$85,139
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Colgate University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Hamilton, New York with 3,180 undergraduates and 18 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $28,786 a year (tuition and fees $70,306). It admits 14% of applicants and 91% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $85,139 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $15,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$28,786
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$70,306
US median $11,837
Admission rate
14%
US median 78%
Completion rate
91%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$15,000
About $159 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$85,139
Rank 137 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $28,786
- Tuition and fees
- $70,306
- Cost of attendance
- $87,070
- Students with a need-based grant
- 13%
- Students with federal loans
- 12%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $6,086
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $2,678
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $13,617
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $21,831
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $48,234
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $49,970 in 2015-16 to $70,306 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 14%
- Average SAT
- 1,508
- SAT reading, middle
- 705
- SAT math, middle
- 720
- ACT, middle
- 33
- Undergraduates
- 3,180
- Graduate students
- 18
- Part-time students
- 0.4%
- Women
- 57%
- Students per teacher
- 9
- Completion rate
- 91%
- Retention rate
- 93%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 49
- Endowment
- $1.3B
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 137 of 5,094 US colleges and 24 of 299 in New York (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | NY median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $28,786 | $17,682 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $70,306 | $13,810 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 14% | 73% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 91% | 64% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 93% | 79% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $15,000 | $15,250 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $64,949 | $38,937 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $85,139 | $47,733 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 86% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 84% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
49 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 147 | $17,500 | $77,274 | $128,887 | $82,686 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 76 | $16,250 | $56,064 | $83,188 | $63,293 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 62 | $16,000 | $79,929 | $161,980 | $107,009 |
| Research and Experimental PsychologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 62 | $16,000 | $41,883 | Withheld | $55,695 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 54 | $15,350 | $44,089 | Withheld | $65,466 |
| International Relations and National Security StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 44 | Withheld | Withheld | $77,199 | $66,596 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 39 | $15,875 | $48,008 | $60,702 | $48,590 |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 39 | Withheld | Withheld | $75,784 | $50,680 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's | Bachelor's | 38 | $17,000 | $41,870 | $70,760 | $55,012 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 37 | $14,730 | $34,796 | $57,996 | $57,214 |
| PhilosophyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 32 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $54,455 |
| Neurobiology and NeurosciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 31 | $17,250 | Withheld | Withheld | $62,451 |
| SociologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 29 | Withheld | $51,788 | Withheld | $52,657 |
| Peace Studies and Conflict ResolutionBachelor's | Bachelor's | 25 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $63,114 |
| PhysicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 24 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $76,786 |
| Education, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 20 | Withheld | Withheld | $57,530 | $49,808 |
| Film/Video and Photographic ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 20 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $43,765 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 16 | $16,900 | $53,541 | $81,802 | $55,000 |
| Geography and CartographyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $57,853 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 13 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,367 |
| Applied MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $91,532 |
| Area StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $56,625 |
| AnthropologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 10 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $46,676 |
| Religion/Religious StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,390 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/GeosciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 9 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $60,190 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Hamilton and New York on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in New York
- Homes: Homes for sale in New York
Questions and answers
How much does Colgate University cost?
$28,786 a year is the average net price at Colgate University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $70,306, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $87,070. Families earning under $30,000 pay $6,086 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Colgate University?
14% of applicants are admitted to Colgate University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,508 and the middle ACT score is 33. The median admission rate of colleges in New York is 73%.
How much do Colgate University graduates earn?
$85,139 a year is the median pay of former Colgate University students who work, 10 years after they started ($64,949 after 6 years). That ranks 137 of 5,094 US colleges and 24 of 299 in New York. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Computer Science (Bachelor's) at $79,929.
How much student debt do Colgate University graduates have?
$15,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Colgate University graduates, about $159 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 12% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Colgate University?
91% of first-time, full-time students at Colgate University finish within 6 years. 93% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Colgate University?
Economics (147 bachelor's graduates), Political Science and Government (76 bachelor's graduates), Computer Science (62 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 49 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.