Union College — admissions, outcomes, merit aid & scholarships

🎯 Parent/student verdict

Match

Solid match for academically prepared students.

✅ Best for

Strong academic profile (SAT 1310–1480 · ACT 30–33 middle 50% + typically a 3.9+ unweighted GPA in rigorous coursework)
Students drawn to Social Sciences or Engineering (the two biggest majors)
Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience
Strong long-term ROI — median 10-yr earnings of $88,604 against an average net cost of ~$34,561/yr

🎯 The reality

Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 1310, or ACT below 30, or unweighted GPA below ~3.80 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification

Baccalaureate Colleges: Arts & Sciences Focus

Total enrollment

2,046

1,000 - 4,999

In-state tuition

$69,039

sticker, before aid

Tuition

$69,039

flat rate (no in/out-of-state split)

Admit rate

43.8%

Moderately selective

SAT middle 50%

1310–1480

EBRW + Math composite

ACT middle 50%

30–33

composite

Test policy

Test-optional

2023

10-yr earnings

$88,604

median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry

$63,219

Earnings, 10 yrs after entry

$88,604

4-year completion

80%

Median debt (completers)

$25,337

Cost of attendance

$84,561

sticker price, not net

Pell-eligible students

14%

💰 True ROI

6.4× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)

$138,244

$34,561/yr avg net

Aid that hides behind the sticker

$200,000

vs sticker $338,244

10-yr earnings total

$886,040

$88,604/yr median, 10 yrs out

Years to recoup actual cost

1.6 yrs

at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Union College, the average net price is $34,561/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k

$11,776/yr

Family income $30-48k

$16,415/yr

Family income $48-75k

$23,941/yr

Family income $75-110k

$34,100/yr

Family income $110k+

$45,017/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Union College's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Union College →

Opens on Union College's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Union College

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Union College actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Social Sciences

103 degrees · 32.4%

Typical career outcomes

Economist $118k Political Scientist $130k Sociologist $93k Market Research Analyst $75k

Economics + poli sci sub-disciplines pay much more than sociology + anthropology.

2. Engineering

77 degrees · 24.2%

Typical career outcomes

Mechanical Engineer $100k Electrical Engineer $107k Civil Engineer $93k Chemical Engineer $112k

Engineering majors land high-paying technical roles. Top-earning sub-disciplines: petroleum, chemical, computer engineering.

3. Biological & Biomedical Sciences

58 degrees · 18.2%

Typical career outcomes

Biological Scientist $87k Medical & Clinical Lab Tech $61k Pharmaceutical Rep $82k Physician (post-MD) $239k

Many bio majors → med school / grad school. Direct-employment bio roles are lower-paid than that pipeline.

4. Liberal Arts, Humanities, & General Studies

42 degrees · 13.2%

Typical career outcomes

Management Analyst $99k Marketing Specialist $75k HR Specialist $68k

Flexible degree → many paths. Real outcomes depend on the second skill (data, coding, teaching cert).

5. Psychology

38 degrees · 11.9%

Typical career outcomes

HR Specialist $68k Market Research Analyst $75k Clinical Psychologist (post-PhD) $93k Social Worker $58k

Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Union College

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP)	Credential	Cohort	1-yr earnings	4-yr earnings
Business/Managerial Economics.	Bachelor's Degree	11	—	$114,064
Economics.	Bachelor's Degree	98	$62,846	$99,783
Biology, General.	Bachelor's Degree	46	—	$87,208
Biomedical/Medical Engineering.	Bachelor's Degree	20	$62,624	$86,182
Mechanical Engineering.	Bachelor's Degree	40	$68,407	$85,427
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities.	Bachelor's Degree	1	$45,516	$75,345
Political Science and Government.	Bachelor's Degree	47	$49,759	$75,005
Neurobiology and Neurosciences.	Bachelor's Degree	31	$44,927	$68,666

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Union College

CS degrees (annual)

18

CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Union College vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.