High School Counselors’ Guide to HWS
PREPARING STUDENTS TO LEAD LIVES OF CONSEQUENCE
A liberal arts and sciences institution, Hobart and William Smith is known for consistent success in preparing students for meaningful lives and fulfilling careers through an outcomes-based focus on their futures.
Our Return on Investment
- Princeton Review ranks HWS among the Top 25 colleges and universities in the nation for career services, internships, alumni network, student happiness, campus engagement and commitment to the environment
- HWS is 1st in the nation for service and 19th overall among liberal arts colleges according to Washington Monthly
- Georgetown University’s Center on Education in the Workforce places HWS in the top 7% of higher-ed institutions in the nation for Return on Investment
Resources for you and your students
Student Success Stories
AlumsOtero '18 Earns Top Dissertation Honor
Former Geoscience major Jeremiah Otero ’18 honored for best dissertation at the University at Albany for groundbreaking research on hurricane patterns.
AlumsCreativity, Curiousity and Community at the Core of Graduate's Journey
Brooke Prochniak ’25 blends her artistic passion and career ambition during her liberal arts education.
AlumsCareer Trajectory: Tess Weber '23 Accepted to Top-Ranked Ph.D. Program in Chemistry
HWS grad will hang up her lab coat at Mass General Brigham to further her career goals at the University of Buffalo.
Student Life at HWS
AlumsHWS Earns Top Rankings for Alumni Network, Internships, ROI and Impact
The Princeton Review’s 2025 rankings recognize Hobart and William Smith as a Best Value College, highlighting a strong Alumni Network, accessibility of Internships, outstanding Return on Investment and meaningful Student Impact.
Student-LifeHelloFresh Joins HWS Dining Plan Options
Meal kits bring convenience to off-campus life.
Student-LifeBohan ’27 and Ramsay ’27 Elected as Student Trustees
Cori Bohan ’27 and Rupert Ramsay ’27 have been elected by their peers to serve as Junior Student Trustees.
Curricular Innovation
Hobart and William Smith has debuted a number of academic programs over the last two years that are inspired by student interest and our own commitment to ensuring students have the experience and tools they need to thrive in their future careers.
Class of 2028Profile of ourFirst-Year Class
Our student community represents a vibrant cross-section of the world's diversity - of nationality, cultural background, academic interest, political inclination, gender identity, economic situation and life experience.
- Applications: 5,884
- Admitted: 3,768
- Enrolled: 558
- Early Decision: 25%
- Average High School GPA: 3.62
- 8% submitted SAT scores; 91% have a composite score of 1200 or above
- 7% submitted ACT scores; 63% have a composite score of 30 or above
- Multicultural Population: 22%
- Percent from Out of State: 61%
- Percent male-identifying/female-identifying/another gender: 45%/52%/3%
Campus Renovations
Over the course of the past year, several renovations to residence halls, academic and social spaces have bolstered the vibrancy of our residential community.
- Adams Intercultural Center – renovated, expanded and renamed after Hobart’s first Black graduate, the AIC provides a welcoming environment with support for personal growth, academic success and leadership skills as well as programming designed to broaden cross-cultural understanding, foster an appreciation for diversity, inclusion and social justice, and strengthen community bonds.
- Provenzano Student Art Gallery - an exciting new student-run space at the heart of HWS’ campus in the Scandling Campus Center, you’ll find student-created and student-curated art on display throughout the academic year.
- Classes of 1972 Outdoor Classroom – built just outside HWS’ main classroom buildings, benches are built into the campus’s natural landscape to form an outdoor lecture hall where faculty and students convene for critical thinking and discussion.
- Bartlett Theatre – the former black box theatre was transformed into a student event space used for club meetings and celebrations as well as academic forums and campus events.
- Scandling Campus Center – lounges and dining areas have been enhanced and reconfigured, creating a student-designed commons conducive to both social and study space.
- Residence Halls – lobbies and social lounges in ten residence halls were upgraded to create welcoming space for informal and formal social programming. Two additional residence hall-based classrooms were created to expand on the already successful living learning communities for first-year students.