Union College vs RPI Troy

Union College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, two esteemed institutions of higher learning in New York State, offer distinct educational experiences. Union College, a liberal arts college, boasts a lower acceptance rate (24%) compared to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (48%), a research university. While Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute excels in engineering and technology programs, Union College offers a broader range of majors, including the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Union College fosters a diverse student body, with 44% female and 17% international students, while Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's student body is predominantly male (63%) and domestic (87%). Both institutions boast impressive graduation rates, with Union College at 88% and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at 86%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more distinctions and determine which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	Union College
Overview
Location	Troy, 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	89.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	53.0%	47.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $75	$60
SAT range	1360 - 1520	1270 - 1450
ACT range	32 - 34	28 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	43.0%	37.0%
Students submitting ACT score	15.0%	16.0%
Total number of applicants	17,498	7,470
Total number of admissions given out	9,277	3,513
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,322	565
Yield rate	14.3%	16.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$77,763	$77,385
Average net price	$40,070	$39,101
Tuition	$57,100	$61,308
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,119 Meal plan: $7,260	Room/dormitory: $8,370 Meal plan: $6,828
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	97.0% Average amount $35,754	87.0% Average amount $36,604
Students receiving federal student loan	52.0% Average amount $5,116	48.0% Average amount $5,087
Students taking out private loans	10.0% Average amount $24,172	14.0% Average amount $20,017

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,614 Men 69.0% Women 31.0%	2,096 Men 54.9% Women 45.1%
Graduate students	1,160 Men 69.1% Women 30.9%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	19.5%	9.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	3,930	2,049
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Computer and Information Science Business Mathematics and Statistics Physical Science	Social Sciences Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	84.2%	84.5%
Dropout rate	14.9%	14.6%
Transferred out	N/A	0.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $112,746 Year 2: $119,061 Year 3: $127,865 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,880 Year 2: $92,277 Year 3: $111,450 Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,042 Year 2: $88,933 Year 3: $99,954 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,265 Year 2: $87,973 Year 3: $94,503 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,333 Year 2: $79,284 Year 3: $93,665 Applied Mathematics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $81,333 Year 3: $90,716 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,826 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $88,913 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,471 Year 2: $81,702 Year 3: $85,953 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,066 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $84,973 Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,458 Year 2: $77,213 Year 3: $84,039	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

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Union College vs RPI Troy

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Union College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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