Columbia vs. University at Albany- SUNY

Columbia University in the City of New York vs. SUNY at Albany comparison

	Columbia University in the City of New York	SUNY at Albany	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Columbia	University at Albany- SUNY
Location	New York, NY	Albany, NY
Setting	Large City	Small City
Enrollment	34,782	16,658
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#22	#242
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	columbia.edu	albany.edu
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Comparable Facts

• Columbia University in the City of New York is larger than than University at Albany- SUNY based on total student enrollment (34,782 students vs. 16,658 students)

Columbia vs. University at Albany- SUNY Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Columbia or University at Albany- SUNY?

• Columbia University in the City of New York is 785% more expensive to attend than University at Albany- SUNY for in-state tuition ($62,570.00 vs. $7,070.00)
• Out of state tuition is 151.2% higher at Columbia than SUNY at Albany ($62,570.00 vs. $24,910.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at SUNY at Albany than Columbia ($17,714 vs. $22,058)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at SUNY at Albany are 4.4% lower than costs at Columbia University in the City of New York ($15,598 vs. $16,286)
• More students receive financial grant aid at SUNY at Albany than Columbia University in the City of New York (95% vs. 52%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Columbia University in the City of New York students is 431.7% larger than aid received SUNY at Albany ($61,061 vs. $11,485)

Columbia vs. University at Albany- SUNY Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Columbia or University at Albany- SUNY? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between University at Albany- SUNY or Columbia .

• The average SAT score at Columbia University in the City of New York (1473) is 382 points higher than at University at Albany- SUNY (1091)
• Incoming Columbia students have a 9 point higher average ACT score (33) than students at University at Albany- SUNY (24)
• Accepted freshman Columbia students have a 0.61 point higher average high school GPA (3.91) than students at University at Albany- SUNY (3.3)
• University at Albany- SUNY has a higher acceptance rate (67.9%) than Columbia (3.9%)

Columbia vs. University at Albany- SUNY Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Columbia or University at Albany- SUNY? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between University at Albany- SUNY and Columbia.

• The graduation rate at Columbia is higher than SUNY at Albany (93% vs. 64%)
• Graduates from Columbia University in the City of New York earn on average $51,800 more per year than University at Albany- SUNY graduates after ten years. ($107,600 vs. $55,800)
• SUNY at Albany students graduate with a $435 lower median federal student loan debt than Columbia graduates. ($21,065 vs. $21,500)
• University at Albany- SUNY graduates are paying $5 less per month on federal student loans than Columbia graduates. ($217 vs. $222)
• More Columbia graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former University at Albany- SUNY students, three years after graduation. (76% vs. 70%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/