Purchase College, State University of New York · New York
Purchase College Merit Aid
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The merit-aid verdict at Purchase College
Merit aid at Purchase supports creative students across the arts and humanities.
Who this school is for
Prospective students with strong artistic portfolios or creative academic interests should explore Purchase's scholarship options, especially those pursuing visual arts, music, theater, or film.
Tuition / cost of attendance: Approximately $7,070 for 2026-2027. Source
Federal cost and outcome data
Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Purchase College, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.
| Family income | Average net price paid |
|---|---|
| $0–$30,000 | $11,835 |
| $30,001–$48,000 | $15,230 |
| $48,001–$75,000 | $19,658 |
| $75,001–$110,000 | $20,886 |
| $110,001+ | $25,428 |
| All income levels (average) | $18,913 |
Sticker price vs. what students actually pay
- Published tuition & fees (in-state), AY 2022-23
- $8,953
- Published tuition & fees (out-of-state), AY 2022-23
- $19,203
- Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
- $18,913
That works out to roughly a 35% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $29,043 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).
Purchase College is a public school; Scorecard's net price figure covers in-state, Title-IV-aid-recipient payers only — there is no comparable federal figure for out-of-state students.
Outcomes for students who enrolled here
- Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
- 63%
- First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
- 80%
- Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
- $21,067 (~$223/mo on a 10-yr plan)
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
- $45,092
- Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
- 36%
- Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
- 47%
Institutional merit aid tiers
Every tier below is sourced to the school’s own published financial aid pages. Renewal terms apply only if the student maintains the stated GPA.
Uup College Scholarship Fund Graduate Award
- GPA
- 3.95
Elks National Foundation Most Valuable Student Scholarship
Uup College Scholarship Fund Undergraduate Award
- GPA
- 3.75
Burger King Mclamore Foundation Scholarship
Lesser-known scholarships at Purchase College
Named awards that don’t always surface on the main financial aid page. Each one has its own eligibility rules.
Purchase College merit aid FAQ
What is the deadline for Think Wide Open Scholarship?
Think Wide Open Scholarship submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis while funding is available.
What is the deadline for Empire State Diversity Honors Scholarship?
Applications for the Empire State Diversity Honors Scholarship for the 2025/26 academic year are closed, and applications for 2026/27 are currently unavailable until further notice.
Sources used on this page
Every claim is checked against Purchase College’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.
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