Economics Students Gain Guaranteed Levy Graduate Admission
Qualified HWS economics majors and minors can move into Levy's one- and two-year programs with coordinated advising and credit transfer.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Economics — General
Hobart and William Smith Colleges has created a graduate pathway that guarantees qualified economics students admission and credit transfer to Bard College's Levy Economics Institute. The pathway covers Levy's one-year Master of Arts and two-year Master of Science programs in economic theory and policy.
Why it matters
For students and the employers who hire them, the pathway offers a defined route from an undergraduate economics major into applied graduate study, with coordinated advising, a streamlined application process, and eligibility for scholarships. It reflects a shared departmental and institutional approach of examining economic questions through multiple theoretical perspectives.
The pathway covers two Levy programs: a one-year Master of Arts and a two-year Master of Science, both in economic theory and policy. The announcement does not report enrollment counts, scholarship amounts, or the number of eligible HWS economics students.
The players
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
A private liberal arts college in Geneva, New York, that creates the graduate pathway for its economics students.
Bard College
A private liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, and the parent institution of the Levy Economics Institute.
Levy Economics Institute
The economic research and graduate education institute at Bard College that offers the Master of Arts and Master of Science programs in economic theory and policy.
The details
Qualified HWS economics students receive guaranteed admission and credit transfer to Levy graduate programs through the pathway. To be eligible, students must complete ECON 304, Econometrics, by the end of the first semester of their senior year. Coordinated advising from HWS Associate Professor of Economics Joshua Greenstein and a streamlined application process support students who major or minor in economics.
Timeline
Students must complete ECON 304, Econometrics, by the end of the first semester of their senior year.
Anjalee Wanduragala, a 2025 HWS graduate, expects to finish her Levy Master of Science degree in May 2027.
Market Landscape
The pathway ties an undergraduate economics department directly to a graduate program at another institution through guaranteed admission and credit transfer. It sits within a broader pattern of colleges building formal feeder arrangements into specialized graduate economics programs.
Economics students at HWS who plan graduate study should complete ECON 304, Econometrics, by the end of the first semester of their senior year to remain eligible. Students weighing graduate options should also compare the pathway's guaranteed admission and credit transfer against other programs they are considering.
The takeaway
Economics students considering the Levy programs should calendar the ECON 304 deadline and contact Associate Professor Joshua Greenstein for advising on the application process. Operators who hire economics graduates may find this pathway a useful signal of how applied graduate training in economic theory and policy is being structured.
Further reading
For related coverage, browse the Economics — General section of New York news.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Fingerlakes1.
