Private nonprofit · College

Smith College

Northampton, Massachusetts · Small city

21.0%
Admit rate
$27,579
Avg net price
89%
Graduation rate
$64,027
Median earnings

Smith College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Northampton, Massachusetts (small city setting), enrolling 2,544 undergraduates. It is a women's college.

Private nonprofitMidsize · 2,544 undergradsSmall cityVery selective · 21% admitCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Smith College's admitted students.

Admit rate
21.0%
SAT (mid 50%)
1420–1540
Avg GPA (est.)
4.00

Enter a test score to see where you land against Smith College's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Smith College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Northampton, Massachusetts

Northampton is a city in and the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. Northampton was known as "Norwottuck", or "Nonotuck", meaning "the midst of the river", named by its original Pocumtuc inhabitants. First Church on Main Street was the home church of Jonathan Edwards, 18th century theologian, philosopher, and leader of the First Great Awakening. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
67 miles
Nearest airport
26 miles to Bradley (BDL) · major hub

How Smith College compares

Selectivity21.0%

More selective than 95% · #12 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts

SAT average1500

Higher than 96%

Graduation rate89%

Higher than 95% · #12 of 66 in Massachusetts

First-year retention94%

Higher than 92%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$64,027

Higher than 76% · #32 of 67 in Massachusetts

Average net price$27,579

Cheaper than 22% · #36 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts

Median debt at graduation$17,550

Lower than 85%

Student–faculty ratio8 : 1

Lower than 89%

Undergraduate enrollment2,544

Larger than 64%

Percentiles compare Smith College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Massachusetts.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

2,852students
  • Undergraduate2,54489%
  • Graduate30811%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White50%
  • Black5.1%
  • Hispanic12%
  • Asian9.2%
  • Other or multiracial23%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
2,544
Graduate enrollment
308
Student–faculty ratio
8 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
18%
First-generation students
19%
Students over 25
2%
Median family income
$70,695
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$117,684
Endowment
$2,564,122,544

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 649 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Massachusetts15%
  • Other U.S. states74%
  • International10%

A national draw — only 15% of first-years come from Massachusetts; 73% arrive from other states.

10% 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
21.0%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1420–1540
SAT average
1500
SAT reading
720–760
SAT math
700–780
ACT composite
32–35
Average GPA (estimated)
4.00

Cost

In-state tuition
$65,178
Room & board
$22,570
Books & supplies
$800
Total cost of attendance
$86,030
Average net price
$27,579

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)
89%
Graduated on time (4 years)
70%
First-year retention
94%
Transferred to another college
7%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$45,731
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$64,027
Median debt at graduation
$17,550
Students with federal loans
14%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
78%

About 19% 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
70%
Low-income (Pell)
88%
First-generation
86%

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
2,478
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
97%
Housing charge (year)
$10,655
Meal plan (year)
$10,655
Application fee
Free

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%.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
12
Property offenses (2022–2024)
10

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,857 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.

7.3reported offenses a year
4.0 violent a year3.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
2.3
Burglary
1.7
Motor vehicle theft
1.3
Fondling
1.0
Aggravated assault
0.7
Arson
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
$1,363
$30–48k
$3,737
$48–75k
$6,559
$75–110k
$11,750
$110k+
$40,477

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
$28,366

$6,559/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.

68%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$52,805
average award, among those who get one

Smith College discounts heavily: 68% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $52,805. 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 619 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)
$64,027
Typical debt at graduation
$17,550
Debt vs. one year's pay
27%
Out-earn a HS grad
63%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

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.

Campus climate

Summer high
83°F
Winter low
14°F
Annual rain
46.6″
Annual snow
36.5″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.44.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Amherst, MA US station (7 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 Smith College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Smith College side by side →

Colleges near Smith College

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.