Who Union College Is
Union College is a private, nonprofit, four-year college focused on the arts and sciences. The Carnegie system—the way the government classifies colleges in this country according to what they do—places it in its most selective admissions category and describes it as a small, highly residential school: at least half of its students in bachelor’s degree programs live in institution-owned housing, and at least 80 out of every 100 attend full time. That figure comes from 2019-20; keep that in mind when you read it.
Being “highly residential” does not mean your child is required to move there or that room and board are included in tuition. They are charged separately, and we will get to those figures.
It is in Schenectady, New York, within the county of the same name, in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy metropolitan area. That tells you where the dot is on the map, not how to get there or how long the trip actually takes. If your child were considering living at home, the only honest way to find out is to drive the route yourself on a weekday at the time of your child’s classes. The time shown on the map is almost never the actual time.
At the institutional level, IPEDS—the federal system that compiles these data—records it as a degree-granting institution, primarily at the bachelor’s degree level or above, with the bachelor’s degree as the highest level it reports offering. That is a fact about the institution as a whole, not confirmation that the specific program your child is interested in is offered there or leads to that degree. That must be verified program by program.
And one clarification worth making right away: Union College is not recorded as a historically Black college or university, a tribal college or university, or a land-grant institution. Among the 3,012 universities in this federal directory, 138 carry at least one of those three designations; Union carries none. That does not tell you which students it serves or how your child will feel there. Ask about that directly, through today’s cultural centers and student organizations, not through a checked or unchecked box.
Scale and Who Will Share the Classroom With Your Child
Union College had 2,082 students enrolled in the official fall count, all at the undergraduate level. It is a medium-sized school—neither among the largest nor among the smallest—compared with similar schools. IPEDS estimates the full-time equivalent among those 2,082 at 2,072. None of these figures tells you the size of a classroom; you have to ask about that directly.
Here is a figure that does matter and should be stated plainly: 9 out of every 100 undergraduate students are Hispanic or Latino. It is a small minority, and compared with the 941 similar selective private schools that report this information, Union ranks below the midpoint of that group. There are hardly any adult learners—2 out of every 100 are between 25 and 64 years old—and the split between men and women is nearly even: 45 out of every 100 are women.
Having few Latino students does not make the school bad, just as having many would not make it good. It is simply a fact about who is enrolled. If your child will be one of only a few, the right question is not “Should my child go?” but “What groups, what support, and what people like my child are there now?” Talk with a current student before deciding. The figure you just read covers the entire school; your child’s specific program may look different.
How Academics Work
The calendar follows a trimester system: the year is divided into three periods of about 15 weeks each. Union College reported that it accepts credit for AP examinations, but it did not indicate that it awards credit for life experience. Accepting AP does not mean it grants credit for every exam: this does not say what scores are required or whether those credits count toward your child’s degree program. Request that in writing, as a transfer-credit evaluation, before enrolling.
In a recent year, Union College awarded 428 bachelor’s degrees across 17 fields of study. Not one accounted for even 30 out of every 100 degrees; social sciences awarded the most, with 24 out of every 100. The degrees are spread across fields; this is not a school built around one dominant discipline. This counts degrees awarded, not people or the current catalog: ask about your child’s exact program, how many students graduate from it, and how long they take.
The official student-to-instructional-staff ratio is 10 to 1, a low figure compared with similar schools. But that aggregate ratio does not tell you the actual size of a classroom or guarantee more attention for your child; the federal file does not explain how it was calculated or provide the size of first-year classes.
Union College also reports one structured opportunity: study abroad.
How Admission Works
Union College does not have open admission: it reviews application components before saying yes. Of the nine considerations covered by this report—not counting tests or legacy status—it marked four as required: the high school record, high school GPA, letters of recommendation, and an English-language proficiency exam when applicable. Other components are not required but are considered if submitted: class rank, academic program, the personal essay, work experience, and whether someone in the family attended the school. That last one is the only component your child cannot change. If it does not apply, do not spend energy on it; spend that energy on what is within your child’s control. The application fee is $60.
