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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Hobart William Smith Colleges Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/hobart-william-smith-colleges/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/hobart-william-smith-colleges/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/hobart-william-smith-colleges/admissions/)[Majors](/school/hobart-william-smith-colleges/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/hobart-william-smith-colleges/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Hobart William Smith Colleges cost after financial aid?

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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.

Costs and borrowing at Hobart William Smith Colleges run above comparable benchmarks. Azimuth places the university in the 7th percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $31,563, $9,216 above the peer median of $22,347 at comparable institutions (same type and size). For the lowest income band, average net price is $14,650; for the highest, it is $39,740.

Borrowers who completed hold median federal debt of $27,000, $2,000 above the comparable-institution median of $25,000. Both sit above peer benchmarks.

[Net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s vary across the income bands, with the next-lowest band showing the lowest average. Among aid recipients, average net price is $14,650 in the lowest band, $12,639 in the next-lowest band, $22,108 in the middle band, $23,149 in the next-highest band, and $39,740 in the highest band.

Pell Grants go to 25.1% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The difference in average net price across the lowest and highest bands is $25,090.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$14,650

**$30–48K**
$12,639

**$48–75K**
$22,108

**$75–110K**
$23,149

**$110K+**
$39,740

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$31,563**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 62% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, but the pattern across income bands shows the limits of that average. The lowest-income band, families earning under $30,000, averages $14,650 after grants and scholarships.

The highest band, over $110,000, averages $39,740, a spread of $25,090 between the two ends. The middle bands sit between them, with the $30,001–$48,000 band averaging $12,639 and the $48,001–$75,000 band at $22,108.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that first-year students with need received an average need-based grant of $53,392 in the 2025-26 academic year. The average share of need met for those students was 90%, and the average aid package, including loans and work, was $56,426.

Of the 363 first-year students determined to have need, 136 had their need fully met.

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loans.

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

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Federal borrowing is widespread at Hobart William Smith Colleges: 95.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $27,000.

That median is $2,000 above the peer median of $25,000 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parent borrowers are a separate population, with a median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing of $61,178.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 72% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative debt of $31,392 per borrower. Federal loans were held by 71% of graduates, averaging $21,470. A smaller share of graduates, 17%, held private loans averaging $44,027.

At Hobart William Smith Colleges, the investment picture is mixed: median earnings are $70,017 four years after completion. Azimuth places that earnings figure in the 76th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

[Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sit in the 6th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $17,254 less than the model expects for similar students.

The downside, typical, and upside earnings scenarios are $52,166, $70,017, and $96,338. Median federal debt of $27,000 is $2,000 above the peer median of $25,000, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years. Higher observed earnings and below-expected modeled earnings point in different directions.

For the separate parent-borrower population, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $61,178. For borrowers with median federal student debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$61,178

**Estimated parent payment**
$777/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Caution |
| $200,000 | Caution |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$27,000

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$61,178

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$307/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$777/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$1,084/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

#### Student payment as a share of available income

At median graduate earnings of $70,017, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**7.8%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  High risk Over 20%

How this estimate works

These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=hobart-william-smith-colleges#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).

**Net price and borrowing.** The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. [College Scorecard data and documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.