Mathematics at Smith College

A highly selective women's college charging $18,181 in median debt for a mathematics degree deserves scrutiny when similar programs in Massachusetts produce wildly varying outcomes—from MIT's $109,000 to the state median of $62,000 that serves as Smith's earnings estimate. That estimate sits comfortably above the national benchmark of $49,000, but the suppressed data here means we're working with what comparable Massachusetts programs typically deliver rather than what Smith's own graduates actually earn.

The debt load itself is modest—lower than both state and national medians—and with a 0.29 debt-to-earnings ratio, graduates from similar programs face reasonable repayment if earnings hold. But Smith's SAT profile (1480) mirrors schools like Amherst and Tufts where math graduates report substantially higher earnings. Whether Smith's liberal arts approach and strong alumni network translate to similar outcomes for math majors specifically remains an open question the suppressed data can't answer.

For families paying Smith's private school tuition, the estimated return looks functional but not exceptional. If your daughter is drawn to Smith's environment and you can afford the full cost, the debt picture won't be burdensome. But if you're banking on math degree earnings to justify the investment, you're making that bet without knowing whether Smith's graduates outperform the Massachusetts average or fall short of it.