Private nonprofit · College

Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science

Paul Smiths, New York · Distant rural

76.5%
Admit rate
$26,683
Avg net price
51%
Graduation rate
$46,145
Median earnings

Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Paul Smiths, New York (distant rural setting), enrolling 579 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitSmall · 579 undergradsDistant ruralAccessible · 77% admitUSCAACold wintersSnowy

About Paul Smiths, New York

Paul Smiths is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Brighton in Franklin County, New York, United States. The hamlet was named after the Paul Smith's Hotel (formally known as the Saint Regis House), founded in 1859 by Apollos "Paul" Smith as one of the first wilderness resorts in the Adirondacks. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant rural
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
44 miles
Nearest airport
4 miles to Adirondack (SLK)

How Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science compares

Selectivity76.5%

More selective than 52% · #84 most selective of 137 in New York

Graduation rate51%

Higher than 41% · #112 of 159 in New York

First-year retention75%

Higher than 46%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$46,145

Higher than 28% · #109 of 133 in New York

Average net price$26,683

Cheaper than 24% · #103 cheapest of 153 in New York

Median debt at graduation$22,750

Lower than 55%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment579

Larger than 24%

Percentiles compare Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in New York.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

601students
  • Undergraduate57996%
  • Graduate224%

Undergraduates by gender

579undergrads
  • Women20535%
  • Men37465%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White84%
  • Black3.6%
  • Asian0.9%
  • Other or multiracial11%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
579
Graduate enrollment
22
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
36%
First-generation students
30%
Students over 25
3%
Median family income
$61,335
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$58,959
Endowment
$36,318,604

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 135 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From New York53%
  • Other U.S. states45%
  • International1.5%

A regional draw: about 53% of first-years come from New York, the rest from elsewhere.

2% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
76.5%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$33,009
Room & board
$14,236
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$51,506
Average net price
$26,683

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
51%
Graduated on time (4 years)
39%
First-year retention
75%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$38,325
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$46,145
Median debt at graduation
$22,750
Students with federal loans
72%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
68%

About 11% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
39%
Low-income (Pell)
55%
First-generation
56%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
735
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%+
Housing charge (year)
$9,592
Meal plan (year)
$6,514
Application fee
Free
Athletics
USCAA
Varsity athletes
321 (211 men · 110 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (8)

Other Sports151
Ice Hockey51
Soccer38
Basketball26
Skiing19
Cross Country16
Golf12
Volleyball8

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
4
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (948 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

1.3reported offenses a year
1.3 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
0.7
Fondling
0.3
Aggravated assault
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$16,732
$30–48k
$17,877
$48–75k
$23,253
$75–110k
$29,288
$110k+
$32,048

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$100,830

$23,253/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$21,338
average award, among those who get one

Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $21,338. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 165 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$46,145
Typical debt at graduation
$22,750
Debt vs. one year's pay
49%
Out-earn a HS grad
54%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$43,720
Men
$46,788

Men out-earn women by $3,068 (7%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
77°F
Winter low
2°F
Annual rain
36.6″
Annual snow
104.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
-10°40°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.24.4JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Saranac Rgnl AP, NY US station (4.1 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science side by side →

Colleges near Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.