Union College vs Cornell

Union College and Cornell University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Union, a liberal arts college, boasts a tight-knit community and a focus on undergraduate teaching, while Cornell, an Ivy League research university, provides a wide range of academic programs and world-class research opportunities. With Union's acceptance rate hovering around 25% and Cornell's at 10%, selectivity varies significantly. Union's student body is predominantly white and affluent, while Cornell's is more diverse. Engineering, business, and social sciences are popular majors at Cornell, while Union students often pursue liberal arts and sciences. While both institutions offer excellent education, their unique characteristics cater to different student preferences and aspirations. Explore the comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.
Cornell University logo

Cornell University

Union College logo

Union College

Overview

Location Ithaca, New York Schenectady, New York
Campus setting City: Small City: Small
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Semester Trimester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate
Students retention rate 97.0% 91.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 8.7% 47.0%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $80

Graduate: $105
$60
SAT range 1450 - 1560 1270 - 1450
ACT range 33 - 35 28 - 32
Students submitting SAT score 41.0% 37.0%
Students submitting ACT score 20.0% 16.0%
Total number of applicants 67,380 7,470
Total number of admissions given out 5,852 3,513
Admitted students who chose to enroll 3,718 565
Yield rate 63.5% 16.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $80,287 $77,385
Average net price $24,262 $39,101
Tuition $60,286 $61,308
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $9,962

Meal plan: $6,434
Room/dormitory: $8,370

Meal plan: $6,828
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

50.0%
Average amount $52,674
87.0%
Average amount $36,604
Students receiving federal student loan 26.0%
Average amount $3,924
48.0%
Average amount $5,087
Students taking out private loans 16.0%
Average amount $8,357
14.0%
Average amount $20,017

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 15,503
Men 46.1% Women 53.9%
2,096
Men 54.9% Women 45.1%
Graduate students 10,079
Men 51.0% Women 49.0%
N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students 64.3% N/A
International students 24.4% 9.8%
Campus local/setting City: Small City: Small
Dormitory capacity 7,422 2,049
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from New York California New Jersey Florida Pennsylvania N/A

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Engineering
  • Agriculture
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Legal Profession
  • Social Sciences
  • Engineering
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Psychology
  • Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio 9:1 9:1
Institutional accreditation Middle States Commission on Higher Education Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 94.1% 84.5%
Dropout rate 5.2% 14.6%
Transferred out N/A 0.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Law (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $185,154
  • Year 2: $172,867
  • Year 3: $207,272
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $150,786
  • Year 2: $145,332
  • Year 3: $167,695
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $127,764
  • Year 2: $122,485
  • Year 3: $158,076
Computer Science (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $147,241
  • Year 2: $127,397
  • Year 3: $155,653
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $114,311
  • Year 2: $111,926
  • Year 3: $126,082
Operations Research (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $101,067
  • Year 2: $109,763
  • Year 3: $124,590
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $88,459
  • Year 2: $92,277
  • Year 3: $109,597
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $105,672
  • Year 2: $97,071
  • Year 3: $109,553
Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $95,847
  • Year 2: $94,408
  • Year 3: $107,658
Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $101,072
  • Year 3: $106,693
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $63,637
  • Year 2: $67,812
  • Year 3: $76,098
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $50,348
  • Year 2: $58,673
  • Year 3: $74,456
Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $36,171
  • Year 2: $41,565
  • Year 3: $54,902
Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $36,157
  • Year 2: $35,060
  • Year 3: $47,142
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $42,375
  • Year 2: $34,081
  • Year 3: $44,570
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $41,903
  • Year 2: $39,585
  • Year 3: $41,845
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: N/A
Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $59,124
  • Year 3: N/A
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $63,392
  • Year 3: N/A
English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $20,824
  • Year 3: N/A

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
Cornell University Cornell vs California Institute of Technology California Institute of Technology
Cornell University Cornell vs University of California-Berkeley University of California-Berkeley
Cornell University Cornell vs Harvey Mudd College Harvey Mudd College
Cornell University Cornell vs University of Southern California University of Southern California
Cornell University Cornell vs Yale University Yale University
Cornell University Cornell vs University of Delaware University of Delaware
Cornell University Cornell vs Georgetown University Georgetown University
Cornell University Cornell vs Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Cornell University Cornell vs University of Georgia University of Georgia
Cornell University Cornell vs University of Chicago University of Chicago
Cornell University Cornell vs Northwestern University Northwestern University
Cornell University Cornell vs University of Notre Dame University of Notre Dame
Cornell University Cornell vs Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University
Cornell University Cornell vs University of Maryland-College Park University of Maryland-College Park
Cornell University Cornell vs United States Naval Academy United States Naval Academy
Cornell University Cornell vs Boston College Boston College
Cornell University Cornell vs Brandeis University Brandeis University
Cornell University Cornell vs Harvard University Harvard University
Cornell University Cornell vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cornell University Cornell vs Tufts University Tufts University
Cornell University Cornell vs Wellesley College Wellesley College
Cornell University Cornell vs University of Michigan-Ann Arbor University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Cornell University Cornell vs Washington University in St Louis Washington University in St Louis
Cornell University Cornell vs Dartmouth College Dartmouth College
Cornell University Cornell vs Barnard College Barnard College
Cornell University Cornell vs Colgate University Colgate University
Cornell University Cornell vs Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Cornell University Cornell vs Culinary Institute of America Culinary Institute of America
Cornell University Cornell vs The New School The New School
Cornell University Cornell vs New York University New York University
Cornell University Cornell vs SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill
Cornell University Cornell vs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Cornell University Cornell vs Lehigh University Lehigh University
Cornell University Cornell vs Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University
Cornell University Cornell vs Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Cornell University Cornell vs The Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University
Union College Union College vs Occidental College Occidental College
Union College Union College vs Connecticut College Connecticut College
Union College Union College vs Trinity College Trinity College
Union College Union College vs Principia College Principia College
Union College Union College vs University of Illinois Springfield University of Illinois Springfield
Union College Union College vs Wheaton College Wheaton College
Union College Union College vs Bates College Bates College
Union College Union College vs Bowdoin College Bowdoin College
Union College Union College vs Colby College Colby College
Union College Union College vs Harvard University Harvard University
Union College Union College vs Williams College Williams College
Union College Union College vs Hillsdale College Hillsdale College
Union College Union College vs Macalester College Macalester College
Union College Union College vs Dartmouth College Dartmouth College
Union College Union College vs Saint Peter's University Saint Peter's University
Union College Union College vs Bard College Bard College
Union College Union College vs Clarkson University Clarkson University
Union College Union College vs Colgate University Colgate University
Union College Union College vs Cornell University Cornell University
Union College Union College vs Hamilton College Hamilton College
Union College Union College vs Hobart William Smith Colleges Hobart William Smith Colleges
Union College Union College vs LIM College LIM College
Union College Union College vs Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Union College Union College vs University of Rochester University of Rochester
Union College Union College vs Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College
Union College Union College vs Skidmore College Skidmore College
Union College Union College vs SUNY College at Geneseo SUNY College at Geneseo
Union College Union College vs Brown University Brown University
Union College Union College vs Furman University Furman University
Union College Union College vs Rhodes College Rhodes College
Union College Union College vs Whitman College Whitman College