Skidmore College: the complete school report for parents

What does Skidmore College actually weigh in admissions?

Skidmore College rates 3 of the 18 factors "Very Important": course rigor, GPA, personal qualities. It does not consider 4 of them at all. Every college reports these weights in section C7 of its Common Data Set; below is Skidmore College's 2025-2026 answer, read from the grid in its own file.

What GPA do admitted students actually have?

63% of enrolled students had a 3.00 GPA or above. . This is the school’s own distribution, not an estimate from its admit rate.

What is the Skidmore College waitlist really like?

Skidmore College offered a place on its waiting list to 2,360 applicants and 675 accepted one. 35 were ultimately admitted. That is 5.2% of those who waited.

Is transferring in easier than applying as a freshman?

Skidmore College admitted 39.4% of 160 transfer applicants, against 23.7% of first-year applicants. For a student who does not get in at eighteen, the transfer route is a genuinely wider door and worth planning for deliberately.

When do we apply, and does timing change the odds?

Applying Early Decision changes the odds materially: 42.4% of ED applicants were admitted against 23.7% overall, a gap of 19 points. ED is binding, so that advantage costs the ability to compare financial-aid offers.

What will Skidmore College actually cost us?

Families pay an average of $32,297 a year at Skidmore College after grants and scholarships, against a published in-state tuition of $69,210. The published price is not what most families pay. The university reports meeting 100% of demonstrated need on average. It also gave 4 merit awards averaging $20,000 to first-years with no demonstrated need.

44% of Skidmore College graduates borrow, leaving with an average of $29,458 in debt, which the federal data puts at about $207 a month in repayment. Skidmore College’s net price calculator gives your own figure.

Does a degree from Skidmore College pay off?

Graduates earn a median $69,363 ten years after entering, and $46,923 at six years. 80% out-earn a typical high school graduate within six years. 86% are actively paying down their loans three years in.

$96,378 to $41,054, depending on the major. Median earnings five years out at Skidmore College:

College Scorecard, by field of study.

Will my child actually graduate?

94% of first-years return for a second year. 74% graduate within four years and 82% within six (2019 cohort). The rate holds up across income: 86.0% of Pell-grant recipients graduate within six years against 80.0% of everyone else, a gap of -6.0 points.

How big are the classes?

76% of class sections have fewer than 20 students, while 0% have 100 or more. The student-faculty ratio is 8:1, and 77% of faculty are full-time. Accredited by Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

What is life at Skidmore College like?

5,410 undergraduates, 64% of first-years from out of state. 99% of freshmen live in university housing, falling to 83% across all undergraduates. Greek life is small: 0% of men join a fraternity and 0% of women a sorority. 15% of students are the first in their family to attend college, and the median family income is $78,806.

What this means for your student

• Course rigor is rated Very Important here, so the senior-year schedule should hold its AP, IB or honors depth rather than lighten.
• 63% of enrolled students are at a 3.00 GPA or above. Below that line the rest of the application has to carry real weight.
• Early Decision is worth 19 points of admit rate, but it is binding and removes any ability to compare aid offers.
• The waitlist is live but thin: 35 of 675 who waited were admitted, about 5%.
• If the first-year answer is no, the transfer route is genuinely wider here and worth planning for from the first semester of college.
• Its highest-earning major returns $96,378 five years out against $41,054 at the other end, a gap wider than the one between most schools.
• See where your student actually stands: calculate their GPA and compare it against the distribution above.

Common questions about Skidmore College

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