Colgate University
Hamilton, New York · Private · 3,180 undergraduates · colgate.edu
Test policy (fall 2027)
Test optional
Sending scores is your choice
Admit rate
18%
of 17,310 applicants
SAT (middle 50%)
1450 to 1510
of enrolled freshmen
Annual cost (2027-28)
$99,420Est.Estimate
before aid
Your chances and merit aid at Colgate University
See where you stand for admission, how much merit aid you could get, and what you'd pay after it.
We started you at a typical enrolled freshman here. Move the sliders to match you.
Your admission chances
18% of applicants admitted
Target
Your SAT is inside the range where the middle half of enrolled freshmen scored, and your GPA is in the middle half of freshmen's.
Estimated merit aid
a year
Your cost after merit aid
$99,420
a year in 2027-28, from a $99,420 sticker price
What to do with your 1480
Send your score
Your SAT is at or above the median of freshmen who sent scores (1480).
Reach, target and likely are a rough guide from your test score and how selective the college is. Admissions also weigh your courses, grades, essays and activities. Merit aid figures are estimates, before any need-based aid.
Admissions
Test policy for fall 2027
Test optional
You choose whether to send an SAT or ACT score. If you send one, it's considered.
- Superscores: it combines your best section scores from different test dates.
- You can type your scores into the application; official reports come later.
Source: First-Year Applicants · Checked October 16, 2026
Application deadlines
- Nov1Early Decision · November 1, 2026Binding: if admitted, you commit to enroll.
- Jan15Early Decision II · January 15, 2027A second binding round, after Early Decision.
- Jan15Regular Decision · January 15, 2027The standard deadline.
Source: First-Year Applicants
Who gets in
18%
of applicants were admitted: 3,030 of 17,310 for fall 2025.
Early Decision
Binding. 36% of early applicants were admitted.
Wait list
2,381 students were offered a spot; 23 were later admitted.
Test scores of enrolled freshmen (fall 2025)
The shaded part shows the middle half of enrolled freshmen who sent scores: a quarter scored below it and a quarter above. 23% of them sent SAT scores and 16% sent ACT scores.
SAT total 1450 to 1510
Reading and Writing 720 to 760
Math 710 to 770
ACT composite 33 to 35
How enrolled freshmen scored on the SAT
- 1400 to 160096%
- 1200 to 13994.4%
- 1000 to 11990%
- 800 to 9990%
- 600 to 7990%
- 400 to 5990%
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
High school GPA of enrolled freshmen
Average GPA: 3.85
- 4.031%
- 3.75 to 3.9938%
- 3.50 to 3.7423%
- 3.25 to 3.497%
- 3.00 to 3.241%
- 2.50 to 2.990%
- Below 2.500%
Cost and financial aid
The sticker price is what a year costs before any aid. Most students pay less after grants and scholarships.
Sticker price for 2027-28Estimate
$99,420
a year
- Tuition$76,130
- Fees$460
- Food and housing$19,180
- Books and supplies$1,630
- Transportation and other$2,020
Colgate University published $95,610 for 2026-27. Its 2027-28 prices aren't out yet.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
What families actually pay
What a year cost on average after grants and scholarships, for freshmen who got federal aid in 2023-24, by family income.
- $0 to $30,000$8,610
- $30,001 to $48,000$7,748
- $48,001 to $75,000$15,150
- $75,001 to $110,000$26,968
- Over $110,000$49,725
Financial aid
100%
of a student's financial need is covered, on average
$72,605
average need-based grant to freshmen, money you don't repay
0%
of freshmen got merit aid without financial need
- FAFSA
- Required for need-based aid. It's the free federal aid form.
- CSS Profile
- Required. It's a second, more detailed aid form some colleges use for their own grants.
- Aid deadline: 1/15
- The last day to send aid forms.
Source: Common Data Set 2025-2026
AP credit
AP exams that earn credit can replace college courses, so you pay for fewer of them and may graduate sooner.
AP exams that earn credit
24 of 24
Earn credit with a score of 3
1 exams
A 3-credit course is worth
about $7,610Est.Estimate
at 2027-28 tuition
Credit for each AP exam
| Exam | Score needed | Credits | Counts as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biology | 4 | 1 | BIOL 101 |
| Calculus AB | 4 | 1 | MATH 161 |
| Calculus BC | 3 | 1 | MATH 161 |
| Calculus BC | 4 | 2 | MATH 161 & 162 |
| Chemistry | 4 | 1 | CHEM 100 |
| Chemistry | 5 | 2 | CHEM 101 and CHEM 102 |
| Computer Science A | 4 | 1 | COSC 101 |
| Computer Science Principles | 4 | 1 | COSC 100 |
| Environmental Science | 4 | 1 | GEOL 101 |
| European History | 4 | 1 | HIST 101 & 102 |
| French Language and Culture | 4 | 1 | FREN 202 |
| French Language and Culture | 5 | 1 | FREN 361 |
| German Language and Culture | 4 | 1 | GERM 202 |
| Human Geography | 4 | 1 | GEOG 211 |
| Latin | 4 | 1 | LATN 122 |
| Macroeconomics | 4 | 1 | Students must pass both the Micro and Macro exams with scores of 4 or above to receive credit for ECON 151 (1 course credit) |
| Microeconomics | 4 | 1 | Students must pass both the Micro and Macro exams with scores of 4 or above to receive credit for ECON 151 (1 course credit) |
| Music Theory | 4 | 1 | MUSI 203 |
| Physics 1 | 4 | 1 | PHYS 111 |
| Physics 2 | 4 | 1 | PHYS 112 |
| Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism | 4 | 1 | PHYS 112 |
| Physics C: Mechanics | 4 | 1 | PHYS 111 |
| Psychology | 5 | 1 | PSYC 109 |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 4 | 1 | SPAN 202 |
| Spanish Language and Culture | 5 | 1 | SPAN 361 |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 4 | 1 | SPAN 202 |
| Spanish Literature and Culture | 5 | 1 | SPAN 202 (1 course credit), plus exemption from a concentration credit at the 350-level |
| Statistics | 4 | 1 | MATH 105 |
| United States History | 4 | 1 | HIST 103 & 104 |
Source: AP credit policy
After college
Graduate within 6 years
89%
Come back for a second year
93%
Typical earnings
$96,328
a year, 10 years after starting here
- Colgate University$156,013
- All colleges$89,628
Median yearly earnings of graduates five years after finishing a bachelor's in this major. 10 majors here have earnings data.
Keep exploring
Figures marked Estimate are our estimates, not numbers the college published. Check each college's own site before you apply. SAT is a trademark of College Board, and ACT is a trademark of ACT, Inc. Sharp is not affiliated with either, or with Colgate University. The Colgate University logo is a trademark of the college.