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Smith College
Admission here is competitive but not lottery-odds: 19.7% got in from a pool of 9,869 (Fall 2023 cycle).
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Smith College sits in Northampton proper — a private campus woven into the city rather than walled off from it. Smith College enrolls women only — one of the few remaining single-sex campuses in the country.
Its highest-earning path is Economics, where graduates median $88,067 four years out. 17.9% of undergraduates carry Pell grants — a plain read on who the campus actually serves. With 2,544 undergraduates and a residential core, weekends happen on campus — and 94.3% of first-years come back for a second year.
Submitters admitted here typically landed between 1408 and 1540 — above the MA middle for four-year schools. Put your own practice estimate on Smith College's range with the SAT calculator, or bring a saved GPA from the grade tools.
Admissions
In the Fall 2023 cycle, Smith College received 9,869 applications and admitted 1,947 (19.7%), with 649 enrolling.
Smith College is test-optional: scores are considered when submitted but not required. The 1408–1540 range below describes admitted students who chose to submit — typically Smith College's stronger testers — so treat it as the higher end of what gets in.
| Score | 25th | 50th | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Reading & Writing | 718 | 750 | 770 |
| SAT Math | 690 | 730 | 770 |
| ACT Composite | 32 | 33 | 34 |
Percentiles are among students who submitted scores (Fall 2023 admissions cycle).
How Smith College compares
| Smith College | Massachusetts median | National median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 21% | 70.7% | 77.2% |
| Tuition (in-state) | $65,178 | $46,700 | $19,591 |
| Median earnings (10 yr) | $64,027 | $62,832 | $53,781 |
Earnings data favors Smith College: $64,027 median at year ten, versus $62,832 across Massachusetts institutions.
Cost, size & completion
Tuition runs $65,178 regardless of where you're from. At Smith College, that sticker is a starting point for aid talks — not what the median family pays.
At 2,544 undergrads, Smith College is a mid-sized campus by U.S. standards.
89% of Smith College students finish a bachelor's within six years — 34.2 points above the national 54.9% — and the single best predictor that the $65,178 price above buys a degree, not just enrollment.
Top majors by earnings at Smith College
| Bachelor's program | Median earnings, 4 yrs after completion |
|---|---|
| Economics | $88,067 |
| Engineering, General | $86,262 |
| Political Science and Government | $68,916 |
| Biology, General | $63,133 |
| Sociology | $58,664 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | $58,304 |
| English Language and Literature, General | $52,938 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | $51,267 |
| Area Studies | $51,131 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | $48,183 |
| History | $46,960 |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | $46,136 |
| Fine and Studio Arts | $43,354 |
Median earnings for these 13 Smith College programs come from a different federal cohort than the campus-wide $64,027 above — compare rows to each other, not to that 10-year figure. 28 additional Smith College programs have earnings withheld under federal privacy rules.
Frequently asked questions
What GPA and test scores do you need for Smith College?
Among admitted students who submitted scores, the middle 50% scored 1408–1540 on the SAT. There's no published GPA cutoff — pair these ranges with the 21% admission rate to judge your odds.
What is Smith College's acceptance rate?
19.7% in the Fall 2023 cycle — 1,947 admitted from 9,869 applicants.
How much does Smith College cost?
At Smith College, published tuition is $65,178 — net price after aid usually comes in lower. That number is Smith College's ceiling, not a quote.
What do Smith College graduates earn?
Federal data puts median earnings at $64,027 ten years after enrolling. The table above breaks this down by major.
Similar colleges in Massachusetts
- College of the Holy Cross — 17.6% admitted
- Boston College — 16.4% admitted
- Babson College — 17.1% admitted
- Franklin W Olin College of Engineering — 25.2% admitted
Run your own numbers
Data: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Jun 2026), IPEDS ADM2023/HD2024. Retrieved 2026-09-01. Figures reflect the latest federal cohorts, which lag the current admissions cycle.