Photo: Pubdog · Public domainVilla Maria College is 6.5 miles from Lancaster
No college sits inside Lancaster’s boundary, but Villa Maria College’s campus in Buffalo, with 543 students on campus, is 6.5 miles from the center of town, and Erie Community College is 10.4 miles away in Buffalo. About 3% of Lancaster’s residents are enrolled in college, below 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 Lancaster. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Lancaster
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Lancaster
Seven private colleges within 12.7 miles, two public colleges within 11 miles, and Erie Community College 10.4 miles away.
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 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.
Starts at $48–75k, where Lancaster’s median household income ($66,148) 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.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Lancaster: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
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-Buffalo (8).
Questions about college near Lancaster
Is Lancaster a college town?
No. About 3 of every 100 Lancaster residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), below New York (7). The nearest campus, Villa Maria College, is 6.5 miles away in Buffalo.
What colleges are near Lancaster?
10 colleges are within 15 miles. The largest: University at Buffalo (9.2 miles, 29,624 students on campus), Erie Community College (10.4 miles, 6,380) and SUNY Buffalo State University (11 miles, 6,170).
What is the closest community college to Lancaster, and what does it cost?
Erie Community College in Buffalo, 10.4 miles away. Tuition and fees are $6,100 a year for New York residents; the federal net price, $7,765, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does University at Buffalo cost if we live in New York?
Tuition and fees are $10,936 a year in-state and $31,536 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $14,668 (under $30,000 income) to $28,079 (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 Lancaster. 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 →