For the Class of 2027, Smith College received applicants from all 50 states and DC, 4 U.S. territories, and 140 different countries. Out of 9,968 applicants, 19% were admitted. On May 1, National Decision Day, admitted students made their final college decisions, and Smith’s class of 2027 is on their way to Northampton.
These students were chosen from the largest and most diverse applicant pool in Smith’s history, according to Joanna May, Vice President for enrollment. There was a 36% increase in applications this year, including a 51% increase in international students, a 43% increase in students of color, and a 40% increase in students applying from outside of the Northeast and New England regions.
The admissions rate dropped to 19% this year, down from 23% in 2022, and 30% in 2021. The college is expecting to enroll 630 new students in 2023. In comparison, Smith enrolled 619 new students in 2022, and 676 in 2021. As well, 48% of the targeted enrolling class were admitted Early Decision 1 or 2, which was “a slight decline from last year,” according to May and Deanna Dixon, the Dean of Admission.
However, Smith has not admitted any first year students to start in January, a sharp change from recent years, which have had significant numbers of J-Term admits. Smith will still admit a small class of transfers and Ada Comstock scholars in January.
“We piloted January enrollment for first-year students in January of 2022 after enrolling a large first-year class in fall of 2021 (which included over 100 students who deferred their admission from fall of 2020 to fall of 2021),” said Dixon in an email. “We have paused that pilot as we assess the success of the pilot year, and the future viability of the spring entry term for first-years.”
The increase in applications may be credited to the changes to Smith’s financial aid policies and the elimination of a separate supplemental essay when applying. This was also the first year since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic that admissions staff could travel around the United States to meet potential applicants and have in-person admissions events.
In October 2021, Smith announced that they would eliminate loans in financial aid packages, instead providing grants to meet 100% of demonstrated need. As well, the college eliminated the Smith Application for Financial Aid, now only requiring the FAFSA and CSS Profile to apply for aid, somewhat streamlining the process.
The elimination of the supplemental essay has made the admissions process much easier for potential Smithies. They only had to submit the general essay through the Common or Coalition Application, no longer needing a short answer to a Smith-specific question. In the previous few years, the question had been about “a song or piece of music that is particularly meaningful to you.” Additionally, Smith has no application fee and is test optional, so applying is very accessible.
“Critical and analytical thinking, resilience and contributions to their community, broadly defined, are valued attributes that we contextualize within each student’s background and experiences,” said Dixon and May on the characteristics Smith looks for in applicants in an email.
The Admissions Office partners with community based organizations, like College Match, Minds Matter and Posse, as well as charter school networks, like Achievement First and The Young Women’s Leadership Schools to bring in a diverse class to Smith. The Admissions Office also tries to focus on “diverse regions” for admissions programs and provides funding for students to attend the Women of Distinction, a program for first generation, African American, Asian American, Latina and Native American high school seniors.
This year, Smith announced a partnership with national non-profit Questbridge which works to increase the presence of high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds on college campuses. Smith will admit its first Questbridge students in fall 2024.
As the Class of 2027 enters their first year at Smith, they will join a student community that “sees learning as collaborative and continuous, has an expansive world view and engages across differences,” according to Dixon and May.
