Colgate University & Hamilton College Research
Source: colgate_hamilton.md
Colgate University & Hamilton College Research
Two selective liberal arts colleges in upstate New York, both highly popular with New England prep school students. Despite geographic proximity (~25 miles apart), they differ significantly in athletics division and curricular philosophy.
Colgate University
- Location: Hamilton, NY
- Type: Private liberal arts university
- Category: top_lac
- Total Enrollment: ~3,193 undergraduates (fall 2024)
Admissions (Class of 2029)
| Metric |
Value |
| Total Applicants |
17,310 |
| Admitted |
3,017 |
| Enrolled |
834 |
| Acceptance Rate |
17.0% |
| ED Applicants |
1,342 |
| ED Enrolled |
473 (56.7% of class) |
| ED Acceptance Rate (est.) |
~35% |
| Yield Rate |
28.7% |
| Top 10% of HS Class |
79% |
ED Note: Colgate offers both ED I (Nov 1) and ED II (Jan 15). For Class of 2028, ED rate was 19.2% (471 admitted from 2,450). Class of 2029 appears to have received 1,342 ED applications total; Colgate does not publicly break out EDI vs EDII rates. The estimated ED rate of ~35% is calculated from the 473 enrolled (assuming ~35-40% ED rate to fill 57% of class from ~7.8% of applicant pool).
Academics & Testing
| Metric |
Value |
| SAT Middle 50% |
1430-1540 |
| ACT Middle 50% |
33-34 |
| Avg GPA (unweighted) |
3.86 |
| Testing Policy |
Test-optional |
| School Type |
53% public, 47% private |
Demographics
| Group |
Percentage |
| White |
64.9% |
| International |
9.3% |
| Hispanic |
9.2% |
| Asian |
5.3% |
| Black |
4.2% |
| Multiracial |
4.1% |
| Women |
~56% |
Athletics
- Division: NCAA Division I (Patriot League)
- Varsity Teams: 25
- Total Athletes: 660
- Athlete %: ~25% of student body
- Club/Intramural: 30+ club sports, 18 intramural; 80% of students involved in athletics overall
Net Cost by Income
| Family Income |
Net Price |
| $0-$30,000 |
$9,752 |
| $30,001-$48,000 |
$8,958 |
| $48,001-$75,000 |
$16,525 |
| $75,001-$110,000 |
$24,299 |
| Over $110,000 |
$44,076 |
- Total COA (2024-25): ~$87,916
- 43% of class receives financial aid
- Meets 100% of demonstrated need
Notable
- Patriot League D-I athletics differentiates it from NESCAC peers
- Strong legacy enrollment (65 legacy students in Class of 2029, ~8% of class)
- 47% of enrolled students from private high schools (very high)
- Student-faculty ratio: 9:1
Hamilton College
- Location: Clinton, NY
- Type: Private liberal arts college
- Category: top_lac
- Total Enrollment: ~2,037 undergraduates (fall 2024)
Admissions (Class of 2029)
| Metric |
Value |
| Total Applicants |
8,531 |
| Admitted |
1,162 |
| Enrolled |
~473 |
| Acceptance Rate |
13.6% |
| ED Acceptance Rate (est.) |
~30% |
| Yield Rate |
39.0% |
| Top 10% of HS Class |
~78% |
ED Note: Hamilton offers ED I and ED II. The college does not publicly disclose specific ED acceptance rates. The ~30% estimate is based on historical NESCAC peer comparisons and the relatively high yield rate suggesting strong ED filling of the class.
Academics & Testing
| Metric |
Value |
| SAT Middle 50% |
1450-1550 |
| ACT Middle 50% |
33-35 |
| Avg GPA (unweighted) |
~3.88 |
| Testing Policy |
Test-optional |
Open Curriculum: Hamilton has no distribution requirements. Students choose courses freely with advisor guidance, similar to Amherst and Brown. This is a significant differentiator and recruiting draw.
Demographics
| Group |
Percentage |
| White |
65.2% |
| Hispanic |
10.1% |
| Asian |
7.3% (est. from 8.89%) |
| International |
5.5% |
| Multiracial |
5.3% |
| Black |
3.8% (est. from 2.88%) |
| Women |
~56% |
Note: Demographics sources show slightly varying numbers (College Factual vs CollegeTuitionCompare). Used College Factual as primary source for consistency with other colleges in the dataset.
Athletics
- Division: NCAA Division III (NESCAC)
- Varsity Teams: 29
- Total Athletes: 794
- Athlete %: ~35% of student body
- Participation: 35-40% of student body in varsity sports in any given season
Net Cost by Income
| Family Income |
Net Price |
| $0-$30,000 |
$7,942 |
| $30,001-$48,000 |
$11,385 |
| $48,001-$75,000 |
$17,205 |
| $75,001-$110,000 |
$24,058 |
| Over $110,000 |
$41,786 |
- Meets 100% of demonstrated need
- Need-blind admissions for domestic students
Notable
- Open curriculum (no distribution requirements)
- Charter member of NESCAC
- 47 states, 54 countries represented in student body
- Student-faculty ratio: 9:1
- Students from 24 countries and 39 states in Class of 2029
Comparison: Colgate vs Hamilton
| Metric |
Colgate |
Hamilton |
| Acceptance Rate |
17.0% |
13.6% |
| SAT Middle 50% |
1430-1540 |
1450-1550 |
| ACT Middle 50% |
33-34 |
33-35 |
| Class Size |
834 |
~473 |
| Total Applicants |
17,310 |
8,531 |
| Yield Rate |
29% |
39% |
| Athletics Division |
D-I (Patriot League) |
D-III (NESCAC) |
| Athlete % |
25% |
35% |
| Curriculum |
Traditional distribution |
Open curriculum |
| Net Cost ($110K+) |
$44,076 |
$41,786 |
Key Differences for Simulation
- Athletics: Colgate is D-I (Patriot League) while Hamilton is D-III (NESCAC). Colgate's athlete hook is less pronounced than Hamilton's because D-I recruited athletes are a smaller fraction of class.
- Yield: Hamilton's 39% yield vs Colgate's 29% suggests Hamilton is more frequently a top choice, which tracks with its higher selectivity.
- Class size: Colgate is significantly larger (834 vs 473), meaning more total seats available despite more applicants.
- Demographics: Both are predominantly white (~65%) upstate NY colleges with similar international representation. Both are quite popular with prep school students.
- Open curriculum: Hamilton's open curriculum is a distinctive draw for certain student archetypes.
Sources
- Colgate First-Year Class Profile (colgate.edu)
- Hamilton Class of 2029 Profile (hamilton.edu)
- College Factual diversity data
- CollegeTuitionCompare IPEDS data
- College Kickstart / Ivy Coach ED statistics
- NCAA / NESCAC athletics data