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.

Private nonprofitSmall · 753 undergradsRemote ruralAccessible · 89% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold wintersSnowy

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

Selectivity88.7%

More selective than 27% · #116 most selective of 137 in New York

SAT average1284

Higher than 77%

Graduation rate65%

Higher than 69% · #67 of 159 in New York

First-year retention84%

Higher than 73%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$46,721

Higher than 29% · #104 of 133 in New York

Average net price$20,519

Cheaper than 48% · #82 cheapest of 153 in New York

Median debt at graduation$25,250

Lower than 29%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment753

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

791students
  • Undergraduate75395%
  • Graduate385%

Undergraduates by gender

753undergrads
  • 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)

All students
55%
Low-income (Pell)
28%
First-generation
26%

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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)138
Soccer56
Baseball44
Basketball34
Volleyball33
Field Hockey21
Tennis18
Softball12

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.

1.3reported offenses a year
1.3 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
1.0
Rape
0.3

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.

< $30k
$19,147
$30–48k
$18,503
$48–75k
$19,312
$75–110k
$19,974
$110k+
$22,424

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.

Est. total to a degree
$81,881

$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.

95%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,512
average award, among those who get one

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.

Solid value

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.

Women
$44,221
Men
$51,024

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

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.14.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Angelica, NY US station (10.4 mi from campus).

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 →

Colleges near Houghton University

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.