10-yr median earnings
$85,139
Federal aid recipients only
Private Nonprofit · Hamilton, New York
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private nonprofit institution in Hamilton, New York. as a private nonprofit, published Scorecard outcomes cover federal-aid recipients at this campus — endowment and sticker price sit outside those cohort fields.
- $85,139
- 10-yr median earnings
- 13.9%
- Acceptance rate
- $28,786
- Avg net price / yr
- 90.9%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
Colgate University pairs top-5% former-student earnings with a very selective admit.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 3%
- former-student earnings, US
- 13.9%
- acceptance rate
- 90.9%
- 150%-time completion
- +31%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
Rural: Distant
Carnegie: Bacc: A&S
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Colgate University profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
B
College Value Score
72/100
Colgate University
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings A+
$85,139
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price F
$28,786
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate A+
90.9%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt D
$15,000
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment A+
90.0%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention A
93.4%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$28,786
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
90.9%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 90.9%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Colgate University vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Colgate University ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Colgate University: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$85,139 Top 3% higher than 97% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | Colgate University | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $85,139 | #137 of 5103 | 97th |
| Average net price | $28,786 | #4365 of 5020 | 13th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 90.9% | #195 of 4858 | 96th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 3,180 | #1044 of 5462 | 81st |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
3,180
Undergraduate enrollment
13.9%
Acceptance rate
1,508
SAT average
90.9%
150%-time completion
$85,139
10-yr median earnings
93.4%
First-year retention
How Colgate University ranks in New York
State rank among 299 reporting New York colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Colgate University | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $85,139 | #24 of 299 | 92nd |
| Average net price | $28,786 | #259 of 328 | 21st (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 90.9% | #26 of 322 | 92nd |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 3,180 | #74 of 367 | 80th |
Highest former-student earnings in New York
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences | $131,426 | $29,882 |
| 2 | Helene Fuld College of Nursing | $111,027 | $47,181 |
| 3 | SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University | $109,601 | - |
| 4 | Center for Allied Health Education | $107,249 | $48,150 |
| 5 | Miami Ad School-New York | $106,192 | - |
| 6 | St Paul's School of Nursing-Queens | $104,403 | $26,315 |
| 7 | Cornell University | $104,043 | $28,690 |
| 8 | Weill Medical College of Cornell University | $104,043 | - |
| 9 | Columbia University in the City of New York | $102,491 | $21,590 |
| 10 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | $102,051 | $36,228 |
| 11 | Cochran School of Nursing | $99,503 | - |
| 12 | Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing | $96,980 | - |
| 24 | Colgate UniversityThis school | $85,139 | $28,786 |
Admissions
| Admission Rate | 13.9% |
| SAT Average | 1,508 |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 720 – 780 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 710 – 760 |
| ACT Average | 33 |
| ACT (25th-75th) | 33 – 34 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Colgate University
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k $6,086
$0 – $30k
$6,086 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k $2,678
$30k – $48k
$2,678 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k $13,617
$48k – $75k
$13,617 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$48,234 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Colgate University - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $70,306 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $70,306 |
| Average Net Price | $28,786 |
12.5%
Pell Grant Rate
12.3%
Federal Loan Rate
$15,000
Median Debt
$159/mo
Monthly Payment
What students pay at Colgate University rose +63.3% since 2013
Average net price for the reported Title IV-recipient cohort went from $17,711 in 2013 to $28,920 in 2023, a rise of $11,209 in nominal dollars. Across the 4,315 colleges measured over the same 2013–2023 span, the median change was +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $17,7112023 · $28,920
Over the same years, enrollment went +8.7% (2,872 → 3,122 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
57.6%
Female
18.1%
First Generation
Outcomes
93.4%
Retention Rate
$64,949
Median Earnings (6yr)
79.1%
Earning Over $25K
90.0%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 90.9% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 93.4% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $64,949 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $85,139 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 79.1% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 90.0% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $15,000 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $159/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Top programs at Colgate University by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Computer Science
Computer Science
$161,980 median earnings
- Economics
Economics
$128,887 median earnings
- Political Science and Gove…
Political Science and Government
$83,188 median earnings
- Romance Languages, Literat…
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
$81,802 median earnings
- International Relations an…
International Relations and National Security Studies
$77,199 median earnings
- History
History
$75,784 median earnings
- Natural Resources Conserva…
Natural Resources Conservation and Research
$70,760 median earnings
- English Language and Liter… $60,702
English Language and Literature, General
$60,702 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
| Program | Credential | Completers | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | Bachelor's | 49 | $161,980 | $16,000 |
| Economics | Bachelor's | 143 | $128,887 | $17,500 |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's | 87 | $83,188 | $16,250 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Bachelor's | 26 | $81,802 | $16,900 |
| International Relations and National Security Studies | Bachelor's | 47 | $77,199 | - |
| History | Bachelor's | 31 | $75,784 | - |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | Bachelor's | 37 | $70,760 | $17,000 |
| English Language and Literature, General | Bachelor's | 36 | $60,702 | $15,875 |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's | 31 | $57,996 | $14,730 |
| Education, General | Bachelor's | 18 | $57,530 | - |
| Area Studies | Bachelor's | 18 | - | - |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology | Bachelor's | 38 | - | $15,350 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences | Bachelor's | 33 | - | $17,250 |
| Philosophy | Bachelor's | 27 | - | - |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's | 0 | - | - |
Nearby Schools
SUNY Morrisville
Morrisville, NY
1,923 students
Delaware Chenango Madison Otsego BOCES-Practical Nursing Program
Norwich, NY
31 students
Madison Oneida BOCES-Practical Nursing Program
Verona, NY
113 students
Hamilton College
Clinton, NY
2,030 students
Saint Elizabeth College of Nursing
Utica, NY
153 students
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Independent Scorecard matches among reporting colleges — not recommendations from the institution or a counselor.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Private Nonprofit institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Private Nonprofit institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Similar 2013–2023 Net-Price Trend
Same-sector institutions with the same direction and nearest fitted annual change; only series with R² of at least 0.40 qualify.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the acceptance rate at Colgate University? ▼
Colgate University is a private nonprofit institution in Hamilton, New York. The acceptance rate is 13.9%. The average SAT score is 1,508. Undergraduate enrollment is 3,180 students.
How much do Colgate University former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Colgate University who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $85,139 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $64,949.
How much does Colgate University cost? ▼
The average net price at Colgate University is $28,786. In-state tuition is $70,306 and out-of-state tuition is $70,306. Median student debt at graduation is $15,000.
What is the graduation rate at Colgate University? ▼
Colgate University has a 90.9% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 93.4%.
Is Colgate University worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Colgate University is $15,000, while former students earn a median of $85,139 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 18% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 90.0% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $159.
Sources & methodology
Private-nonprofit profiles emphasize Scorecard cost-after-aid and completion alongside IPEDS Carnegie class. Endowment, gifts, and sticker price are not Scorecard fields on this page.
Figures are the Mar–Jul 2026 federal retrievals. Nonprofit campuses vary widely in aid practice — net price here is the Title-IV-recipient cohort average, not an individual award letter. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from Colgate University
- Compare Colgate University against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in New York side by side.Browse New York
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Nonprofit Scorecard medians describe federal-aid recipients who were working and not enrolled — they are not sticker-price ROI and not advice.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Private-nonprofit profiles compile Scorecard net-price and earnings cohorts with IPEDS structure fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.