HWS News
20 August 2025 • Alums HWS Ranks No.1 in Service for Third Straight Year
For the ninth consecutive year, Hobart and William Smith ranked in the top five for service among U.S. liberal arts colleges, according to Washington Monthly’s 2025 Liberal Arts Colleges Ranking, announced in August.
It is the third straight year HWS ranked No. 1 in service on the list. In the overall liberal arts rankings, HWS jumped two spots from 2024, to 17th in the magazine’s 2025 list.
“This recognition reflects the deeply held belief at Hobart and William Smith that education carries a responsibility to serve others. Our students don’t just prepare for careers — they engage with communities, contribute meaningfully and develop a lifelong commitment to the public good,” says President Mark D. Gearan.
Driven by 100% student participation in community service, HWS’ ranking highlights its commitment to service learning, civic engagement and social mobility, with students contributing more than 80,000 hours of service and engagement annually and generating approximately $110,000 in fundraising efforts for non-profit organizations.
Based in Washington, D.C., The Washington Monthly is a bimonthly magazine covering U.S. politics, government and policy.
Since 2005, the non-profit magazine historically has used three pillars in its methodology: social mobility, research and community and national service. In the 2024-2025 cycle, they introduced a unified master list combining more than 1,400 U.S. colleges and universities and adding a fourth core area: access. The goal was to reflect a broader picture of institutional impact.
The rankings now reflect excellence “across the full breadth of our measures, rather than…in just one,” according to the magazine’s methodology.
Service rankings incorporate measures such as alumni participation in the Peace Corps; institutional participation in the AmeriCorps programs, the share of Federal Work-Study funds dedicated to community service and student voting engagement.
“Our students approach service as more than volunteerism — it’s integrated into their academic and personal development,” says Executive Director, Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning Katie Flowers. “From first-year students to seniors, students are building relationships, addressing real community needs and learning how to create sustainable impact.”
Read the full rankings.
Photo at Top: As part of Day of Service, students package meals in Bristol Field House in partnership with the international relief organization Rise Against Hunger.
