Union College
Schenectady, New York | Admissions Phone: 518-388-6112
E-mail: admissions@union.edu | Website: www.union.edu
ADMISSION
Admission Rate: 39%
Admission Rate - Men: 37%
Admission Rate - Women: 40%
EA Admission Rate: Not Offered
ED Admission Rate: 56%
Admission Rate (5-Year Trend): +1%
ED Admission Rate (5-Year Trend): -11%
% of Admits Attending (Yield): 22%
Transfer Admission Rate: 30%
# Offered Wait List: 1,045
# Accepted Wait List: 516
# Admitted Wait List: 13
SAT Reading/Writing (Middle 50%): 620-700
SAT Math (Middle 50%): 650-730
ACT Composite (Middle 50%): 28-32
Testing Policy: Test Optional
SAT Superscore: Yes
ACT Superscore: Yes
% Graduated in Top 10% of HS Class: 61%
% Graduated in Top 25% of HS Class: 80%
% Graduated in Top 50% of HS Class: 94%
ENROLLMENT
Total Undergraduate Enrollment: 2,206
% Part-Time: 0%
% Male: 54%
% Female: 46%
% Out-of-State: 60%
% Fraternity: 28%
% Sorority: 34%
% On-Campus (Freshman): 98%
% On-Campus (All Undergraduate): 88%
% African-American: 4%
% Asian: 5%
% Hispanic: 8%
% White: 70%
% Other: 3%
% Race or Ethnicity Unknown: 0%
% International: 9%
% Low-Income: 19%
ACADEMICS
Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 10:1
% of Classes Under 20: 58%
% of Classes Under 40: 97%
% Full-Time Faculty: 88%
% Full-Time Faculty w/ Terminal Degree: 97%
Top Programs
Biology
Economics
Engineering
History
Mathematics
Neuroscience
Political Science
Psychology
Retention Rate: 95%
4-Year Graduation Rate: 84%
6-Year Graduation Rate: 87%
Curricular Flexibility: Less Flexible
Academic Rating: 
FINANCIAL
Institutional Type: Private
In-State Tuition: $56,853
Out-of-State Tuition: $56,853
Room & Board: $14,061
Required Fees: $471
Books & Supplies: $1,500
Avg. Need-Based Aid: $39,942
Avg. % of Need Met: 100%
Avg. Merit-Based Aid: $14,500
% Receiving Merit-Based Aid: 32%
Avg. Cumulative Debt: $35,388
% of Students Borrowing: 58%
CAREER
Who Recruits
1. Rapid7
2. BioSig Technologies
3. Brown Brothers Harriman
4. Northwell Health
5. Stanley Black & Decker
Notable Internships
1. Dow Jones
2. NBCUniversal
3. AIG
Top Industries
1. Business
2. Education
3. Operations
4. Engineering
5. Sales
Top Employers
1. IBM
2. GE
3. PwC
4. Morgan Stanley
5. GE Power
Where Alumni Work
1. New York City
2. Boston
3. Albany, NY
4. Washington, DC
5. San Francisco
Median Earnings
College Scorecard (Early Career): $65,400
EOP (Early Career): $66,600
PayScale (Mid-Career): $117,500
RANKINGS
Forbes: 104
Money: 58
U.S. News: 45, Liberal Arts Colleges
Wall Street Journal/THE: 115
Washington Monthly: 41, Liberal Arts Colleges
Inside the Classroom
Whether intent on studying the humanities or engineering, Union College in Schenectady, New York, can perfectly meet your needs. One of the select number of schools in the country that has been in existence since the 1700s, Union, while tough to get into, has not, like many of its peer institutions, reached absurd selectivity levels in recent years. A test-optional school looking for strong but not perfect students, this rigorous, well regarded, and exclusively undergraduate institution of 2,200 students is a perfect fit for a certain subset of high schoolers. It’s not a bad option considering that, in its illustrious history, Union has produced a US president, thirteen governors, 200 judges, seven cabinet secretaries, a National Book Award winner, and an Olympic Gold medalist.
Union operates on a trimester system of ten-week terms with an extended winter break. The common curriculum is both broad and highly demanding. Students begin with a First-Year Preceptorial that seeks to sharpen skills in the areas of critical reading and thinking as well as analytical writing. The Sophomore Research Seminar mandates that students participate in structured academic research early in their collegiate career. Dutchmen also must plow through requirements in literature, natural science, quantitative and mathematical reasoning, arts and humanities, science/engineering/technology, languages and cultures, and writing across the curriculum. Union is in the exclusive club of undergraduate institutions that require all graduates to complete a senior thesis.
Class sizes at Union are favorable for creating an intimate and friendly learning environment. A 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio leads to average introductory class sizes of twenty-one and average upper-level class sizes of only fourteen. Two-thirds of course sections have an enrollment of nineteen or fewer students. Faculty-mentored research is a staple of Union’s undergraduate program and is experienced by 100 percent of the student body in one form or another. During the Steinmetz Symposium, hundreds of students have the chance to showcase their research. Each year, over one hundred students conduct research with a faculty member for an entire summer. The school also takes immense pride in its popular study abroad program that sees more than 60 percent of its students from all disciplines spend a semester of study in a foreign land.
Economics, mechanical engineering, political science, and psychology are the most commonly conferred degrees, and are also very stong, with Union’s engineering program having perhaps the strongest national reputation. A top producer of Fulbright Scholars, the Class of 2018 produced seven winners as well as two National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellows. Traditionally, Union is among the largest producers of Watson Fellows, but it did not have any such winners in the Class of 2018.
