Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0Mount Saint Mary College is 9.6 miles from Walden
No college sits inside Walden’s boundary, but Mount Saint Mary College’s campus in Newburgh, with 2,190 students on campus, is 9.6 miles from the center of town, and Orange County Community College is 14.9 miles away in Middletown. About 8% of Walden’s residents are enrolled in college, about the same as 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 Walden. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from Walden
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Walden
Two private colleges within 14.7 miles, one public college within 13.7 miles, and Orange County Community College 14.9 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 $75–110k, where Walden’s median household income ($87,487) 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 Walden: 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.
Questions about college near Walden
Is Walden a college town?
No. About 8 of every 100 Walden residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as New York (7). The nearest campus, Mount Saint Mary College, is 9.6 miles away in Newburgh.
What colleges are near Walden?
Within 15 miles: Mount Saint Mary College (9.6 miles, 2,190 students on campus), State University of New York at New Paltz (13.7 miles, 7,050), Yeshiva of Nitra Rabbinical College (14.7 miles, 270) and Orange County Community College (14.9 miles, 4,717).
What is the closest community college to Walden, and what does it cost?
Orange County Community College in Middletown, 14.9 miles away. Tuition and fees are $6,526 a year for New York residents; the federal net price, $6,794, counts housing and food at full cost.
How much does State University of New York at New Paltz cost if we live in New York?
Tuition and fees are $8,572 a year in-state and $18,822 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $10,541 (under $30,000 income) to $26,256 (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 Walden. 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 →