Now for the hard numbers on who gets in. In the most recent cycle, Union College received 9,295 applications for first-time admission and offered admission to 4,070. That is an admission rate of 44 out of every 100. Compared with the 942 similar selective private schools, it falls on the lower side: seven out of ten schools in that group, or more, accepted a higher percentage of applicants. On the other side, 5,225 applicants did not receive an offer—the data do not distinguish among denial, waitlisting, or withdrawal. It is selective. Having it on your child’s list is fine. Having it as the only school is not.
Here is something that surprises many families: out of every 100 students admitted, only 14 ultimately enrolled. Put another way, out of every 7 young people who receive a yes from Union College, roughly one ends up attending. The other six had a place there and did not take it. Do not read that as a stain on the school: the federal record does not say why each person chose what they chose. What does matter is this: receiving the letter is not the same as deciding to attend, and what others decided does not tell you what the school will offer you. Wait for your own letter showing the net price—what it would actually cost—before adding or removing this school from the list.
About tests: SAT and ACT scores are not required at Union College. If your child submits them, they are considered; if not, the application remains active just the same. Among those who enrolled, 36 out of every 100 submitted SAT scores—a high share compared with schools of the same type. Among those students, the middle half scored between 650 and 720 in reading and writing, and between 660 and 760 in mathematics. Be careful: those ranges cover students who enrolled and submitted scores, not all applicants. The 650 is not a minimum for admission, and the 720 does not guarantee anything.
About transfers: among the cohort that entered in 2017 seeking a bachelor’s degree, only 11 out of every 100 are shown as having transferred to another school without completing here—a low share compared with similar schools. On the other side, very few students from other colleges arrive at Union as transfer students: just 20 in the most recent fall count. If your child were considering transferring into or out of Union, this figure does not tell you how many credits the school will accept. Request that in writing, with the course list in hand.
What It Costs and What You Would Actually Pay
At Union College, among 36 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $15,257. Among 29 students in the same population with EFC-recorded family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $21,768; among 162 students with EFC-recorded family income above $110,000, it was $48,517. For dependent students, the income band combines their parents’ income and their own.
There is a difference of $33,260 between the average for the lowest-income band (36 students) and the average for the highest-income band (162 students). These are group averages, not a prediction of your family’s price. Among first-year students who received any scholarship, the average was $42,884.
$15,257 was the average net price for the lowest-income families in academic year 2022-23. That does not mean it is what your family will pay. It helps you decide whether it is worth requesting the financial aid letter.
Because the price varies so much from one income band to another, identifying yours correctly comes first. The income bands on this fact sheet describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average with scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional scholarships or grants. The letter that matters is the financial aid letter sent to you.
Aid and the Loan Nearly Half of Students Sign For
90 out of every 100 students at Union College receive some scholarship or aid that does not have to be repaid. That is common here, not the exception. Among those who receive it, the average was $37,315 for the year—but that average includes people who received much more and people who received much less. The Pell Grant, which is federal aid for low-income families, reached only 13 out of every 100 students. That means at least 77 out of every 100 received aid that came from somewhere else—from the school itself, the state, or another source—and the report does not distinguish exactly which one. Ask directly who provides that scholarship and what is required to renew it each year.
And now the piece I want you to see clearly: in the most recent school year, 45 out of every 100 undergraduate students at Union College received a federal loan. That is nearly half. Among those who borrowed, the average amount per borrower that year was $6,077. If your child borrowed a similar amount in each of the four years the degree takes, the total would be around $24,308, not including interest. That figure is decided before the first signature, not at the end. And be careful: this is only a federal loan in the student’s name for one year. It does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign for, bank debt, credit card debt, or the total debt someone has upon graduating.
