Colgate students are achievers intellectually, athletically, and artistically, and are actively engaged in the world around them. For the Class of 2025, just over 3,000 students were offered admission, chosen from more than 17,500 applicants representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 146 countries. The acceptance rate was 17%. Admitted students had an average GPA of 3.81 and the middle 50 percent achieved a combined SAT score of 1370–1500. Thirty-nine percent of the class receive financial aid. Of the full student body, 54 percent of students are women. Domestic students of color constitute 23 percent, and international students and dual citizens account for 16 percent.
The curricular and the co-curricular overlap and intersect often at Colgate. The student-faculty ratio is 9:1 and the average class has 17 students. Small classes are common and allow for professors to advise and mentor students inside and outside of the classroom.
Colgate is a residential university with more than 93 percent of students living on campus. Housing options include traditional residence halls; interest-based residential communities; townhouses; apartments; and University-owned houses.
The University’s Residential Commons system, which launched in 2014, is the foundation of students’ living and learning experience. First-years and sophomores live “on the hill” as members of one of the four Residential Commons, each of which has specific affiliated residence halls. As a means to bridge the academic and residential components of a student’s experience and foster intellectual engagement outside the classroom, the First-Year Seminar (FSEM) determines a student’s assignment to their commons. Students stay connected with their commons community throughout their years on campus. Each commons is led by faculty directors and is supported by residential life professional staff members, faculty affiliates, and residential fellows. These staff members work together to provide residents with intellectual, academic, and social opportunities and a sense of belonging and connection with peers and the Colgate community.
Junior and senior students live in college apartments, college houses, fraternity- or sorority-affiliated chapter houses, or townhouses, and a limited number may apply to live off campus their senior year. The students approved to live off campus through a lottery are expected to contribute positively to the Village of Hamilton to ensure a positive and healthy relationship between the village and the campus.
The University’s visual and performing arts offerings support academic and creative endeavors of students on campus, as well as host visiting artists, musicians, filmmakers, theater groups, and other creative professionals.
Fraternities and sororities are a long-standing tradition at Colgate, dating back to the first fraternity charter adopted in 1856. Roughly thirty percent of all Colgate students are affiliated with the fraternity and sorority community, which includes eight internationally affiliated organizations. Students are eligible to join a fraternity or sorority in their sophomore year and Colgate owns and oversees all chapter houses.
Colgate also has a rich and competitive athletic tradition. Approximately 25 percent of students are involved in a varsity sport, and 80 percent of students are involved in some form of varsity, club, or intramural athletics. There are 25 varsity teams, more than 40 club sports teams, and 18 different intramural sports. Colgate is part of the NCAA Division I Patriot League for all varsity sports (ECAC of Division I for men’s and women’s hockey) and consistently has one of the NCAA’s top graduation rates among student-athletes. The Colgate Raiders have consistently won Patriot League championships and regularly qualify and compete in NCAA tournaments.