More selective than 55% of New York colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $68,699. College Scorecard.
Higher than 79% of New York colleges we cover and 87% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 60% of New York colleges we cover and 78% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Ithaca College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 12,007 applicants, Ithaca College admitted 8,398 and 1,197 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1230–1390 on the SAT or 27–30 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Ithaca College tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
State aid: New York residents may qualify for the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP): up to $5,665 a year toward tuition at eligible New York colleges, for dependent students with New York net taxable family income up to $125,000. Not included in the prices above. New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC)
What Ithaca College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Ithaca College took 4.1 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in New York. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $21,901 | $89,575 | 3.1 years |
| $30–48k | $23,335 | $95,440 | 3.3 years |
| $48–75k | $28,832 | $117,923 | 4.1 years |
| $75–110k | $31,846 | $130,250 | 4.5 years |
| $110k+ | $38,785 | $158,631 | 5.5 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (68% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($63,548) minus $34,633 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NY (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $28,915 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Ithaca College majors, earnings & careers
Ithaca College offers 52 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 14
- Health & Medicine · 7
- Science & Math · 7
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 7
- Arts & Design · 5
- Communications & Media · 5
- Business & Finance · 3
- Engineering · 2
- Education · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at Ithaca College
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting | $102,626 | $25,000 |
| Computer Science | $98,373 | $21,000 |
| Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences | $76,766 | $25,959 |
| Physiology | $76,318 | $23,149 |
| Business Administration | $75,810 | $25,000 |
| Public Relations and Advertising | $68,029 | $23,250 |
| Journalism | $61,317 | $25,000 |
| Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders | $61,090 | $24,403 |
Quick list of all 52 majors
- Accounting$102,626
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$55,591
- Anthropology—
- Architecture—
- Arts and Entertainment Management—
- Audiovisual Communications Technologies / Technicians$48,412
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$55,643
- Broadcasting / Digital Media$58,804
- Business Administration$75,810
- Chemistry—
- Communications—
- Computer Science$98,373
- Cultural Studies / Critical Theory and Analysis—
- Economics—
- Education (Subject Teaching)$58,902
- Engineering Physics—
- English—
- Environmental Science / Conservation$48,010
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Film and Photography$44,829
- German—
- Gerontology—
- Health Administration—
- Health Sciences—
- History—
- Intercultural / Multicultural and Diversity Studies—
- Journalism$61,317
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science—
- Legal Studies / Paralegal—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Linguistics—
- Mathematics—
- Music$51,338
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies—
- Philosophy—
- Philosophy and Religious Studies, Other—
- Physics—
- Physiology$76,318
- Political Science$49,440
- Psychology$53,057
- Psychology (Clinical / Counseling)—
- Public Health—
- Public Relations and Advertising$68,029
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences$76,766
- Religious Studies—
- Sociology$38,727
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$61,090
- Studio Art—
- Theatre$46,563
- Writing$51,001
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Public Relations and Advertising → Public relations specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Ithaca
Overall prices in the Ithaca, NY area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,709. Housing costs 28% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 38 inches of rain a year, 63 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, Tompkins County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Tompkins County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Ithaca College with similar schools
Similar private colleges in New York by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ithaca College | 69% | $33,926 | 76% | $63,548 | This school |
| Siena College | 69% | $33,733 | 75% | $76,079 | |
| Pratt Institute-Main | 73% | $52,659 | 74% | $54,295 | |
| Touro University | 61% | $29,627 | 72% | $53,419 | |
| St. John Fisher University | 66% | $28,945 | 74% | $66,944 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Ithaca College would cost you $193 more per year than Siena College, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Ithaca College, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$6,960).
- Ithaca College gives aided families $3,636 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, New York resident | Ithaca College | Siena College | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $53,540 | $46,580 | +$6,960 |
| Books & supplies | $850 | $1,293 | −$443 |
| Housing & meals | $16,030 | $16,700 | −$670 |
| Personal & travel | $1,326 | $2,472 | −$1,146 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,047 | −$2,175 | −$872 |
| Sticker price | $68,699 | $64,870 | +$3,829 |
| Average grants | −$34,773 | −$31,137 | −$3,636 |
| You pay | $33,926 | $33,733 | +$193 |
“+” means Ithaca College costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Ithaca College
What is the Ithaca College acceptance rate?
Ithaca College accepts 69% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 8,398 of 12,007 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1230–1390 on the SAT or 27–30 on the ACT.
How much does Ithaca College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $68,699 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $33,926 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $21,901 and families earning $110k+ pay $38,785.
How much do Ithaca College graduates earn?
Former Ithaca College students earn a median $63,548 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Ithaca College graduation rate?
76% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 85% return for their second year.
How long does a Ithaca College degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Ithaca College costs about $117,923 after grants ($28,832 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $63,548 ten years after starting, $28,915 more than high school graduates in New York ($34,633), so the cost is repaid in 4.1 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Ithaca College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/ithaca-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).