Quad

Head-to-head

Mount Holyoke
Smith

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Smith is 1.7× more selective than Mount Holyoke

    Acceptance rate
  2. 2

    Smith graduates 6 pts more of its students than Mount Holyoke (91% vs. 84%)

    Graduation rate
  3. 3

    Smith grads earn $5.6K more ten years out than Mount Holyoke's ($64,027 vs. $58,418)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  4. 4

    Smith's SAT midpoint is 55 points higher than Mount Holyoke's

    SAT midpoint
  5. 5

    Smith's yield is 5 pts higher than Mount Holyoke's

    Yield rate
  6. 6

    Mount Holyoke has 4 pts more Pell recipients than Smith (22% vs. 18%)

    Pell Grant recipients

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Smith admits 22%, Mount Holyoke 38%; Smith's yield is higher, at 35%.

Acceptance rate
Mount Holyoke38%
Smith22%
Quad's selectivity
  • Mount HolyokeVery selective
  • SmithHighly selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1300–1600
Mount Holyoke
1365–1485
Smith
1420–1540
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Mount HolyokeRigor and GPA very important70%
  • SmithRigor and GPA very important

Who's on each campus

Smith is a bit larger than Mount Holyoke (2,544 vs. 2,169 undergrads); Mount Holyoke has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Mount Holyoke2.2K
Smith2.5K
Pell Grant share
Mount Holyoke22%
Smith18%

Majors and faculty

English Language and Literature leads at Mount Holyoke, and Computer Science at Smith; Smith has 8 students per faculty member to Mount Holyoke's 9.

Students per faculty member
Mount Holyoke9 to 1
Smith8 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Mount HolyokeEnglish Language and Literature, General8%
  • SmithComputer Science8%

What each costs

Mount Holyoke costs about $2K less a year than Smith on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Mount Holyoke$44.4K
Smith$46.5K
Aid generosity
Mount Holyoke48%
Smith46%

What each pays off

Smith's former students earn more, a median $64K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Mount Holyoke$58.4K
Smith$64K
Graduation rate
Mount Holyoke84%
Smith91%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Mount HolyokeGrowing+63%
  • SmithGrowing+94%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:Mount Holyoke College (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;Mount Holyoke College Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;Mount Holyoke College Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;Mount Holyoke College Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;Smith College (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;Smith College Common Data Set 2024–25, Fall 2026 applicants;Smith College Common Data Set 2024–25, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why