What a friend would tell you
What Union is looking for
Union offers ED and RD, and the ED admit rate runs meaningfully higher. Be ready to explain the appeal of the trimester system and the engineering-liberal arts combination specifically. Know a Minerva House (Union's residential system) or a specific interdisciplinary program. Students who can articulate why they want both an engineering degree and a liberal arts education, rather than just one, stand out.
What students wish they'd known
Schenectady is a post-industrial city that's seen better days, and off-campus options are limited. Greek life at 35% is the primary social driver, and students outside the system can feel adrift on weekends. The trimester pace is fast, with final exams arriving before you feel settled. The student body skews preppy and Northeast-centric. National name recognition is low, and Union is frequently confused with other schools.
Union might be a fit if...
- You want engineering and liberal arts under one roof with a trimester calendar that lets you take more courses over four years
- You're drawn to a small residential college with Minerva Houses and a strong sense of campus community
- You want a school where Greek life and D3 athletics coexist with serious academics in upstate New York
Union Admissions Strategy
1.7x
Early Decision Advantage
Early Decision admits at 1.7x the RD rate. The trade: ED is binding. Apply only if you'd say yes on the spot.
Early Decision: the numbers
Union's Early Decision acceptance rate is 55% vs 33% RD. ED is binding. If you are admitted, you are committing to enroll. This signals strong commitment and gives a meaningful admissions advantage.
Deadlines: ED November 1 · RD January 15
Deadlines: ED November 1 · RD January 15
Test Policy
Test-optional
You choose whether to send scores. A strong score helps your case; a weak one is better left off.
Demonstrated Interest
Yes, Tracked
Tracked. Campus visits, info sessions, and opened emails all register. Show up where you can.
Interview
Optional on campus
Yield Rate
42%
42% of admits enroll, which is typical for a selective school. Waitlists here move every year.
Want the strongest possible application to Union, plus better odds and merit offers everywhere else you apply?
Join the free one-hour workshop from two Harvard grads who have helped 3,000+ students get in. Parents welcome.
Cost & Financial Aid at Union
$84,000
Sticker Price
$9,000
Avg Merit Aid
Need-blind admissions. Meets 100% of demonstrated need. 84% receive financial aid.
What you get for it: Union spends about $55,000 per student per year on instruction and student resources, roughly 4x the $15K national average. You see it in class sizes, faculty access, and research budgets.
What Union Graduates Get
$56,000
Avg Starting Salary
92%
Employed or in Grad School
73%
Graduate in 4 Years
The 4-year number is the on-time rate; the 6-year rate (80%) is the one schools usually advertise. A wide gap means many students pay for extra semesters.
Union Campus & Culture
The Campus
Union's 100-acre campus in Schenectady, New York, was the first in America planned by a professional architect (Joseph-Jacques Ramee, 1813). The Nott Memorial, a 16-sided Victorian stone rotunda, anchors the campus center. Red-brick Federal and Greek Revival buildings surround the Jackson's Garden formal landscape. The campus is compact and walkable, set in a residential neighborhood on a hill above downtown Schenectady. The Mohawk River valley stretches beyond.
The Social Scene
Residential system encourages community, student-driven activities
Union Traditions & Trivia
Mountebanks
Founded in 1912, the Mountebanks student theater group is the oldest continuously operating student-run theater organization in the country.
Lobsterfest
Every spring, students don lobster bibs and sit down together for a feast of whole lobsters, watermelon, and corn on the cob in one of the most anticipated meals of the academic year.
Academics at Union
What Union is known for
Trimester system, engineering and liberal arts blend, close-knit residential system
Most popular majors at Union
Standout programs
Engineering, economics, science and liberal arts integration
How the curriculum works
Unique trimester system with major/minor options
Recommended high school courses
4 years English, 4 years Math, 4 years Science, 3 years History/Social Studies, 3 years Foreign Language
Notable Union Alumni
Chester Arthur
21st President of the United States, Union class of 1848
William Seward
Lincoln's Secretary of State who purchased Alaska, Union class of 1820
Baruch Blumberg
Won the Nobel Prize for discovering the Hepatitis B virus, Union class of 1946
Carter Burwell
Film composer (Fargo, No Country for Old Men), Union class of 1979
If you like Union, also consider
Lafayette College
Similar engineering-in-liberal-arts model with Patriot League athletics
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)
Larger engineering school 20 minutes away in Troy
Hamilton College
Comparable upstate New York LAC with open curriculum
Bucknell University
Similar Greek culture and engineering-liberal arts blend in rural Pennsylvania
Lehigh University
Patriot League peer with comparable engineering strength