College · Private nonprofit · Hamilton, NY · Rural
Colgate University
Hamilton, NY
Admit rate14%
6-yr median pay$65k
Net price / yr$29k
Undergrad size3,180
§ I · The real read
What it's actually like.
The bet
Net price of $29k/yr for a shot at a $65k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.
Getting in
Admit rate of 14% means this is competitive but not impossible. Admitted students average SAT 1508 · ACT 33.
If you get in
3,180 undergrads. Small. You will know your cohort.
Where you live
Rural — true campus bubble, nature on the doorstep, plan for a car.
§ II · Cost & aid
Sticker vs. real.
Sticker cost of attendance is $87k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $29k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.
Sticker · 4 yrs$348k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$115k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$233k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.8x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.
Where the money goes · annual sticker.
- Tuition · in-state
- $70.3k
- Room & board
- $17.6k
- Books & supplies
- $1,570
How students pay for it.
Pell grants13%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans12%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$15k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $6k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes
Do people finish? Do they land?
1-yr retention93%
Very high — students stay.
Graduation · 6 yr91%
Most finish on time.
6-yr median pay$65k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$85k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out7%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity
Setting, size, and who this school is.
- Setting
- Rural
- Control
- Private nonprofit
- Undergrad size
- 3,180
- Location
- Hamilton, NY
- Region
- Mid East (DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA)
- Carnegie class
- Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus
- Size & setting
- Four-year · medium · highly residential
- Undergrad program
- Four-year · full-time, more selective, lower transfer-in
- Accreditor
- New England Commission on Higher Education
§ · Who studies here
The student body at a glance.
- White64%
- Hispanic10%
- International8%
- Two or more races6%
- Asian5%
- Black4%
- Unknown2%
First-gen students18%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time0%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$77k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 43
What you can study.