The Need for Private Support

Founded under the leadership of Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller, who had a unique vision of combining outstanding programs in the liberal arts and sciences with professional and conservatory training in the visual and performing arts, Purchase College has established itself, over the past quarter century, as a premier institution for creativity and learning. For several consecutive years, U.S. News and World Report ranked Purchase College among the top public liberal arts colleges in the Northeast, with special citations for the quality of our faculty and selectivity in admission.

Private contributions made to the Purchase College Foundation are critical for the College.  Gifts to Purchase College help Approximately 70.5% of Purchase students receive some federal or state need-based financial aid, including student loans. The average 2007 household income of students who qualify for financial aid is $52,173, well below the 2007 average of median income for family households of $62,359 reported by the US Census Bureau.

The need for scholarship dollars is great. Although we try to keep tuition costs down, New York State increased tuition mid-year for all students effective the spring 2009 semester.  The in-state tuition increase alone is $ 620.00 and $ 2,260 for out-of-state for the 2009-2010 academic year.  The average estimated cost of tuition, fees, room and board for an in-state student in 2009/2010 is $ 16,863 annually and $ 24,763 for an out-of-state students annually.

• to maintain our extraordinary academic and cultural programs;
• to provide scholarships to recruit and keep talented, dedicated students;
• and to reward and retain outstanding faculty.

Support from individual donors allows Purchase College to sustain its margin of excellence.

On an operating budget of $32 million, Purchase College is a state-assisted institution. Resources from the State of New York will continue to diminish, while the College becomes more reliant on self generated revenues, including tuition and private support.

Purchase offers the community a center of culture, with distinctive student and professional performances in The Performing Arts Center and exhibitions in the Richard and Dolly Maass Gallery and the Neuberger Museum of Art.

Whether you choose to make an unrestricted gift through the Annual Fund, join the President’s Club, or include Purchase College in your financial or estate planning, your gifts will help ensure a dynamic future for Purchase and its students.

If you choose, you may designate your gift for a specific academic discipline, or for another purpose, such as scholarships, faculty development, library or technology. You may also create an endowed fund, or explore naming possibilities. Please contact us for more information.