Colgate University

Private · Highly Selective · NY

Photo: Colgate University (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationNY · Northeast

SettingRural

Undergrads3,180

Student:faculty9:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate84.9%

6-yr grad rate91.2%

Drop-out rate6.6%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$70k

Out-of-state tuition$70k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity35.8%

Gender diversity56.8%

International8.1%

Identity—

Overview

Colgate is a private liberal arts university in the village of Hamilton in rural central New York, founded by Baptist ministers in 1819 with early support from the Colgate family, later of Colgate-Palmolive. Its hillside campus overlooking the village is considered one of the country's most scenic, and students famously navigate a long run of stone steps between the upper and lower parts of campus multiple times a day. Deep alumni loyalty is a defining trait of the institution's culture.

Academics

A required Core Curriculum introduces all students to shared intellectual questions across a sequence of courses before they specialize in a major, a structure less common among peer liberal arts colleges that otherwise favor open curricula. Economics and political science have a particularly strong tradition here, supported by close faculty relationships typical of a small residential university committed to undergraduate teaching. Distinctive faculty-led 'extended study' seminars combine a regular course with an off-campus travel component during breaks, a hallmark of a Colgate education.

Campus & student life

The residential, outdoorsy culture is tight-knit by design, reinforced by the rural village setting that keeps most social and recreational life on or near campus. Colgate competes in the Patriot League, a Division I conference, giving it a bigger athletic profile than most liberal arts colleges its size. Alumni return in visible numbers for reunions and campus events, a sign of how strongly the community sticks together after graduation.

Getting in

Colgate reads applications holistically, and given its small size and rural, residential character, fit with that tight-knit community is a real factor alongside academic strength. The Core Curriculum experience is often mentioned as something applicants should be prepared to embrace rather than an obstacle to work around.

After graduation

Graduates go on strongly into finance, consulting, and law, aided by an alumni network known for being unusually engaged and loyal even decades after graduation. Strong STEM offerings also send a real share of graduates toward medicine and academia.

Worth knowing

The extended-study seminar model lets students travel internationally as a required part of a regular course, not just through a separate study-abroad office -- a distinctive feature worth knowing about. The hillside campus and its steps are a genuine daily-life feature, not just scenery, especially in a central New York winter.

colgate.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate13.9%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1430–1540 · ACT 33–34

Test policyoptional

Rec letters3

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early decisionNov 1

Regular decisionJan 15

Verified from the school’s admissions page ↗

Applying (2026-27 cycle)

Apply through Common App, Coalition (Scoir), or QuestBridge.

Early decision IIJan 15

Financial aid formsJan 15

Early Decision I and II are binding commitments to enroll if admitted; Early Decision II shares its deadline with Regular Decision, which carries no commitment.

Verified from the school’s admissions pages ↗