10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$196,096at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Smith College
⌖ Northampton, MA · 20 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$196,096 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
With these assumptions, the added earnings do not recover the cost within ten years.
30.8 yrsModeled economic break-even
−68%Modeled 10-year ROI
$54,422Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
What the numbers say about Smith College
What does Smith College cost?
Smith College reports an average annual net price of $27,579 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Smith College graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $54,422 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Smith College graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $17,550. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Smith College worth the same?
No. DegreeVerdict currently shows 20 field-and-credential outcomes at Smith College; reported earnings and debt can differ substantially by program category.
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK
Estimated payoff over ten years.
The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.
FEDERAL COST DATA
Four ways to read college price.
Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price−$85,780
$8,000Annual price−$117,780
$16,000Annual price−$149,780
$24,000Annual price−$181,780
$28,000Current college-wide context−$197,780
$32,000Annual price−$213,780
$40,000Annual price−$245,780
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- New England Commission on Higher Education
- Main award level
- Bachelor’s degrees
- Campus setting
- City
- Admissions
- Selective admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$27,579Average net price / year
$86,030Cost of attendance
$17,550Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$186/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$54,422Median earnings · year 5 after completion
89.0%Completion rate
21.0%Admission rate
2,544Student size
Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.
WHO PAYS, WHO FINISHES, WHO EARNS
Outcomes are not the same for every family.
These federal cohorts add context that a single college average can hide. Missing figures remain unreported rather than estimated.
Complete within 150% of the expected time
89% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
130 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
72% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$63,587Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$67,192Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$59,826Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income74%
Middle income84%
Higher income86%
Source: College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Parent PLUS debt belongs to parents; student-debt measures exclude Parent PLUS and private loans. Cohort definitions differ by measure.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
WHAT STANDS OUT
A faster read on this college
These summaries use only reportable field-and-credential records at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS PATH
Reported earnings over time
$32,340Year 1
$57,618Year 4
$54,422Year 5
Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.
The college average is not the whole story.
Observed earnings vary substantially by field and credential at the same institution.
1Economics · Bachelor's Degree$88,0672Engineering, General · Bachelor's Degree$86,2623Social Work · Master's Degree$68,9274Political Science and Government · Bachelor's Degree$68,9165Biology, General · Bachelor's Degree$63,1336Education, General · Master's Degree$60,1257Sociology · Bachelor's Degree$58,6648Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics · Bachelor's Degree$58,304Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding
Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark
This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential, not simply majors that pay more everywhere.
1SociologyBachelor's Degree · $58,664 reported+11%vs same-degree national median$19,000federal debt2Biology, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $63,133 reported+10%vs same-degree national median$19,000federal debt3English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $52,938 reported+9%vs same-degree national median$19,000federal debt4Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's Degree · $68,916 reported+9%vs same-degree national median$19,000federal debt5EconomicsBachelor's Degree · $88,067 reported+7%vs same-degree national median$19,000federal debt6Romance Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's Degree · $58,304 reported+6%vs same-degree national median$19,000federal debt
Comparable colleges in MA
Currently operating private nonprofit institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
South Hadley, MA
Mount Holyoke College
- Annual net price
- $26,441
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $54,985
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -65%
Lasell University
- Annual net price
- $27,511
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $57,604
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -57%
Fisher College
- Annual net price
- $26,649
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $52,092
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -75%
Springfield College
- Annual net price
- $30,587
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $55,341
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -66%
Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes
| Federal field | Credential | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2023–24 awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $88,067 | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Engineering, General | Bachelor's Degree | $86,262 | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Social Work | Master's Degree | $68,927 | Not available | Not reported |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's Degree | $68,916 | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $63,133 | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Education, General | Master's Degree | $60,125 | Not available | Not reported |
| Sociology | Bachelor's Degree | $58,664 | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Bachelor's Degree | $58,304 | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Master's Degree | $57,262 | Not available | Not reported |
| English Language and Literature, General | Bachelor's Degree | $52,938 | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | Bachelor's Degree | $51,267 | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Area Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $51,131 | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | Bachelor's Degree | $48,183 | $18,820 | Not reported |
| History | Bachelor's Degree | $46,960 | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $46,136 | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Fine and Studio Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $43,354 | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Computer Science | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Education, General | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $19,000 | Not reported |
| Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $18,181 | 8 |
Awards use first-major IPEDS completions aggregated to the same four-digit field and credential.
Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.