Smith College

Smith College is a private institution that was founded in 1871. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 2,523 (fall 2022), its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 147 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Smith College's ranking in the 2024 edition of Best Colleges is National Liberal Arts Colleges, #16. Its tuition and fees are $61,568.

Smith College is located in Northampton, Massachusetts, about two hours from Boston and three hours from New York City. Smith is one of the largest liberal arts schools for women in the country. The school has more than 100 student organizations, which range from Smithies in Computer Science to Crapapella, one of several a cappella groups on campus. The Smith Pioneers have 12 NCAA Division III varsity sports that compete in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference. Unlike many other schools, Smith does not have dorms or Greek life but rather 35 separate houses that range from Gothic to modern in style. Each house is home to between 10 and 100 students, allowing for socialization among students from all classes.

Smith is part of the Five Colleges consortium, which includes Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College, Hampshire College and the University of Massachusetts—Amherst. Smith is also part of the Seven Sisters colleges, a group of seven northeastern liberal arts schools that were originally for women. Smith’s graduate programs are coeducational and offer master’s degrees and a doctoral program. Traditional events on campus include Rally Day, which celebrates alumnae and students, and Otelia Cromwell Day, which honors Smith’s first African-American graduate. Commencement traditions include Ivy Day, during which seniors plant ivy on campus to represent the connection between Smith and its graduates, and Illumination Night, when the campus is lit with colored paper lanterns. Notable alumnae include activist Gloria Steinem, chef and author Julia Child, poet and author Sylvia Plath, former first lady Nancy Reagan and Tammy Baldwin, a U.S. senator for Wisconsin.