Columbia vs. Purchase College

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

	Columbia University in the City of New York	SUNY at Purchase College	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Columbia	Purchase College
Location	New York, NY	Purchase, NY
Setting	Large City	Large Suburban
Enrollment	34,782	3,182
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#22	#319
Religious Affiliation	-	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	columbia.edu	purchase.edu
Team Colors

Comparable Facts

• Columbia University in the City of New York is larger than than Purchase College based on total student enrollment (34,782 students vs. 3,182 students)

Columbia vs. Purchase College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Columbia or Purchase College?

• Columbia University in the City of New York is 785% more expensive to attend than Purchase College for in-state tuition ($62,570.00 vs. $7,070.00)
• Out of state tuition is 268.5% higher at Columbia than SUNY at Purchase College ($62,570.00 vs. $16,980.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at SUNY at Purchase College than Columbia ($19,434 vs. $22,058)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at SUNY at Purchase College are 9% lower than costs at Columbia University in the City of New York ($14,948 vs. $16,286)
• More students receive financial grant aid at SUNY at Purchase College than Columbia University in the City of New York (73% vs. 52%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Columbia University in the City of New York students is 492.1% larger than aid received SUNY at Purchase College ($61,061 vs. $10,312)

Columbia vs. Purchase College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Columbia University in the City of New York (1473) is 391 points higher than at Purchase College (1082)
• Incoming Columbia students have a 8 point higher average ACT score (33) than students at Purchase College (25)
• Accepted freshman Columbia students have a 0.54 point higher average high school GPA (3.91) than students at Purchase College (3.37)
• Purchase College has a higher acceptance rate (74.7%) than Columbia (3.9%)

Columbia vs. Purchase College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Columbia or Purchase College? 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 Purchase College and Columbia.

• The graduation rate at Columbia is higher than SUNY at Purchase College (93% vs. 56%)
• Graduates from Columbia University in the City of New York earn on average $67,400 more per year than Purchase College graduates after ten years. ($107,600 vs. $40,200)
• Columbia University in the City of New York students graduate with a $1,000 lower median federal student loan debt than Purchase College graduates. ($21,500 vs. $22,500)
• Columbia graduates are paying $10 less per month on federal student loans than Purchase College graduates. ($222 vs. $232)
• More Columbia graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Purchase College students, three years after graduation. (76% vs. 65%)

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