Explore.
Collaborate.
Act.
At HWS, there's an intellectual community ready to help you gain the clarity and experience necessary to face the future with confidence.
Learn more about academicsExplore.
A Global Perspective
Your undergraduate journey begins in Geneva, but your HWS experience can take you across the globe. Joining the 60% of HWS students who study abroad, you will gain confidence, engage in new cultures and enhance your own worldview.
Life By the Lake
No matter how you'll define your HWS experience, it all starts on our beautiful lakeside campus. As a member of the Geneva community you will have the opportunity to live, learn and create change on a truly actionable scale.
You're Thinking About Your Future. So Are We.
Design your future with confidence. Shatter your expectations. Gain vital experience from internships and research opportunities (one of which is guaranteed); take action and make an impact through leadership opportunities; strengthen your network with alums and parents in successful careers.
Why is there an S on the end of our name?
We were founded as two separate colleges - Hobart for men in 1822 and William Smith for women in 1908 - and are proud of that heritage and everything it stands for, namely that we value gender and inclusion. HWS graduated the first woman to receive a medical degree in the U.S., were the first in the nation to have an LGBTQ undergraduate program and among the first to offer majors and minors in Africana, Women's and Men's studies. Today, that means that in attending HWS, you are part of a community that pays attention to equity, race, gender and justice. We think about it. We study it. We act on it. And we are committed to creating change that leads to a better future.
Just the Facts
Applying to HWS
Hobart and William Smith seek students with a passion for learning. We want you to expand your interests and see the world from multiple perspectives. You'll be guided along the way by faculty who have a passion for teaching and a desire to help you reach your goals.
Prior to college, we expect that you have chosen a rigorous high school curriculum and have applied your talents to the betterment of your school and community. We'll carefully review your application, transcript, essay and recommendations. Many of the characteristics we value are not well identified through examination of standardized test scores, therefore you will have the option of whether we use those scores (SAT or ACT) when you apply for admission to HWS.
