Colonie is home to two colleges, with 3,835 students on campus
Siena College (3,611 students on campus) and Bryant & Stratton College-Albany (224) are inside the town, and University at Albany (15,251) is 4.3 miles from the center, just over the line in Albany. About 9% of Colonie’s residents are enrolled in college, above New York (7%).
From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Colonie. Colleges are described, not graded.
Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.
What it costs
What would your family pay?
The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.
Family income
Starts at $75–110k, where Colonie’s median household income ($101,676) falls.
The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.
Outcomes
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Colonie: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
University at Albany61% graduate$68k earnings$20k typical debt
Hudson Valley Community College35% graduate$45k earnings$11k typical debt
Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing50% graduate$64k earnings$15k typical debt
Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: Bryant & Stratton College-Albany (8); Mildred Elley School-Albany Campus (3).
Majors
What students study in Colonie
Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field across Colonie’s 2 colleges, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.
Psychology, GeneralSiena College · 85 graduates a year
$63k4 yrs out
MarketingSiena College · 79 graduates a year
$70k4 yrs out
Accounting and Related ServicesSiena College · 61 graduates a year
$78k4 yrs out
Finance and Financial Management ServicesSiena College · 59 graduates a year
$89k4 yrs out
Biology, GeneralSiena College · 45 graduates a year
$73k4 yrs out
Political Science and GovernmentSiena College · 38 graduates a year
$63k4 yrs out
English Language and Literature, GeneralSiena College · 35 graduates a year
$59k4 yrs out
Business/Commerce, GeneralSiena College · 35 graduates a year
$72k4 yrs out
College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.
Questions about college in Colonie
Is Colonie a college town?
No. About 9 of every 100 Colonie residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), above New York (7). The largest campus in the town, Siena College, has 3,611 students on campus.
What colleges are in Colonie?
Siena College and Bryant & Stratton College-Albany are inside the town. University at Albany is 4.3 miles from the center, in Albany, and Russell Sage College is 4.8 miles from the center, in Troy.
What is the closest community college to Colonie, and what does it cost?
Bryant & Stratton College-Albany in Albany, 3.2 miles away. Tuition and fees are $18,374 a year for New York residents; the federal net price, $12,443, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does University at Albany cost if we live in New York?
Tuition and fees are $10,866 a year in-state and $31,256 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $11,112 (under $30,000 income) to $24,085 (over $110,000), housing and food included.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Colonie. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →
Photo: Tyler A. McNeil · CC BY-SA 4.0