Outside the Classroom
Close to 90 percent of undergraduates reside in university-run dorms or one of thirteen student-run theme houses on the 120-acre grounds. The Greek influence is massive with the eighteen sororities and fraternities (ten of which are residential) attracting roughly 40 percent of the student population. Regardless of Greek affiliation, every undergrad belongs to one of seven Minerva Houses, social hubs that serve to bring students and faculty together outside the classroom for social and academic activities. On the sports front, men and women’s ice hockey take center stage as each battles NCAA Division I competition; the other twenty-four squads are relegated to Division III status. In total, one-third of all Union students are members of an intercollegiate sports team. Opportunities for physical fitness also exist in the form of yoga, Pilates, dance, and aerobics classes. More than 130 student-run campus clubs are on tap, including fourteen community service groups and a number of cultural, academic, political, and performance-oriented groups. Other notables include WRUC, America’s first college radio station that was founded in 1920, and the Concordiensis student newspaper that launched in 1877. Schenectady’s downtown is a short car ride away, and longer road trips include Saratoga Springs, a little more than half an hour away, and New York and Boston that require three-hour trips.
Career Services
The Becker Career Center is staffed by six professionals, three of whom specialize in employer relations. That works out to a 378:1 student-to-advisor ratio that falls in the average range when compared to other institutions included this guidebook. Philosophically, the staff encourages students to follow their passions by pursuing opportunities that “pique their interest and spur their enthusiasm.” The staff aims to work with students early in their undergraduate careers, regularly administering tests such as the Meyers-Briggs to freshmen. Union hosts its own career fairs but also encourages participation in larger, joint efforts with other institutions. For example, Union, Swarthmore, Bard, and Connecticut College combine for the Fall Recruiting Consortium that attracts many major companies to Times Square.
Students are encouraged to connect with alumni via the Union Career Advisory Network. Alumni are eager to help current undergrads as evidenced by participation in events such as the Walk Down Wall Street that includes representatives Goldman Sachs, Barclay’s Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, and CITI. On-campus recruiting has doubled in the past decade and includes visits and interview opportunities with a host of desirable employers. Roughly 60 percent of Union students complete at least one internship during their four years. Overall, thanks to strong career outcomes and an influential alumni base, Becker does well for its graduates.
Professional Outcomes
Ninety-four percent of the Class of 2018 landed at their next destination within months of completing their degree with 66 percent entering full-time employment and 21 percent matriculating into graduate school. The most popular fields were finance/banking (16 percent), engineering (14 percent), education/academia (10 percent), sales (7 percent), and research (6 percent). Of the pool of all living alumni, Union has the largest representation at IBM, GE, PwC, Morgan Stanley, Fidelity Investments, and Accenture. Location-wise, the strongest presence of Dutchmen/women can be found in New York City; Boston; Albany; Washington, DC; San Francisco; and Philadelphia. Median income figures by the start of midcareer are strong, ranking eleventh among seventy-one highly selective colleges, which is in the same range as Boston University, Trinity College, and Northeastern.
The nearly one-quarter of students who pursue further education directly out of their undergraduate experience do so at a wide range of institutions that include many elite universities. Recent graduates have gone on to advanced business degrees at Stanford, Cornell, and UVA; advanced engineering degrees at Yale, MIT, and RPI, and science degrees at Brandeis, UCLA, and WPI. Many of those headed to medical school do so through the combined BS/MD program Union offers in conjunction with Albany Medical College, but other recent grads have gone on to study medicine at the likes of Johns Hopkins, Tufts, and Dartmouth. Likewise, many pursuing a legal education do so through the combined BA/JD program with partner Albany Law School while others have entered Harvard, Boston College, and the University of Michigan.
Admission
With an acceptance rate of 39 percent for the Class of 2022, Union College, while highly selective, offers strong students better odds of success than many others of its ilk. Still, those who ultimately enroll are often toward the top of their respective high school classes with 61 percent of 2018-19 freshmen hailing from the top decile and 80 percent from the top quartile. Of those who submit test scores (more on this in a moment), the mid-50 percent standardized test ranges are 1270-1430 on the SAT and 28-32 on the ACT.
Unless you are applying to the 3+3 Accelerated Law Program, Leadership in Medicine Program, or are a homes-chooled student, Union is a test-optional institution. Yet, in the most recent admissions cycle, 50 percent submitted SAT results and 29 percent included ACT scores on their applications. Atop the list of criteria deemed “very important” in evaluating an applicant are the rigor of secondary coursework, GPA, and class rank. Soft factors like talent/ability, personal qualities, volunteer work, and extracurricular activities also play a role in evaluating candidates. If you are a student on the cusp, applying early decision is absolutely the way to go as ED applicants are given a thumbs up at a 56 percent clip. You don’t need perfect grades to get into Union College—the average GPA for Class of 2022 enrollees was 3.4, and only 27 percent were over a 3.75—but you do need an area of notable strength and should be engaged in a mostly AP/honors-level high school curriculum.
Worth Your Money?
Union College sports a hefty cost of attendance of $73,410 per year. One-third of undergrads receive merit aid awards that average $14,500 per student, not greatly altering the high cost of the school. Where Union truly shines is with need-based aid; like the Ivies, it meets 100 percent of demonstrated need for every single student. Half of current students meet those criteria and receive an average grant approaching $40k. Even with the high price tag, Union is a school that opens doors and sends many graduates directly into remunerative fields such as engineering and finance.