and the rest of the list is wide. Economics sits well above the next-highest field, and the programs that follow it in earnings are a mix of larger social-science departments and a much smaller computer-science program.

19.8% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields, so most degrees are awarded in non-STEM fields and the highest-earning programs are in the social sciences. For fields where graduate study is common, the four-year figure understates later-career earnings.