Getting To Know: Union College (NY)-Again

Published by Stuart Nachbar at March 17, 2026

Founded in 1795, Union College was the first college chartered by the Board of Regents of the State of New York.

In 1800, according to the college’s history, Union was graduating as many students as any other college in America. Along with Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, it was known as one of the “big four.” In 1845 Union became the first liberal arts college to offer engineering instruction. It was also one of the first to offer coursework in American history and constitutional government and did pioneer work in the elective system of study. In 1970 Union, then an all-male institution, became co-ed.

While Union is still highly regarded, it’s enrollment has declined.

Liberal arts colleges, including some reasonable selective institutions have taken hits in their enrollment. This has been especially true if they are not immediately near major cities or lack preprofessional degrees in high-demand majors. Union has no issue with the latter, offering engineering degrees as well as opportunities io be admitted to accelerated programs in business, law and medicine. However, the former is an issue. Union is three hours from either Boston or New York.

In 2016 Union had more than 2,100 undergrads. By 2025 the number dropped to just over 1,900. The entering class size dropped from 560 students in 2016 to 465 in 2025. Unlike many selective liberal arts colleges, Union is male majority, possibly due to the popularity of STEM programs, and possibly due to the popularity of the Greek system, which encompasses about a third of the student body. Four national fraternities, Kappa Alpha, Psi Upsilon, Sigma Phi, and Delta Phi were founded here. The number of women in the college dropped from over 700 in 2017 to just over 500 in 2025.

Graduation rates have declined as well.

The pandemic was not kind to Union College. Around 80 percent of classes that entered from 2012 to 2016 finished in four years. However, the graduation rate for the class that entered in 2019 dropped to 67 percent. It climbed back to 77 percent for the class that entered in 2021. Freshmen retention reached a high of 95 percent for the class that entered in 2017. It was 89 percent for the class that entered in 2024.

Union College has a large peer group of schools.

Lafayette College (PA) is probably the most similar institution in terms of academics, student body size and the surrounding regional economy. Trinity College (CT) is the only other peer that grants engineering degrees within a liberal arts umbrella versus a separate college of engineering.

Union has a beautiful campus.

According to the college’s history, Union had the first unified campus plan in America, a great central court flanked on three sides by buildings and open to the west, with a round pantheon as the focus. At the center of the grounds stands Union’s most unusual building, the distinctive Nott Memorial (photo up top), a round auditorium. Begun in the 1850s and completed in 1875, the Nott is a National Historic Landmark.

Union is quite proud of its academic facilities. Interesting to me: the campus was featured in The Way We Were, a 1973 Academy Award-winning movie starring Barbara Streisand and Robert Redford. Nineteen years later the campus was featured in Sneakers, a computer crime thriller that also starred Redford. I dropped some campus photos below.

When I visited I noticed that the 186 acre campus is surrounded on all sides by housing that ranges from stately (the former General Electric Realty Plot off Lenox Street and Rugby Road) to student-oriented (theme houses and rentals off Seward Avenue) to sticks (deteriorating row houses along Nott Avenue).

Union’s campus is located close to downtown Schenectady.

The downtown is not within easy walking distance, though the bus ride or a drive is quite short. Downtown Schenectady is evolving into an arts center anchored by the renovation of the Proctors Theatre. It was the first downtown historic district approved in New York State. Schenectady is also home to the Rivers Casino. College and community are located in New York State’s Capital Region, including Albany, the capital of New York State. The community is served by Amtrak trains that go to Albany, Boston and New York.

The college ‘s trimester system has unique advantages, but also disadvantages

Fall and Winter trimesters are separated by a six-week break which runs from Thanksgiving week through January,. This allows time for study abroad or experiential learning opportunities. The scheduling also allows students, especially those in engineering, to pursue second majors or minors in liberal arts subjects or study abroad while still graduating within four years.

Operating on trimesters also means that a Union degree covers 36 to 40 courses versus 32 at other selective liberal arts colleges. Thie presumes that students take no more than four per term. Many courses, including pre-med and engineering requirements are offered during all three terms. This makes it easier for students to get the classes they need or want.

Some will argue that the Union student gets more for their money through the trimester system. However, the six-week break pushes the spring term into June, more than a month after students at similar schools have left campus.

Every student belongs to one of seven Minerva Houses

Each house is a “second home” where students and randomly assigned and gather for meals and social events. Participation in both is voluntary, and students are also welcome to attend meals and programs at any house. At the end of the freshman year students may apply to live in their Minerva House or choose among other living options. Each house has its own faculty and staff advisors though students take the leadership roles in programming. Upper-class students mentor the new students and help them to navigate the system.

