Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science
Paul Smiths, New York · Private Nonprofit · 76.5% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 30/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Paul Smith's College earns a 30 ROI score in the Below Benchmark tier, but the headline numbers conceal a more nuanced story: this is a specialty institution focused on forestry, environmental science, and culinary arts in the Adirondacks, where graduates often choose mission-driven careers in conservation and land management rather than optimizing for income. Tuition is $33,009, net price after aid is $26,683, and four-year total cost runs $106,732. Median earnings ten years out are just $46,145 - modest, but typical of natural-resources fields. The earnings premium of 0.104 and 22.1-year payback are the weak spots; the bright spot is repayment, where 81.6% of borrowers are paying down loans on schedule (scoring 75/100) despite modest earnings. Median debt is $22,750, fairly contained. Completion is 50.6% - average. This is a case where the ROI score honestly reflects weak earnings outcomes, but the qualitative story - strong field-program reputation, vocational fit for outdoor careers - adds context the numbers can't capture.
How Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score30/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period22.1 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $33,009/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $33,009/yr |
| Average net price | $26,683/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $106,732 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $46,145 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $31,100 |
| Median debt at graduation | $22,750 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $241 |
| Estimated payback period | 22.1 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 50.5% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 579 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $33,009/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $26,683/year, or roughly $106,732 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $16,732/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $32,048/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $22,750, which works out to about $241 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($31,100) and comes to 0.73, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $16,732 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $17,877 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $23,253 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $29,288 |
| $110,001+ | $32,048 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $16,732 - meaningfully discounted from the $26,683 average net price. Combined with New York TAP and federal Pell, lower-income students can make the math work, especially if they pursue forestry or natural-resources careers with later access to PSLF through federal or state employment.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-$75,000 bracket pays $23,253 and the $75,001-$110,000 bracket pays $29,288 - climbing steeply through middle-income tiers. At $93,000-$117,000 in four-year totals against $46,145 ten-year earnings, the conventional ROI math is genuinely tough for this income range. Mission fit needs to do real work.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $32,048 - within $1,000 of the $33,009 sticker. At full freight, this only makes sense for families specifically choosing the niche outdoor-program identity. Conventional ROI is severely negative at this income tier.
Earnings by Major
Top 8 most popular majors at Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy | $53,788 | C |
| Forestry | $49,291 | - |
| Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management | $50,171 | C |
| Culinary Arts and Related Services | $42,652 | D |
| Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies | $41,797 | D |
| Natural Resources Conservation | $51,359 | D |
| Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General | $46,834 | - |
| Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management | $34,321 | - |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy
Environmental management is the largest program at 22 graduates with first-year earnings of $41,863 climbing to $53,788, against $27,000 in debt - a C grade and 0.645 ratio. This is the strongest financial outcome among Paul Smith's natural-resources programs and the realistic best-case fit: a federal or state agency career in conservation policy or natural-resource regulation, where PSLF is available.
Forestry
Forestry produced 19 graduates with first-year earnings of $44,342 - the campus's highest entry-level number. Median debt is unreported. This is Paul Smith's flagship identity program with strong industry reputation in the Northeast forest-products and land-management sectors.
Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management
Wildlife management graduated 19 with first-year earnings of $35,979 and $24,874 in debt - a C grade and 0.691 ratio. The four-year earnings of $50,171 indicate slow but steady growth. This is field-biologist territory: state fish-and-wildlife agencies, federal land-management positions, NGO conservation work. Pay is modest by design, but mission fit is high.
Culinary Arts and Related Services
Culinary produced 12 graduates with first-year earnings of $31,506 against $27,000 in debt - a 0.857 ratio and D grade. Students choosing culinary here should plan on owner-operator or hospitality-management pathways rather than line-cook trajectories.
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies
Parks/Rec produced 11 with first-year earnings of $27,543 against $23,250 in debt - a 0.844 ratio and D grade. The four-year figure rises to $41,797, suggesting career growth. Federal NPS, state-parks, and outdoor-rec employers offer durable but capped pay. This program's value is mission-driven and only works at the lower-income net-price brackets.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 82.4% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 81.6% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 71.7% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 75.0% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 76.5% |
| Enrollment | 579 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 36.3% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,551 |
Paul Smith's admits 76.5% of applicants. SAT and ACT mid-ranges are not reported, suggesting test-optional admissions are the norm here, with applications evaluated more on mission fit, outdoor-experience essays, and program-specific aptitude than standardized scores. The relatively high admit rate combined with a niche outdoor curriculum filters the applicant pool effectively - students who apply tend to self-select for the unusual mission, which helps explain why the 50.6% completion rate isn't worse despite broad admissions.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science (this school) | 30 | $26,683 | $46,145 |
| Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences | 94 | $29,882 | $131,426 |
| Adelphi University | 75 | $30,783 | $75,482 |
| Rosemont College | 33 | $20,150 | $48,555 |
| Calumet College of Saint Joseph | 29 | $22,451 | $46,945 |
| Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies | 24 | $10,566 | $40,694 |
Who Thrives Here
With 579 students and a 36.3% Pell rate, Paul Smith's serves a mix of working- and middle-class students drawn by the Adirondack setting and field-based curriculum. Strong fit for prospective foresters, fisheries biologists, park rangers, and culinary professionals who want hands-on training in the woods. Bad fit for students who need urban amenities, broad academic options, or strong earnings as the primary outcome. The 81.6% one-year repayment rate suggests graduates are at least staying employed and paying their loans, even at modest salaries.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science scores 30/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $26,683 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $46,145 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 22.1 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What it has going for it: high loan repayment success. What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, its 50.5% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.73 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $22,750 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $31,100 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.73. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science: Common Questions
Is Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science scores 30/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $26,683 a year after aid against $46,145 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 22.1 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $26,683 a year, or roughly $106,732 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $46,145 ten years after enrolling, roughly $4,345 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 22.1 years for Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $22,750, against average earnings of $31,100 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.73. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science?
The six-year graduation rate is 50.5%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.