More selective than 86% 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 $84,561. College Scorecard.
Higher than 84% of New York colleges we cover and 90% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 91% of New York colleges we cover and 96% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Union College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 9,295 applicants, Union College admitted 4,070 and 550 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1310–1480 on the SAT or 29–33 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Union 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 Union College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Union 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 | $11,776 | $48,753 | under 1 year |
| $30–48k | $16,415 | $67,958 | 1.3 years |
| $48–75k | $23,941 | $99,116 | 1.8 years |
| $75–110k | $34,100 | $141,174 | 2.6 years |
| $110k+ | $45,017 | $186,370 | 3.5 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (75% 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 ($88,604) minus $34,633 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NY (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $53,971 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.
Union College majors, earnings & careers
Union College offers 40 bachelor's majors across 7 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 12
- Science & Math · 12
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 5
- Engineering · 4
- Arts & Design · 3
- Business & Finance · 2
- Technology & Computing · 2
Highest-earning majors at Union College
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Business Economics | $114,064 | — |
| Economics | $99,783 | $27,000 |
| Biology | $87,208 | $24,500 |
| Biomedical Engineering | $86,182 | $27,000 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $85,427 | $27,000 |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | $75,345 | $24,500 |
| Political Science | $75,005 | $26,899 |
| Neuroscience | $68,666 | $24,989 |
Quick list of all 40 majors
- Anthropology—
- Area Studies—
- Astronomy and Astrophysics—
- Biochemistry—
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other—
- Biological and Physical Sciences—
- Biology$87,208
- Biomedical Engineering$86,182
- Business Economics$114,064
- Chemistry—
- Classics—
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Engineering—
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Economics$99,783
- Electrical Engineering—
- English—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- History—
- Information Science / Studies—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$75,345
- Linguistics—
- Mathematics—
- Mechanical Engineering$85,427
- Music—
- Neuroscience$68,666
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$75,005
- Psychology (Research)—
- Religious Studies—
- Social Sciences—
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Studio Art—
- Systems Science and Theory—
- Theatre—
— 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 →Mechanical Engineering → Mechanical engineer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 11.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Biology → Biological technician
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 7.4% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Albany
Overall prices in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,711. Housing costs 3% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 41 inches of rain a year, 59 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
No hazard rated high.
FEMA National Risk Index, Schenectady County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Schenectady County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Union 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union College | 44% | $34,561 | 80% | $88,604 | This school |
| St Lawrence University | 54% | $28,651 | 79% | $67,258 | |
| Manhattan School of Music | 41% | $51,754 | 78% | $26,878 | |
| Yeshiva University | 56% | $49,965 | 83% | $71,353 | |
| Bard College | 52% | $34,649 | 68% | $46,543 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Union College would cost you $5,910 more per year than St Lawrence University, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Union College, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$3,139).
- St Lawrence University gives aided families $3,349 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, New York resident | Union College | St Lawrence University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $69,039 | $65,900 | +$3,139 |
| Books & supplies | $1,500 | $750 | +$750 |
| Housing & meals | $16,389 | $16,480 | −$91 |
| Personal & travel | $525 | $900 | −$375 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$2,892 | −$2,030 | −$862 |
| Sticker price | $84,561 | $82,000 | +$2,561 |
| Average grants | −$50,000 | −$53,349 | +$3,349 |
| You pay | $34,561 | $28,651 | +$5,910 |
“+” means Union 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 Union College
What is the Union College acceptance rate?
Union College accepts 44% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 4,070 of 9,295 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1310–1480 on the SAT or 29–33 on the ACT.
How much does Union College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $84,561 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $34,561 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $11,776 and families earning $110k+ pay $45,017.
How much do Union College graduates earn?
Former Union College students earn a median $88,604 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Union College graduation rate?
80% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 90% return for their second year.
How long does a Union College degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Union College costs about $99,116 after grants ($23,941 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $88,604 ten years after starting, $53,971 more than high school graduates in New York ($34,633), so the cost is repaid in 1.8 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: “Union College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/union-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).