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Career outcomes brief

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# Hobart William Smith Colleges Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

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

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## How much do Hobart William Smith Colleges graduates earn?

The reported median is $70,017 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $55,915 as its benchmark; the difference is $14,102 per year.

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.

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.

The reported four-year earnings need reading alongside further study. An estimated 38.5% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment.

Because earnings cover completers working and not enrolled, those pursuing further study fall outside that snapshot.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$70,017

**Rank for difference from expectations**
6th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**Hobart William Smith Colleges reported median**
$70,017

**Peer schools comparable schools · $14,102 below Hobart William Smith Colleges**
$55,915

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $17,254 above Hobart William Smith Colleges**
$87,271

School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. [How the model works](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/).

## How many Hobart William Smith Colleges students return and finish their degrees?

First-time, full-time bachelor’s cohorts · CDS 2025-26

**Returned the following fall**
88.1%

**Completed within six years**
70.9%

**Pell recipients completed within six years**
72.7%

Source: Hobart William Smith Colleges Common Data Set 2025-26, B22 retention; B4–B11 six-year completion. Retention and completion follow different entering cohorts.

## How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $52,166 to $96,338, around the reported median of $70,017. Compare the lower scenario with [Hobart William Smith Colleges borrowing and monthly payments](/school/hobart-william-smith-colleges/cost/) to see how a smaller income could change your plan.

Modeled from the school’s program mix; not salary percentiles or a forecast for one graduate.

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

**Lower estimate**
$52,166

**Median · reported**
$70,017

**Higher estimate**
$96,338

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

[Why the downside matters](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. [Read about the move to four-year earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/).

## Do Hobart William Smith Colleges graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls [value added](/methodology/#value-added).

Hobart William Smith Colleges graduates’ reported earnings are $17,254 below that expectation, the 6th percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending Hobart William Smith Colleges caused a student to earn. [Read how expected earnings are estimated](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/).

What explains value-added earnings?

**Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.**
\-$2,767

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$14,487

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
\-$17,254

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

## Which fields at Hobart William Smith Colleges report the highest earnings?

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. It awarded 70 degrees and had median earnings of $111,833 four years after completion.

Communication and Media Studies awarded 63 degrees, with median earnings of $73,650 four years after completion. Natural Resources Conservation and Research awarded 54 degrees and shows median earnings of $61,905 four years after completion.

Psychology awarded 42 degrees, with median earnings of $59,317. Biology awarded 34 degrees and had median earnings of $62,737. The spread makes field choice especially relevant here.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Economics**
$111,833

**Computer and Information Sciences, General**
$103,822

**Political Science and Government**
$79,778

**International Relations and National Security Studies**
$77,977

**Communication and Media Studies**
$73,650

**Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies**
$68,522

**Architecture and Related Services, Other**
$68,341

**Sociology**
$67,556

[Explore Hobart William Smith Colleges program cohorts and field ranks](/school/hobart-william-smith-colleges/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

Earnings scenarios tied to the program mix put the downside at $52,166, the typical outcome at $70,017, and the upside at $96,338. Economics, the highest-earning program, records $111,833 four years after completion; Psychology, the lowest-earning among the largest programs, records $59,317. The spread shows variation by field.

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.

## 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/).