Every Minerva has its own student-run governing council, elected annually by fellow classmates and chaired by a faculty and student representative. Each also receives a generous budget to host special events. The Minerva Houses also offer living accommodations for 240 upper-class students on their upper floors; the first floors are reserved for kitchen, gathering and study spaces. Aside from the First-Year Preceptorial, the Minerva Houses are a way for new students to become better acquainted with their classmates.

.Upper-class students may also live in one of 13 Theme Houses. Like the Minerva Houses, the theme houses have their own governing council. The college also provides apartment-style living options in renovated turn-of-the-century houses.

When it comes to academic requirements Union is typical of selective liberal arts colleges.

Every student gets a taste of everything: the arts, humanities, mathematics, natural sciences and social sciences.

Every first-year student takes a Preceptorial, a small seminar class that is writing intensive in their assigned Minerva House.
A Union Scholars program for sophomores who conduct a research project under the supervision of a faculty member
During the senior year every student must complete a thesis or capstone project that will run for the last three trimesters. Seniors participate in a campus-wide Steinmetz Symposium of presentations, exhibits and poster sessions. Held on a Friday every spring, the symposium takes precedent over all classes to allow all students and faculty to attend.
Students may also apply to be Seward Fellows, who design an interdisciplinary minor, take two additional classes and do an independent study project during their junior year.

Small classes will be the rule at Union. Only 28 of more than 400 classes offered during the 2023-24 academic year had more than 29 students. I can believe the student-faculty ration of 9 to 1 to be true. The college grants now graduate degrees of its own; accelerated pathways are partnerships with other schools. All but two faculty were full time.

Union College offers over 60 majors and minors.

Aside from the engineering programs (Bioengineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Engineering and Mechanical Engineering majors and minors in Computer Science, Energy Studies, Environmental Engineering and Nanotechnology), the offerings are strictly liberal arts. There are Managerial Economics and Financial & Actuarial Mathematics majors for students interested in business. The foreign language choices: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Russian and Spanish are impressive for a small school.

In addition, unlike most selective liberal arts colleges, Union offers accelerated paths to graduate degrees in business, education, law and medicine

Students may earn a BA or BS with a MBA in Healthcare Management or MAT in five years. The Leadership In Medicine program allows students to earn the Bachelors degree, the MBA and a MD at Albany Medical College. Pre-law students may opt to begin legal studies early and complete a six-year BA or BS at Union along with their JD from Albany Law School. The accelerated pathways in law and medicine are going to have exceptionally selective admissions and test scores will be Important.

Admissions are selective, but not single-digit selective outside of the accelerated paths in law and medicine.

Union College accepted 44 percent of applicants for the Class of 2028 as well as 53 percent of those who applied Early Action. The college got less than half of its freshman class via Early Action or Early Decision.

While Union is test optional, test scores are considered Important for those who submit them. They’re required for the accelerated paths to law or medical school. The middle 50 percent for those who submitted SAT scores was between 1330 and 1480. The ACT Composite middle 50 percent was between 30 and 34.

Union is expensive but tries to meet full need.

The cost of attendance is approaching $90,000. However, tover 70 percent of the Class of 2028 received need-based scholarships that averaged over $58,000. Just under a fifth off the class received merit-based scholarships that averaged just under $25,000. Average student loan debt for 2024 grads was high, over $40,000. The maximum that students could have borrowed over four years from the Federal Student Loan Program was $27,000.

When I look at these numbers, I wonder if Union might be a realistic option for someone who might ordinarily be a full-pay student at Home State University. However, it might not be an option for a family that has a FAFSA Student Aid Index low enough to justify almost full support.

Union competes in 27 varsity sports, more than most larger schools.

Men’s and Women’s Hockey, played at the Division I level, are the only scholarship sports. The men’s hockey program has made five NCAA Tournament appearances sand earned four conference titles since 2000 reaching the Frozen Four twice. The athletic program underwent a name change in 2023 from Dutchmen and Dutchwomen to Garnet Chargers.

Conclusions

Union College has a long distinguished history in engineering and the liberal arts that very few colleges can match. If this school were within an hour of a city such as Boston or New York, I believe that applications and enrollment would be trending upward.

Report Card: Union College

Four-Year/Six-Year Graduation Rates: A/A
Freshman Retention:A
Costs: B
Comforts: B+
Community: B+
Curriculum: A
Connections: A

Buy my book, The Good College!

Vote to help me win a publishing contract for my novel, America’s Town!

Listen to my latest interview on ‘Tests and the Rest’ with Amy Seeley and Mike Bergin!

Check out my talk, What Exactly Is a Good College? hosted by test-prep experts Amy Seeley and Mike Bergin on Tests And The Rest!

0 Shares