About
Hobart and William Smith Colleges is a private liberal arts college in Geneva, New York. It traces its origins to Geneva Academy established in 1797. Students can choose from over 70 areas of study with degrees in Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Science in Management, and Master of Arts in Higher Education Leadership.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates — a notably small equity gap.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 48 Title IV programs, 15 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 33 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing15 · 31.2%
- No Data33 · 68.8%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
New England Commission of Higher Education
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Programmatic accreditations · 2
Action history · 4
- Feb 2023Initial AccreditationNew England Commission of Higher Education
- Feb 2023Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary WithdrawalMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
- Sep 2022Voluntary Withdrawal ReceivedMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
- Feb 2022Approved for Distance EducationMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 505 students received $3.1M in Pell grants, alongside $10.7M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 433 borrowers who entered repayment, 5 (1.1%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Hobart William Smith Colleges
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 16
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus26
- Public property3
Includes 18 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
- Chi Phi1 fireCookingDamage $0-$99
- McDaniels House1 fireOtherDamage $100-$999
- 133 St. Clair1 fireOtherDamage $100-$999
- Hirshson House1 fireOtherDamage $0-$99
- 615 South Main St.1 fireCookingDamage $100-$999
- Emerson Hall1 fireElectricalDamage $0-$99
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Hobart William Smith Colleges vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Hobart William Smith Colleges selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectHobart William Smith Colleges | 77% | — | 1,841 | $31,057 | Baccalaureate |
Allegheny College | 73% | 54.6% | 1,171 | $21,900 | Baccalaureate |
Colorado College | 88% | 18.5% | 2,056 | $31,678 | Baccalaureate |
Denison University | 79% | 17.4% | 2,394 | $38,111 | Baccalaureate |
Dickinson College | 80% | 42.1% | 2,314 | $32,191 | Baccalaureate |
Franklin and Marshall College | 84% | 28.2% | 1,808 | $39,061 | Baccalaureate |
Furman University | 79% | 42.9% | 2,554 | $29,997 | Baccalaureate |
Gettysburg College | 83% | 38.9% | 2,812 | $30,086 | Baccalaureate |
Gustavus Adolphus College | 77% | 61.0% | 1,906 | $26,895 | Baccalaureate |
Lafayette College | 88% | 31.4% | 2,775 | $32,496 | Baccalaureate |
Mount Holyoke College | 84% | 36.0% | 2,275 | $29,562 | Baccalaureate |
Occidental College | 81% | 44.2% | 1,881 | $39,329 | Baccalaureate |
Rhodes College | 85% | 50.4% | 1,861 | $25,060 | Baccalaureate |
Skidmore College | 83% | 21.1% | 2,704 | $34,581 | Baccalaureate |
St Lawrence University | 79% | 54.3% | 1,991 | $30,561 | Baccalaureate |
The College of Wooster | 74% | 59.5% | 1,738 | $25,766 | Baccalaureate |
Union College | 80% | 43.9% | 2,065 | $36,000 | Baccalaureate |
| Peer group median | 80% | 42.5% | 2,056 | $31,057 |
Hobart William Smith Colleges Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The Office of Institutional Research (OIR) at Hobart and William Smith Colleges aims to provide accurate, meaningful, and timely information and analysis to support data-informed decision making and collaborates with stakeholders across the campus to assess the effectiveness of the Colleges' commitment to student success and to ensure the reduction of persistent equity gaps.
Visit IR office page- T. Alden GassertDirector of Institutional Research
Common Data Set (16)
The institution's official annual Common Data Set publications — the most detailed reference for enrollment, admissions, and outcomes.
Reports & documents (2)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- Strategic planStrategic Plan2026The document outlines the strategic plan for Hobart and William Smith Colleges. It covers various aspects of institutional priorities and development for the future. However, specific strategic themes, priorities, or measurable targets are not detailed in the provided text.hws.edu
Notable alumni of Hobart William Smith Colleges (29)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Willis AdcockAcademia
- Willard Myron AllenScience and medicine
- John D'AgataAcademia
- William Watts FolwellAcademia
- Michael Ann HollyAcademia
- Stephen KuusistoAcademia
- Elizabeth J. PerryAcademia
- Gregory J. VincentAcademia
- Greg MullaveyArts and Entertainment
- Brock YatesLiterature and journalism
- Abigail JohnsonBusiness
- Warren LittlefieldBusiness
Frequently asked questions about Hobart William Smith Colleges
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Hobart William Smith Colleges.
What is the graduation rate at Hobart William Smith Colleges?
How many students attend Hobart William Smith Colleges?
What is the average net price at Hobart William Smith Colleges?
What is the yield rate at Hobart William Smith Colleges?
Where is Hobart William Smith Colleges located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Hobart William Smith Colleges?
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