Computer and Information Sciences at Hobart William Smith Colleges

Hobart William Smith's computer science graduates start at $72,158—nearly $11,000 above the national median and roughly $10,000 ahead of the typical New York program. That's impressive for a liberal arts college, putting it in the 77th percentile nationally, though the small sample size (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could shift significantly year to year.

The debt picture looks manageable at $27,000, resulting in a 0.37 debt-to-earnings ratio that's better than most computer science programs. Graduates would face monthly loan payments around $300 on the standard plan—roughly 5% of take-home pay. While this doesn't reach the $80,000+ starting salaries at Cornell or RPI, it offers something those elite programs don't: a less competitive admissions environment (57% acceptance rate) combined with solid tech outcomes. For students who might struggle to gain admission to New York's top-tier tech programs, this represents a credible path into the field.

The caveat matters here: with fewer than 30 graduates in the data set, one or two outlier outcomes heavily influence these numbers. A tech-focused parent should visit campus and ask about job placement patterns, internship pipelines, and whether most graduates land software engineering roles or pivot into other fields. If these numbers hold consistently, you're looking at a program that delivers strong value without the pressure-cooker environment of larger tech schools.