Ithaca College

Private · Moderately Selective · NY

Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationNY · Northeast

SettingSuburban

Undergrads4,242

Student:faculty10:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate66.1%

6-yr grad rate76.2%

Drop-out rate15.3%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$54k

Out-of-state tuition$54k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity28.7%

Gender diversity54.3%

International3%

Identity—

Overview

Ithaca College is a private college in New York's Finger Lakes region, sharing a hilltop above Cayuga Lake with Cornell University across town. It combines a strong professional-arts identity, particularly in media production and music, with solid programs in health sciences and a broader liberal-arts curriculum.

Academics

The Roy H. Park School of Communications is the college's signature, with especially strong television and radio production programs that place graduates throughout the broadcast and media industries. The School of Music operates with conservatory-level rigor even though most music students are not pursuing performance exclusively, and physical therapy and other health-science programs are similarly well regarded and competitive to enter.

Campus & student life

The campus sits on a hill above the city of Ithaca and Cayuga Lake, giving it dramatic views but real physical separation from downtown and from Cornell, which occupies its own hill nearby. Ithaca is a classic small college town, and the presence of two colleges in one town shapes local culture, restaurants, and social life well beyond what either institution could sustain alone.

Getting in

Ithaca College's admissions process is holistic, and portfolio or audition requirements apply for many of its communications, music, and theater programs, meaning applicants to those tracks are evaluated on creative work as much as transcripts.

After graduation

The Park School's media alumni network is genuinely deep, and Ithaca graduates are well represented in television, radio, and film production roles relative to the college's size, functioning as a real professional pipeline for students who complete internships and hands-on production coursework there.

Worth knowing

Applicants to communications, music, or theater programs should expect a portfolio, audition, or supplemental creative component beyond the standard application, and should not assume Ithaca's programs are interchangeable with Cornell's simply because the two share a town.

ithaca.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate69%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1230–1390 · ACT 27–30

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early actionDec 1

Early decisionNov 1

Regular decisionFeb 1

Verified from the school’s admissions page ↗

Applying