Union College

Union College holds the 44th position in the 2027 U.S. News National Liberal Arts Colleges ranking, having fluctuated within the top fifty over the past decade. Gaining admission is moderately selective, though its acceptance rate is higher than at most close peers. In 2025, the college admitted 43.9% of applicants, which was higher than 70% of 30 similar private liberal arts colleges. This indicates that while the college maintains academic standards, an applicant's statistical chances of acceptance are comparatively accessible relative to peer institutions. However, the college experiences a relatively modest pull among admitted candidates. Its yield rate stood at 13.9% in 2025, higher than 13% of peer schools, showing that the vast majority of admitted students choose other options. With thousands of applicants turned away each cycle and a modest yield, prospective students can view Union as a selective choice where admission is feasible, but one where many admitted peers are simultaneously comparing competitive alternative offers across the liberal arts landscape.

Union College's admission test policy is optional, with scores considered if submitted. Published score ranges from 2025 show that admitted students who submitted testing generally achieved strong results, with the middle half of ACT composite scores falling between 29 and 33. On the SAT, the institution recorded a 2025 median score of 1390, which is higher than 48% of peer schools among similar-ranking private liberal arts colleges. High school grade data from the 2023–2024 academic cycle reflect similarly competitive academic preparation, as enrolled students predominantly graduated with top marks, including a notable segment with straight-A averages. For prospective applicants, these metrics indicate roughly what academic credentials are expected: competitive candidates generally present standardized testing aligned with the 1390 median or an ACT score between 29 and 33, accompanied by a rigorous high school course load with predominantly top grades.

Degrees at Union College blend traditional liberal arts with applied engineering and quantitative social sciences, without excessive concentration in any single department. In 2025, the college awarded 503 bachelor degrees, with the top three majors accounting for 29% of all graduates. The most popular area of study was Econometrics and Quantitative Economics, followed by Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies, and Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering. While undergraduate economics was ranked 140th by U.S. News in 2027, the college's applied programs demonstrate solid career value in the workforce. Based on 2023 earnings data, technical graduates reported the strongest initial compensation, with biomedical engineering graduates earning a median of $81,267 one year after graduation and mechanical engineering graduates following closely. These patterns illustrate that students spread their interests across diverse majors, with technical and analytical degrees offering substantial early compensation for career-focused undergraduates.

Union College enrolled an entirely undergraduate student body of 2,065 students in 2025, maintaining a balanced gender distribution with women comprising 47% of all undergraduates. The student population is divided primarily between returning upperclassmen and an incoming first-year class, with a small number of transfer students. Among incoming first-year students, international students numbered 64, representing 12.8% of the class, while Asian students accounted for 9.4%. Across the returning cohort, white students constitute the largest demographic group, alongside over a hundred Asian students and a substantial contingent of returning international scholars. These figures highlight an undergraduate community centered around traditional full-time students, where domestic students from diverse backgrounds and an established international presence share academic and extracurricular life.

Union College enrolls an entirely undergraduate student population, with zero graduate students recorded in 2025 across its 2,081 enrolled undergraduates. The student body is concentrated in traditional college ages. Undergraduates aged 20 to 21 form the largest single group, accounting for 48.3% of all students, followed by those aged 22 to 24 at 33.2%. Younger students aged 18 to 19 make up 16.9% of enrollment. Because the institution enrolls only undergraduates and the vast majority are between 18 and 24 years old, the campus environment is shaped entirely by students within this traditional undergraduate age cohort without an older graduate student demographic.

International enrollment at Union College is concentrated exclusively at the undergraduate level, as the institution enrolls no graduate students. The undergraduate international share has expanded over the past decade, rising from 8.3% in 2016 to 10.6% in 2025. This proportion is higher than 63% of 30 peer schools in its comparison group of similar private liberal arts colleges. Among bachelor degree recipients in 2025, international students made up 9.3% of the graduating class. These graduates are heavily represented in technical and quantitative subjects. International students earned 31.2% of the bachelor degrees awarded in Computer and Information Sciences, General, and accounted for 20.9% of degrees in Econometrics and Quantitative Economics. For international applicants considering Union, these patterns show an expanding undergraduate presence with notable participation in analytical and computing majors.

Applicants exploring colleges in upstate New York and neighboring regions will find several institutions close to Union College. Located just 10.6 kilometers away, University at Albany is a public research institution ranked 121 among National Universities in 2027. About 14.2 kilometers from campus is Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a private technological research university ranked 69th on the National Universities list. Students who want a peer liberal arts setting can look 20.6 kilometers north to Skidmore College, which placed 41st in the 2027 Liberal Arts Colleges ranking. Additionally, Williams College sits 37.5 kilometers away in Massachusetts, holding the 1st spot among Liberal Arts Colleges. These neighboring options provide families with a variety of campus environments within a short driving radius.

Campus safety at Union College has shown a notable downward trend in overall incident rates. Forward Pathway's crime rate per 1,000 students fell from 59.7 in 2016 to 37.1 in 2025. Over the three-year period from 2023 to 2025, the vast majority of recorded infractions involved internal disciplinary actions rather than violent offenses. Specifically, disciplinary referrals for liquor violations totaled 315 incidents, while drug-related disciplinary referrals totaled 138 incidents. By comparison, serious property crimes and personal offenses occurred far less frequently, with vehicle thefts, stalking, theft, and rape each recording modest totals across those same years. For prospective students and families assessing campus security, these records show an environment where student conduct and substance enforcement represent the primary safety concerns, while the overall crime rate per 1,000 students has steadily decreased.