Liberal arts college
#15 Best colleges for communications and journalism in New YorkHobart William Smith Colleges
Geneva, NY · Private nonprofit · 4-year
Your real cost
Average price after aid $31,563 a year
Median debt at graduation: $27,000 (all students)
Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator
Rankings
Where this college places on our top lists. Lists are worked out from official data and our own research; places in the top quarter of each list are shown. See every list
In America
- Best small colleges in America#74 of 906
- Colleges with the biggest discount off the sticker price in America#67 of 690
- Best colleges for education in America#144 of 1,318
- Best colleges for communications and journalism in America#137 of 1,238
- Colleges with the highest graduation rates in America#234 of 1,829
- Best colleges in America#239 of 1,829
Show 12 more
- Best colleges for psychology in America#188 of 1,418
- Best test-optional colleges in America#206 of 1,481
- Best colleges for biology and pre-med in America#191 of 1,358
- Best colleges for English in America#181 of 1,283
- Best colleges for history in America#189 of 1,247
- Best colleges for art and design in America#181 of 1,187
- Best colleges for mathematics in America#193 of 1,215
- Best colleges for chemistry in America#192 of 1,162
- Best colleges for music in America#178 of 1,063
- Best colleges for political science and pre-law in America#188 of 1,116
- Best colleges for NCAA Division III athletes in America#81 of 430
- Best colleges for economics in America#184 of 788
In New York
- Colleges with the biggest discount off the sticker price in New York#9 of 79
- Best small colleges in New York#7 of 55
- Best colleges for communications and journalism in New York#15 of 82
- Best colleges for NCAA Division III athletes in New York#12 of 60
- Colleges with the highest graduation rates in New York#28 of 135
- Best test-optional colleges in New York#27 of 125
Academic Excellence
Each measure counts for the share shown.
- Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.77%
- First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.86%
- Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,319 · ACT 30
- Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.11 to 1
- Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$18,893
Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.
Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))
What families pay, by income
Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.
| Family income | Price after aid |
|---|---|
| Up to $30,000 | |
| $30,001–$48,000 | |
| $48,001–$75,000 | |
| $75,001–$110,000 | |
| Over $110,000 |
Full cost of attendance before aid: $82,602 a year.
Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.
Cost and value
Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.
| Undergraduate students Fall enrollment (IPEDS) | 1,618 |
|---|---|
| Men and women College Scorecard, fall 2023 | Men 46% · Women 54% |
| First-generation students College Scorecard | 13% |
| First-year students from another state IPEDS, fall 2023 | 58% |
| Total students | 1,669 |
| Average net price (per year) After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid | $31,563 |
| Cost of attendance (per year) | $82,602 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $27,000 |
| Graduation rate First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time | 77% |
| Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients College Scorecard, within 6 years | 74% |
| Graduation rate for first-generation students College Scorecard, within 6 years | 62% |
| Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years College Scorecard, within 3 years | 80% |
| First-year retention | 86% |
| Median earnings 10 years after entry | $68,831 |
| Admission rate | 64% |
| Application fee IPEDS, 2023–24 | No application fee |
| Early decision deadline College website, 2026-27 | November 15 |
| Second early decision deadline College website, 2026-27 | January 15 |
| Early action deadline College website, 2026-27 | November 15 |
| Regular decision deadline College website, 2026-27 | February 1 |
| Typical rent HUD fair market rent, FY2026 | About $1,256 a month for a one-bedroom |
| Students receiving Pell grants | 25% |
| Average SAT | 1319 |
|---|---|
| SAT reading & writing | 610–700 |
| SAT math | 580–685 |
| ACT composite | 28–32 |
| Test policy | Considered but not required |
Value: Good (how it’s computed)
Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.
Earnings by major
Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).
| Major | Median earnings |
|---|---|
| Economics | |
| Computing and information science | |
| Political science | |
| International relations | |
| Communication studies | |
| Writing and rhetoric | |
| Other architecture | |
| Sociology | |
| Biology | |
| Natural resources and conservation | |
| History | |
| Area studies | |
| Psychology | |
| English | |
| Philosophy |
Also offered (no earnings published yet): Anthropology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Classics, Dance, Education (general), Ethnic and gender studies, Fine arts, Geology and earth science, Liberal arts, Linguistics, Mathematics, Music, Other foreign languages, literatures, and linguistics, Other physical sciences, Physics, Public Policy Analysis, Religious studies, Romance languages, Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Social sciences, Theatre, Urban Studies/Affairs.
What students study most
Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).
| Field | Share of degrees |
|---|---|
| Social sciences | |
| Communication | |
| Psychology | |
| English | |
| Natural resources |
Campus life
| School colors | |
|---|---|
| Setting | Town |
| Part-time undergraduates | 1% |
| Undergraduates aged 25 and older | 1% |
| On-campus room and board (per year) | $17,768 |
| Sports | NCAA Division III · Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association |
| Study abroad | Offered |
| Students per faculty member | 11 to 1 |
| Undergraduates registered with the disability office | About 27%IPEDS, 2023–24 |
| Faculty who are full-time | 100%College Scorecard, fall 2023 |
| Endowment per student | $110,175IPEDS, 2023, per student |
| Nearest airport with airline service | Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport (ITH)About 37 miles away · about 1 hour 20 minutes by car |
| Nearest major airport | Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF)About 89 miles away |
| Town population | 12,512Census, 2020–2024 |
| Nearest city of 250,000 people or more | BuffaloAbout 95 miles away · about 2 hours 15 minutes by car |
| Typical weather | 23°F in January · 70°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Geneva Rsch Farm, NY, about 3 miles away |
Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.
Campus safety reports
On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.
| Category | This campus | U.S. rate |
|---|---|---|
| Rape | 4.89 | 0.07 |
| Robbery | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| Aggravated assault | 0.54 | 0.04 |
| Burglary | 4.35 | 0.08 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 3.26 | 0.15 |
Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.
Questions families ask
- What is Hobart William Smith Colleges’s Compass Score?
- Excellent (grade A-). It ranks in the top 14% of rated colleges. The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
- How much does Hobart William Smith Colleges cost after financial aid?
- The average net price is $31,563 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
- How hard is it to get into Hobart William Smith Colleges?
- Hobart William Smith Colleges admitted 64% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
- How do Hobart William Smith Colleges’s graduates do?
- 77% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $68,831; the median federal debt at graduation is $27,000.
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About this school’s data
- IPEDS unit ID 191630
- Carnegie classification: Baccalaureate college (arts & sciences)
- Accreditation: New England Commission of Higher Education (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
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