Financing with loans is common at Union College. Compared with similar schools, it falls on the lower side in the share of students with debt, but it is still nearly one out of every two. This percentage describes other families, not yours. The amount your child would need to borrow comes from your child’s own financial aid letter. Wait for that letter before ruling out the school and before committing to it.
Union College also offers a tuition installment payment plan as an additional way to manage the cost.
Campus Life, ROTC, Sports, and Support
Union College has its own housing, but it does not require every first-time student to live there—this rules out a universal requirement; it does not confirm that no program has one. It also offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies according to the plan you choose. The maximum reported capacity of institution-controlled housing is 2,043 students. The existence of a room does not guarantee an available bed for your child: request the rate and deadline in writing, along with whether a place is guaranteed or your child would join a waiting list.
About ROTC: Union College indicated that an opportunity is available through all three branches—Army, Navy, and Air Force. Marking all three is not common: among the 3,012 universities in this directory, only 135 do so. But having the box marked does not confirm that the program is conducted on this specific campus, that space is available, or that a scholarship is offered. Ask each branch separately before building a plan around this.
In sports, Union College competes at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NCAA—the country’s best-known college athletic association. It reports membership for football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. The membership belongs to the school, not to your child: contact the coach of the sport your child is interested in, ask whether there is a place on the team, which division it competes in, and whether that sport offers scholarships. Get the answer in writing.
Union College does not offer distance education—not a single course, at either the undergraduate or graduate level. If your child works or cares for someone at home, the schedule will have to fit around in-person classes.
The library operates with paid staff, has physical and digital materials, and offers interlibrary loans. The institution also reports combined academic and career counseling services, employment services for current students, placement services after program completion, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program for veterans, and a webpage with services for people with disabilities. The existence and reporting of these services do not tell you how good they are or how accessible they will be for your child in particular. Ask about that directly and specifically before deciding.
Those Who Stay and Those Who Finish
Of the cohort that entered Union College in the fall of 2022, 89 out of every 100 were still enrolled there or had already completed the bachelor’s degree one year later. That is a high share compared with similar schools. But this figure combines two different groups—those who are still studying and those who have already finished—and does not reveal what happened to the rest.
About graduation: among those who entered a bachelor’s degree program in 2017, attended full time, and had not previously attended another college, 85 out of every 100 completed the degree within six years or less—486 out of 570 students. At the four-year mark, the figure drops to 75 out of every 100; there is a ten-point difference between allowing four years and allowing six. Compared with 920 similar schools, Union is among those with the highest graduation shares: nine out of ten schools in that group reported an equal or lower share.
It is a strong figure, and I want to be equally clear about what it does not mean: a high percentage does not guarantee anything for your child in particular. It describes what happened to that specific cohort at that specific school. What is within your control is making sure your child enters with credits in order and knows, from the first semester, who the academic adviser is and when registration opens for courses in the program.
At the eight-year mark, also counting those who arrived with prior college experience, 85 out of every 100 in that cohort had earned a degree or certificate from this school. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was 89 out of every 100—four points above the group without Pell. Here too, Union is among the schools with the highest completion shares compared with its peers. A high figure does not predict one person’s outcome; it describes a cohort that entered years ago. It is worth asking about current program support and the outcomes of more recent cohorts.
What Comes Next
You now have one solid piece of the map: who Union College is, how selective it is, what its listed price is and what families similar to yours have paid, how others finance it, and how many of those who enter finish. None of these figures decides for you. The admission figures do not tell you whether your child will be happy there. The net-price figures do not tell you what your family will pay until the actual letter arrives. The graduation figures do not predict your child’s story.
Combine this with what your child wants to study, what your child has built so far, and what your family can and is willing to pay. A plan comes from that combination, not from this reading alone. Complete the FAFSA, request the financial aid letter in writing, and use that figure—yours, not anyone else’s average—to decide whether Union College stays on the list.
Source note: The information in this article comes from official data reported by Union College to the United States Department of Education’s IPEDS system, primarily covering the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent Union College or any government agency; this article does not replace information the university itself may provide to you directly.