Aerial view at sunrise of the Fish Center for the Sciences under construction on the Quad, with Seneca Lake behind it

On the Rise

The 13-spot jump among liberal arts colleges in U.S. News marks a period of growth and momentum across the institution, from record-breaking interest among prospective students to new academic opportunities, major investments in facilities and programs, and strong support from alumni, families and friends.

Graduates in caps and gowns throwing their mortarboards into the air on the Quad at Commencement

U.S. News & World Report

+13

Places, in one year

Our biggest single-year move in the U.S. News rankings

No. 60 among national liberal arts colleges
U.S. News & World Report, 2026
19th
Earnings by Major, among every college and university in the nation U.S. News & World Report
#55
Best Value Schools U.S. News & World Report
#57
Private colleges, nationally U.S. News & World Report
Read the full story
2,000+

students, after the largest applicant pool in our history and a first-year class up more than 20%

$360M

raised toward a $400 million goalFurther Together

The Campaign
40,000

square feet of new science building opening in fall 2027The Fish Center

The Fish Center
A student in a blazer shaking hands with an alumna at an HWS networking event

Life on campus

You'll be known here

While U.S. News scores institutions on data alone, the rankings below incorporate surveys of students themselves.

#7 Most Accessible Professors The Princeton Review #8 Best Student Experience The Wall Street Journal
#10 Happiest Students The Princeton Review #10 Most Active Student Government The Princeton Review
12:1 Student to faculty ratio
100+ Clubs and organizations
Student Life at HWS
Students and staff on a staircase in the glass atrium of the Bloomberg offices in New York

What it returns

Where an HWS degree takes you

U.S. News scores every institution on what its graduates actually earn by field of study. On that measure, Hobart and William Smith ranks 19th in the country — out of every college and university in the nation.

19th

in the nation for Earnings by Major

U.S. News & World Report

95%

employed or in graduate school within four months of graduation

$141,800

median mid-career salary for alumniPayScale

$1.046M

estimated 40-year net present value of the degree

Applicants accepted to law school

Hobart and William Smith85%
National average69.8%
#7 Best Alumni Network ▲ Up from #10 The Princeton Review #7 Best Schools for Internships ▲ Up from #12 The Princeton Review A College Financial Grades, 2026 Forbes
$46,000

The Melly Scholarship

Awarded annually. Hobart and William Smith's most prestigious merit award.

The Salisbury Center for Career, Professional and Experiential Education
A line of students with daypacks hiking along a grassy ridgeline, with rolling hills in the distance

Study abroad

Most students study abroad

Through semester-long and short-term programs. Six times the national rate.

Hobart and William Smith60%
Nationally10%
The Center for Global Education
Students in high-visibility safety vests holding rakes and shovels on the shore of Seneca Lake during the HWS Day of Service

A life of service

First in the nation for service

Four separate rankings measure how much a college gives back. HWS places in the top ten of all.

#1 Service Washington Monthly #2 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities Peace Corps #4 Most Engaged in Community Service The Princeton Review #6 Best Schools for Making an Impact ▲ Up from #9 The Princeton Review #12 Best Town-Gown Relations The Princeton Review
Community Engagement and Service Learning
Three William Smith soccer players in the locker room, the goalkeeper holding a ball

Athletics

Thirty-one teams, twenty-six national championships

31

varsity teams

26

national championships

69

Academic All-Americans since 2000 — more than seven of the eight Ivy League institutions.

HWS Athletics

Every recognition, in one list

For anyone who came here to find a specific ranking.

Rankings current as of October 2026.