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.