Smith College
Smith College at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Smith College Featured Rankings
- #2 Best Liberal Arts Colleges in Massachusetts 2026
- #2 Small Colleges in Massachusetts
- #3 Engineering Liberal Arts Colleges
- #5 Sociology Liberal Arts Colleges
- #5 Best Small Colleges 2026
- #5 Political Science Liberal Arts Colleges
- #5 English Liberal Arts Colleges
- #5 Chemistry Liberal Arts Colleges
- #6 Economics Liberal Arts Colleges
- #6 Liberal Arts Colleges for Education Degrees
- #6 Math Liberal Arts Colleges
- #6 Liberal Arts Colleges for Biology Degrees
- #7 Best Grad Schools in Massachusetts 2026
- #7 Private Colleges in Massachusetts 2026
- #7 Best Liberal Arts Colleges 2026
- #8 Best Colleges in Massachusetts
- #18 Best Liberal Arts Colleges for Psychology Majors
- #20 History Liberal Arts Colleges
- #25 Anthropology Liberal Arts Colleges
- #32 Best Undergrad Private Colleges
About Smith College
According to Wikipedia, Smith College is a private liberal arts women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith and opened in 1875. It is the largest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of women's colleges in the Northeastern United States. Smith is also a member of the Five College Consortium, along with four other nearby institutions in the Pioneer Valley: Mount Holyoke College, Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst; students of each college are allowed to attend classes at any other member institution. On campus are Smith's Museum of Art and Botanic Garden, the latter designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.
Smith College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9,869 | 21% | 94% | 86% | 1480 | 33 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does Smith College Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $67,448 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $2,541 |
| 30K - 48K | $6,387 |
| 48K - 75K | $5,996 |
| 75K - 110K | $14,737 |
| 110K+ | $40,596 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do Smith College Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former Smith College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $69,936 a year, and 90% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
Smith College's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 3,194 | 2,621 | 573 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is Smith College?
Smith College is located at Elm St, Northampton, MA 01063.
How Safe is Smith College?
Relative to its enrollment, Smith College has a violent crime rate of 0.14% and a property crime rate of 0.18%. Northampton has a violent crime rate of 0.45% and a property crime rate of 1.28%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is Smith College Known For?
Smith College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Social Work
- Literature
- Sociology
- Psychology
- Education
- Political Science
- History
- Physics
- Anthropology
- Philosophy
- Mathematics
- Economics
- Biology
- Religious Studies
- Chemistry
- Earth Sciences
- Computer Science
- Engineering
Smith College's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Smith College's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Smith College ranks #14 in the U.S. and #15 worldwide for influence in Social Work.
social-work DegreesSmith College ranks #31 in the U.S. and #89 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesSmith College ranks #38 in the U.S. and #104 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesSmith College ranks #58 in the U.S. and #103 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesSmith College ranks #62 in the U.S. and #203 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesSmith College ranks #67 in the U.S. and #235 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesSmith College ranks #67 in the U.S. and #174 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesSmith College ranks #89 in the U.S. and #360 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesSmith College ranks #90 in the U.S. and #241 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesSmith College ranks #96 in the U.S. and #303 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesSmith College ranks #113 in the U.S. and #433 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesSmith College ranks #119 in the U.S. and #492 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesSmith College ranks #126 in the U.S. and #420 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesSmith College ranks #126 in the U.S. and #550 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesSmith College ranks #133 in the U.S. and #599 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesSmith College ranks #153 in the U.S. and #618 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesSmith College ranks #162 in the U.S. and #608 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesSmith College ranks #174 in the U.S. and #860 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesWho Are Smith College's Most Influential Alumni?
Smith College's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Social Work, Psychology, and Literature. Here are some of Smith College's most famous alumni:
- Gloria Steinem
- An American activist and journalist .
- Betty Friedan
- An American activist.
- Julia Child
- An American chef.
- Chien-Shiung Wu
- A Chinese-American experimental physicist.
- Sylvia Plath
- An American poet and writer .
- Laura Tyson
- An American business academic.
- Piper Kerman
- An American felon and author.
- Mary Whiton Calkins
- An American philosopher and psychologist.
- Madeleine L'Engle
- An American writer 1918-2007.
- Margaret Mitchell
- An American author and journalist .
- Jane Yolen
- An American speculative fiction and children's writer.
- Natalie Zemon Davis
- A Canadian-American historian.
Who Are Smith College's Most Influential Faculty?
Smith College's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Social Work, Psychology, and Literature. Here are some of Smith College's most famous faculty:
- Ileana Streinu
- A Romanian-American computer scientist and mathematician.
- Michael Kulikowski
- An American historian.
- Julianna Tymoczko
- An American mathematician.
- Rachel Simmons
- An American writer.
- Ben Baumer
- An American statistician and sabermetrician.
- Kate Soper
- An American composer, soprano, and writer.
