Private nonprofit · University
Houghton University
Houghton, New York · Remote rural
- 88.7%
- Admit rate
- $20,519
- Avg net price
- 65%
- Graduation rate
- $46,721
- Median earnings
Houghton University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Houghton, New York (remote rural setting), enrolling 753 undergraduates. It has a Wesleyan religious affiliation.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Houghton University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 88.7%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1170–1375
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.57
Enter a test score to see where you land against Houghton University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Houghton University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Houghton, New York
Houghton is a hamlet (and census-designated place) located in the Town of Caneadea in Allegany County, western New York, United States. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Remote rural
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 49 miles to Buffalo, NY
- To Great Lakes shore
- 44 miles
- Nearest airport
- 46 miles to Buffalo Niagara (BUF) · major hub
How Houghton University compares
More selective than 27% · #116 most selective of 137 in New York
Higher than 77%
Higher than 69% · #67 of 159 in New York
Higher than 73%
Higher than 29% · #104 of 133 in New York
Cheaper than 48% · #82 cheapest of 153 in New York
Lower than 29%
Lower than 59%
Larger than 29%
Percentiles compare Houghton University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in New York.
Houghton University campus
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate75395%
- Graduate385%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women43658%
- Men31742%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White76%
- Black5.3%
- Hispanic1.7%
- Asian0.9%
- Other or multiracial16%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 753
- Graduate enrollment
- 38
- Student–faculty ratio
- 12 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 28%
- First-generation students
- 17%
- Students over 25
- 6%
- Median family income
- $60,483
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $59,526
- Endowment
- $80,582,293
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 234 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From New York62%
- Other U.S. states38%
A regional draw: about 57% of first-years come from New York, the rest from elsewhere.
Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 88.7%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1170–1375
- SAT average
- 1284
- SAT reading
- 600–695
- SAT math
- 570–680
- ACT composite
- 26–31
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.57
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $18,430
- Room & board
- $11,360
- Books & supplies
- $1,000
- Total cost of attendance
- $31,143
- Average net price
- $20,519
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 65%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 55%
- First-year retention
- 84%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $36,376
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $46,721
- Median debt at graduation
- $25,250
- Students with federal loans
- 48%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 74%
About 10% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 978
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 100%+
- Housing charge (year)
- $5,560
- Meal plan (year)
- $5,250
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III without football
- Varsity athletes
- 356 (182 men · 174 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (8)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 1.1 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 4
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,200 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$19,312/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Modest institutional aid: 95% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,512. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 175 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $46,721
- Typical debt at graduation
- $25,250
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 54%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 55%
Typical debt would take roughly 5.4 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $6,803 (15%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 80°F
- Winter low
- 13°F
- Annual rain
- 40.2″
- Annual snow
- 72.4″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Angelica, NY US station (10.4 mi from campus).
What Houghton University graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Houghton University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Houghton University side by side →
Covenant College
Lookout Mountain, Georgia · Large suburb · 7 mi to Chattanooga
- Students
- 939
- Admission
- 87%
- Net price
- $26k
- SAT
- 1294
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $50k
Transylvania University
Lexington, Kentucky · Large city · 1 mi to Lexington
- Students
- 1,005
- Admission
- 87%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1287
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $55k
Goucher College
Baltimore, Maryland · Small city · 8 mi to Baltimore
- Students
- 964
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1248
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $53k
Cornell College
Mount Vernon, Iowa · Fringe town · 13 mi to Cedar Rapids
- Students
- 1,086
- Admission
- 80%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1234
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $53k
Oglethorpe University
Atlanta, Georgia · Large suburb · 9 mi to Atlanta
- Students
- 1,352
- Admission
- 88%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1227
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $55k
University of Mobile
Mobile, Alabama · Fringe rural · 9 mi to Mobile
- Students
- 1,307
- Admission
- 78%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1220
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $44k
Colleges near Houghton University
SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
Alfred, NY · Public · Associate · 3,563 students
Alfred University
Alfred, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,423 students
Cattaraugus Allegany BOCES-Practical Nursing Program
Olean, NY · Public · Certificate · 31 students
St Bonaventure University
Saint Bonaventure, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,012 students
SUNY College at Geneseo
Geneseo, NY · Public · Bachelor's · 3,869 students
Genesee Valley BOCES-Practical Nursing Program
Batavia, NY · Public · Certificate · 93 students
Hilbert College
Hamburg, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 921 students
Genesee Community College
Batavia, NY · Public · Associate · 1,973 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.














