Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science

Private · Moderately Selective · NY

Photo: Vt128 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationNY · Northeast

SettingRural

Undergrads579

Student:faculty12:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate39.2%

6-yr grad rate50.5%

Drop-out rate24.8%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$33k

Out-of-state tuition$33k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity16.2%

Gender diversity36.6%

International0.9%

Identity—

Overview

Paul Smith's College sits inside the Adirondack Park on the shores of Lower St. Regis Lake, the only four-year college located within the park's boundaries. It grew out of a hotel family's land grant, and that origin still shows in the college's blend of natural-resources and hospitality programs.

Academics

The college is known for forestry, environmental science, and fisheries and wildlife programs, along with hospitality and culinary programs tracing back to its hotel-family founding. Learning is heavily field-based — students manage the college's own working forest, run a maple sugarbush, and conduct fieldwork directly on the lake and surrounding land rather than relying primarily on classroom instruction.

Campus & student life

The remote Adirondack setting means outdoor recreation is built into daily life — canoeing, hiking, and winter sports are immediately accessible — and the small, close-knit campus draws students specifically interested in an outdoors-oriented education. Housing and student life center on this rural lakeside campus rather than easy access to any city.

Getting in

Paul Smith's admissions process favors demonstrated interest in the outdoors, natural resources, or hospitality fields, and the college is known for accessible admission relative to programs with similar specialized offerings.

After graduation

Graduates in forestry, wildlife, and natural-resources programs move into state and federal land-management agencies, private forestry, and conservation organizations, while hospitality and culinary graduates enter the hotel and restaurant industry — both pipelines drawing directly on the college's founding identity.

Worth knowing

The working forest, sugarbush, and lakeside campus mean Paul Smith's education is unusually hands-on for a college of its size, and students should expect a genuinely rural, outdoors-centered experience rather than proximity to any city.

paulsmiths.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate76.5%

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policynot used

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying