Hobart and William Smith Colleges

28 August 2024 • Alums Successful, Happy and Engaged: Princeton Review Gives HWS Top Marks By Natalia St. Lawrence '16

Princeton Review’s 2025 Best 390 Colleges guide ranks HWS among the best in the nation. 

The Princeton Review’s Best 390 Colleges guide, published on Tuesday, Aug. 27, ranks Hobart and William Smith among the top 25 colleges and universities in the country for career services, internships, alumni network, student happiness, campus engagement and commitment to the environment.

“This recognition from the Princeton Review confirms the value of our focus on providing students with a relationship-rich educational environment that is responsive to their aspirations as scholars and that is preparing them to lead fulfilling and successful lives of consequence,” says President Mark D. Gearan. “We seek to provide an outstanding curricular experience coupled with a wide range of thoughtfully planned co-curricular opportunities in career services, student life, community service and global education, among many other areas. I am gratified to see the work of so many recognized in this way.”  

Princeton Review rankings are unique in that they are based on student survey responses. The “Best for Happiness” list, for example, is determined on student reports of how happy they are on campus, reflecting their confidence in their futures, the impact of their classroom and research experiences, and their day-to-day interactions with one another, faculty, staff and Geneva community members.

HWS was also named to the “Best for Career Services,” “Best for Internships” and “Best Alumni Network” lists. Students shared in surveys that they felt internships were highly accessible and supported by the Salisbury Center for Career, Professional and Experiential Education. Students also reported extremely engaged alumni activity and visibility on campus.

The Princeton Review also named HWS to its “Colleges That Create Futures” list which includes 50 schools that “empower students to discover practical applications for their talents and interests through experiences that complement their classes and coursework.”

Campus environmental awareness and conservation efforts were also recognized in Best 390 Colleges, with another HWS appearance on the “Green Matters: Everyone Cares About Conservation” list. This year, Hobart and William Smith achieved climate neutrality, becoming one of only 11 colleges and universities in the nation to attain this milestone.

For the first time, HWS was also recognized as having among the “Most Active Student Governments on Campus.” Students reported HWS Student Government has an active presence that made a tremendous impact on campus life. This year’s HWS Student Government president is Sophia Mughal ’25, who recently spoke to students at Convocation.

“The colleges we profile in our book are truly a select group: they constitute about 15% of America’s four-year institutions. We chose them primarily based on our high opinion of their academic offerings,” says Rob Franek, editor-in-chief of The Princeton Review and author of The Best 390 Colleges. “The colleges that make our book’s ranking lists do so entirely as a result of the opinions of their customers — students attending the colleges — who complete our 89-question survey about their school.”

Earlier this year, the Princeton Review selected Hobart and William Smith as a Best Value College for the ninth consecutive year. The recognition is based on more than 40 data points covering academics, affordability, graduation rates, and career and salary data for graduates from both student surveys and payscale.com.

Learn more about The Princeton Review’s methodology.