More selective than 82% of Massachusetts colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $86,030. College Scorecard.
Higher than 82% of Massachusetts colleges we cover and 95% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 54% of Massachusetts colleges we cover and 79% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Smith College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 9,869 applicants, Smith College admitted 1,947 and 649 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1420–1540 on the SAT or 32–35 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Smith College tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Smith College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Smith College took 4.2 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Massachusetts. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $1,363 | $5,684 | under 1 year |
| $30–48k | $3,737 | $15,583 | under 1 year |
| $48–75k | $6,559 | $27,351 | 1.1 years |
| $75–110k | $11,750 | $48,998 | 2.0 years |
| $110k+ | $40,477 | $168,789 | 7.0 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.2 years, the average time graduates took (75% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($64,027) minus $39,880 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $24,147 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Smith College majors, earnings & careers
Smith College offers 41 bachelor's majors across 8 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 13
- Science & Math · 10
- Arts & Design · 5
- Engineering · 5
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 4
- Technology & Computing · 2
- Business & Finance · 1
- Education · 1
Highest-earning majors at Smith College
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Economics | $88,067 | $19,000 |
| Engineering | $86,262 | $19,000 |
| Political Science | $68,916 | $19,000 |
| Biology | $63,133 | $19,000 |
| Sociology | $58,664 | $19,000 |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | $58,304 | $19,000 |
| English | $52,938 | $19,000 |
| Psychology (Research) | $51,267 | $19,000 |
Quick list of all 41 majors
- Anthropology—
- Architectural History, Criticism, and Conservation—
- Architecture—
- Area Studies$51,131
- Astronomy and Astrophysics—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$63,133
- Chemistry—
- Classics—
- Computer Science—
- Dance—
- Data Science—
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Economics$88,067
- Education—
- Engineering$86,262
- Engineering Science—
- English$52,938
- Environmental Design—
- Environmental Science / Conservation$48,183
- Ethnic / Gender Studies$46,136
- Film and Photography—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- History$46,960
- Linguistics—
- Mathematics—
- Medieval and Renaissance Studies—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other—
- Music—
- Neuroscience—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$68,916
- Psychology (Research)$51,267
- Religious Studies—
- Sociology$58,664
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$58,304
- Statistics—
- Studio Art$43,354
- Theatre—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Biology → Biological technician
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Environmental Science / Conservation → Environmental scientist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 6.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Amherst Town
Overall prices in the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $2,034. Housing costs 2% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 47 inches of rain a year, 37 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, Hampshire County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Hampshire County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Smith College with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Massachusetts by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smith College | 21% | $27,579 | 89% | $64,027 | This school |
| Babson College | 17% | $40,514 | 93% | $123,938 | |
| College of the Holy Cross | 18% | $38,782 | 87% | $90,543 | |
| Wellesley College | 14% | $25,496 | 92% | $84,803 | |
| Williams College | 8% | $17,716 | 94% | $88,665 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Smith College would cost you $12,935 less per year than Babson College, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Smith College, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$8,026).
- Smith College gives aided families $18,773 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Massachusetts resident | Smith College | Babson College | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $65,178 | $57,152 | +$8,026 |
| Books & supplies | $800 | $1,292 | −$492 |
| Housing & meals | $21,310 | $20,786 | +$524 |
| Personal & travel | $2,352 | $2,082 | +$270 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,610 | −$1,120 | −$2,490 |
| Sticker price | $86,030 | $80,192 | +$5,838 |
| Average grants | −$58,451 | −$39,678 | −$18,773 |
| You pay | $27,579 | $40,514 | −$12,935 |
“+” means Smith College costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Smith College
What is the Smith College acceptance rate?
Smith College accepts 21% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 1,947 of 9,869 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1420–1540 on the SAT or 32–35 on the ACT.
How much does Smith College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $86,030 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $27,579 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $1,363 and families earning $110k+ pay $40,477.
How much do Smith College graduates earn?
Former Smith College students earn a median $64,027 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Smith College graduation rate?
89% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 94% return for their second year.
How long does a Smith College degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Smith College costs about $27,351 after grants ($6,559 a year for 4.2 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $64,027 ten years after starting, $24,147 more than high school graduates in Massachusetts ($39,880), so the cost is repaid in 1.1 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Smith College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/smith-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).