Hilbert College
Private College in Hamburg, NY. Six-year graduation rate 57%. Median 10-year earnings $48,309.
Ten years after entry, the median Hilbert College student earns $48,309 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. 57% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Debt at graduation runs to a median of $24,750, neither a bargain nor a burden. On economic mobility, 2.8% of students travel from the bottom income quintile to the top.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.3% — below national benchmark
Admissions
Hilbert College admits 97% of applicants — effectively open admission, so the application is a formality rather than a hurdle. The applicant pool is small at 1,392, which makes year-over-year comparisons unreliable. A 18% yield rate is low: the admitted pool is much larger than the entering class.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | 1 (1%) |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Hilbert College →Academics
Six-year completion sits at 57%, meaning about two in five students who enroll leave without finishing. Retention of 64% means a meaningful slice of each entering class does not return. A 15:1 ratio points to small classes and accessible faculty. Judge these figures against other institutions of the same type — sector explains more of the variation in completion than any single campus factor. The undergraduate body is just 939, which shapes everything from class size to how often a required course is offered.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 922 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price lands at $22,157 a year on average, neither cheap nor punishing. Net price varies modestly by income — $20,903 at $0–30k against $24,329 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. 83% of students receive grant aid, averaging $15,094 — common but not automatic. Most students borrow — 75% take federal loans to cover the gap.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 238 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $20,903 |
| $30–48k | $20,389 |
| $48–75k | $23,162 |
| $75–110k | $24,732 |
| $110k+ | $24,329 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 687 of these 922 students, totalling $6,129,543 — an average of $8,922 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Erie County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)