Smith College acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
With an acceptance rate near 21%, Smith College is a highly selective private college in Massachusetts. Because it turns away most applicants, admission turns on the strength of your whole profile rather than any one number.
Use this page to see what Smith College weighs, where it ranks among Massachusetts schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1440, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
Smith College application deadlines, 2026-27
What do students study at Smith College?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into Smith College?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Smith College, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Smith College?
Smith College admits roughly 21% of applicants, but that overall rate is not your personal chance. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for Smith College in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Smith College hard to get into?
Smith College is highly selective: it turns away most applicants, with about a 21% acceptance rate. Strong academics are expected here, so the rest of your profile usually decides the outcome.
What GPA do you need to get into Smith College?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Smith College, but most admitted students present roughly a 3.8 to 4.0 GPA with a rigorous course load. Smith College reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at Smith College by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Smith College for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 6 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at Smith College with a 3.7 GPA and a 1480 SAT?
About 38% (Target), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.7 unweighted GPA and a 1480 SAT, the middle of Smith College's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.9 GPA with a 1540 SAT comes out near 45%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/smith-college.
How to get into Smith College
Built from Smith College's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Here is how to get into Smith College, built from what its admitted class actually looks like and what the school says it weighs.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Smith College carries about a 3.77 core GPA and a 1490 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Landing at or above it makes you competitive; the rest of the file decides.
The admitted middle 50% is 1420 to 1540 SAT (32 to 35 ACT). Submit a score at 1480 or higher; below 1420, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
Smith College rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: essays that sound like you and answer the actual prompt, and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
Selective private colleges admit a larger share of their class in binding Early Decision; if Smith College is your clear first choice and the net price works, ED is the single biggest lever an applicant controls. Most early deadlines fall on November 1 and Regular Decision on January 1 to 15; confirm Smith College's exact dates at www.smith.edu.
How many students apply to Smith College, and how many get in?
For the fall 2023 entering class, Smith College received 9,869 applications and admitted 1,947, an acceptance rate of 19.7%. 649 enrolled. Only about 33% of admitted students enrolled, so the school admits several students for every seat it expects to fill, which is why its acceptance rate reads higher than its selectivity feels. Smith College enrolls about 2,544 undergraduates in total, 100% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Smith College?
The middle 50% of admitted students at Smith College scored between 1420 and 1540 on the SAT (average 1500). On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 32 to 35. A score above 1540 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 1420 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. Smith College is test-optional: scores are considered if you submit them but not required. Send a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one and let your transcript lead.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What Smith College looks for
What Smith College weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
In its review, Smith College leans most on rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay. At this level of selectivity, the difference between admits is rarely the transcript alone; essays, recommendations, and a coherent story matter. These ratings come from Smith College's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at Smith College
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does Smith College cost after financial aid?
Smith College's published cost of attendance, before any aid, is roughly $86,030 per year. Tuition and fees alone are $65,178. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $27,579 a year, and it ranges from $1,363 for families earning under $30,000 to $40,477 for families earning over $110,000. 18% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do Smith College graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Ten years after enrolling, the median Smith College student who received federal aid earns $64,027 a year, up from $45,731 at six years. 89% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 94% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $17,550; 14% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How Smith College compares in Massachusetts
Smith College ranks #12 most selective of 36 schools in Massachusetts in our database.
Among the 36 Massachusetts schools we track, Smith College ranks #12 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like Harvard University (4%) and Northeastern University (5%) sit nearby, which makes Massachusetts a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list.
Similar to Smith College
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
Build around Smith College with peers at a comparable selectivity, such as Hillsdale College, Skidmore College, and Carleton College. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is Smith College's acceptance rate?
Smith College admitted 1,947 of 9,869 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 19.7% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 33% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for Smith College?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1420 to 1540 on the SAT and 32 to 35 on the ACT. A score above 1540 is in the top quarter of admits. Smith College is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is Smith College test-optional?
Yes. Smith College reports that test scores are considered but not required. Submit a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one.
How much does Smith College cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Smith College, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $27,579 a year against a sticker price of about $86,030. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $1,363 on average.
What do Smith College graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Smith College are $64,027 a year among students who received federal aid, and 89% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Smith College value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Smith College weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Smith College consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Smith College's full factor profile is charted on this page, and CollegeCalcAI models a legacy effect scaled to a school's selectivity.
How can I improve my chances at Smith College?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at Smith College specifically.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.