Colgate University
13 Oak Drive
Hamilton, New York 13346
Admission:
(315) 824-7401 or
Fax (315) 824-7544
http://www.colgate.edu
ENROLLMENT
Undergraduates:
Full-time:
2,847
Graduate School:
12
FRESHMAN ADMISSION
PROFILE
Number who applied:
5,870
Number accepted:
2,454
Number enrolled:
731
Average SAT scores:
V 620-700 M 620-700
Average ACT score:
27-31
Average GPA:
3.453
Freshman retention rate:
97%
COSTS:
Tuition:
$34,740
Room and Board:
$9,8000
Fees, books, misc.:
$1,655
FINANCIAL AID:
Freshmen receiving aid:
50%
Average financial aid package:
$21,900
FACULTY:
Student-faculty ratio:
11:1
Colgate University
13 Oak Drive
Hamilton, New York 13346
Colgate University
College Description
Founded in 1819, Colgate University is the sixty-sixth oldest college in the United States. Originally a Baptist theological and literary seminary for men, and later an all-male university, Colgate today is a private, nonsectarian liberal arts college enrolling 2,800 men and women. Colgate is situated on a 550-acre hillside campus in scenic central New York. Hamilton (population 2,500), which has old homes, tree-lined streets, a college inn, a coffeehouse, small shops, and municipal services, is reminiscent of a New England village. Its residents are active in Colgate activities, and there is an easy, friendly relationship between town and college. Rural areas surround Hamilton; Syracuse and Utica are within an hour's drive.
Academic Life
Colgate provides its students with a liberal education. In addition to coursework in an academic concentration, the academic program for all undergraduates includes a liberal arts core curriculum, physical education, electives, and the requirement of two courses each in humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. Before graduating, students are expected to demonstrate competence in a foreign language and in English composition. Some students elect to fulfill the requirements of two separate concentrations or of a concentration and a minor. The University requires the successful completion of 32 courses. Colgate offers the Bachelor of Arts degree in 48 different academic concentrations or majors within the divisions of humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and university studies. Students may also choose to create their own major, which is called a topical concentration. Colgate also offers independent study and research through which undergraduates may study on their own for college credit with the approval and guidance of a faculty sponsor. Each academic year, Colgate offers between 17 and 20 study groups at international and domestic sites away from campus led by members of the faculty, and more than one-third of Colgate's students travel with at least one study group at some time during their undergraduate years.
Campus Life
"I tell people that they are not moving to a small town, they're moving to a campus that's in a small town, and that's a huge difference," says Emily Park of Dallas, Texas. "There are so many lectures and activities, dances and dinners, banquets and speakers that you would never be able to do it all. People talk about going to a city for cultural ideas. If anything, a college campus is the bastion of that, probably more so than the city." As a residential college in a small town, Colgate generates much of its own activity. Colgate students are doers, as a wide range of student-sponsored activities attests. More than 80 organizations run the gamut from a full concert orchestra to a campus radio station, from the College Republicans and Democrats to four a cappella singing groups. Volunteer Colgate coordinates the activities of 20 community service groups working with children, the aging, and local agencies from the Hunger Task Force to Habitat for Humanity. The weekly student newspaper, musical and drama groups, departmental clubs, religious and service organizations, and other special interest groups provide outlets for almost any student interest.
Facilities and Resources
Colgate's two main libraries-the Everett Needham Case Library with collections in the humanities and social sciences and the George R. Cooley Science Library with collections in the sciences and mathematics-contain well over one million volumes, including extensive holdings in government documents and titles held in microform. Academic facilities include centers for the study of German, the classics, Japan, and China, collections of minerals, gems, and Devonian fossils, a museum with an extensive collection of American Indian artifacts, a premier geography laboratory, two electron microscopes, modern laboratories, and a greenhouse and herbarium. The Observatory is equipped with a 16-inch reflecting telescope, upgraded to 80-inch equivalent performance through electronic imaging. Picker Art Gallery in the Dana Arts Center offers continuous exhibitions that include works from the permanent collection, paintings and sculpture on loan from national and international collections, and work by students and faculty. Dana Arts Center and the adjoining Eric Ryan Studio house classrooms, studios, and rehearsal space for art, music, and drama. Other campus buildings include the Memorial Chapel, the Saperstein Jewish Center, the Center for Women's Studies, and the ALANA Cultural Center. The college provides extensive computing facilities and support for all students and faculty. Residence halls are connected on a network that provides access via computer to the campus-wide information system and Internet. The college also maintains one of the finest computer music studios in the country.
Athletics/Sports
From men's and women's varsity teams to club, intramural, and individual sports, the college supports athletic and recreational opportunities for students of all abilities. Colgate fields 15 intercollegiate club teams and 23 men's and women's varsity teams that play at the highest intercollegiate level (Division I). Approximately 17 percent of the college's students compete on varsity teams. The Red Raiders play in the Patriot League against teams from Army (USMA), Bucknell, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Lehigh, and Navy (USNA), and against the Ivy League in most sports. Recreational facilities include the Harry Lang cross-country and fitness trails, a boathouse on nearby Lake Moraine, Starr Rink (an indoor skating rink), Huntington Gymnasium which houses full-size and auxiliary gymnasiums and courts for handball, squash, and racquetball, Sanford Field House, Lineberry Natatorium, tennis courts, playing fields, a trap range, bowling lanes, the Wm. Brian Little Fitness Center, and a golf course rated by Golf Digest as one of the five best on U.S. college campuses.
Financial Aid
Colgate awards financial aid on the basis of need as determined by the Financial Aid PROFILE and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) of the College Scholarship Service (CSS). Approximately 35 percent of Colgate students are aided with scholarship funds allocated from the University budget. Sixty-five percent of all Colgate students receive some financial aid, which includes state or local scholarships, federal grants, work-study awards, student loans, or a combination from those resources. Award notifications are normally mailed with letters of acceptance from the admission office. The University also offers a variety of parent loan programs and payment options. All financial aid applicants must file the Financial Aid PROFILE form with CSS and the FAFSA with the federal processor by February 1, or they may be at a disadvantage in the financial aid process.
Admission Requirements
Colgate seeks students who can be successful in a rigorous academic program and who demonstrate intellectual curiosity, academic talent, and the ability to contribute to the life of the college. The admission staff and the college are committed to attracting students who represent the widest possible diversity of economic, racial, social, and geographic backgrounds. While academic preparation is the single most important consideration in admission decisions, special interests, skills, and qualities of all kinds can be influential. Special promise in areas such as the arts, music, and athletics is recognized in addition to demonstrated academic achievement. Scores on the SAT I or ACT are required for admission. Students selecting the SAT I should take the SAT II: Writing Test and two other SAT II Subject Tests. Successful applicants typically show strong preparation in humanities (especially English and foreign languages), social sciences (particularly advanced history), mathematics, and physical and biological sciences. Honors work and advanced placement are opportunities for applicants to demonstrate intellectual maturity and curiosity, qualities highly favored in the admission process. Application materials may be requested directly from the University, or students may use the Common Application Form. The closing date for regular applications is January 15, and notification is given by April 1. There is a $50 application fee. Candidates who decide on Colgate as a first choice may apply for Early Decision Option I or Early Decision Option II. Early Decision Option I applications are due November 15, with a response sent out by December 15. Early Decision Option II applications are due January 15, and responses are sent out two to four weeks after completion of the application. Candidates must complete an Early Decision Agreement form in order to be considered for either Early Decision Option I or Option II.