Purchase College, State University of New York

Purchase College is a place where creativity happens: in the studios, laboratories, theatres, and classrooms, on the playing fields and in the residence halls.

This creativity is reflected in the output generated from the interdisciplinary nature of our academic program that seeks opportunities to link the arts to the liberal arts.

Our students are empowered by faculty, staff, and coaches to explore, test, and question in formal and informal settings. We clash and collaborate, divide and unite, but the outcome is a community where change is a commitment rather than an exception.

We look forward to the opening of our new Center for Media, Film, and Theatre, the epicenter of the kind of energy and motion that defines Purchase. We are in the midst of expanding our commitment to lifelong learning with the development of our senior living community.

Our campus is located in the center of 500 acres of open fields and sprawling forests, about 30 miles (or a short train ride) north of New York City. We combine rigorous coursework in the liberal arts and sciences with world-class conservatory programs in the visual and performing arts.

We encourage our students to think wide open. For starters, it means rejecting easy answers and finding inspiration outside the typical boundaries of academic programs. Whether in the arts, sciences, or humanities, all of our students are taught to think creatively and to apply unconventional approaches to problem-solving. Purchase graduates gain an appreciation for the big picture and the ability to communicate effectively across boundaries and disciplines—useful skills in any career.

A progressive school like ours tends to attract unique personalities. We’re often called the “quirky” SUNY, but it’s the students, not the school itself, that give Purchase its distinctive identity. The Purchase College of today and tomorrow is a diverse and inclusive community of gifted and creative thinkers, writers, and performers.

Purchase College, SUNY, offers a unique education that combines programs in the liberal arts with conservatory programs in the arts in ways that emphasize inquiry, mastery of skills, and creativity. Our graduates contribute to the arts, humanities, sciences, and society.

Purchase College will be recognized nationally and internationally as the leading public institution to pair conservatory programs in the arts with liberal arts programs. We will continue to create opportunities for transformative learning and training in a community where disciplines connect, intersect, and enhance one another.

Purchase College celebrates individuality, diversity, and creativity in a community of educational excellence.
On any given day, there are numerous events and activities for students to enjoy—performances, concerts, exhibitions, games, lectures, film screenings, and more. It’s actually a proven theory that the more you’re involved on campus, the more successful you will be. Trust us, it’s true and we’re here to prove it.

What could be better than attending a free yoga class, catching a new documentary screening, cheering on the Panthers at a home game, and seeing a world-renowned composer… all on your day off! And the best part, most of these events are free for students and their guests.

When the arts, sciences, and humanities collide on a campus that thrives on collaboration and experimentation—something extraordinary is bound to percolate.

There’s innovative work happening right now throughout Purchase, from studying the reaction of artists of color to big data and surveillance, to award–winning opera productions, to visual arts students studying with a renowned painter.

Purchase College attracts all kinds of students: activists, makers, performers, entrepreneurs, researchers, storytellers, and explorers. Our students are exceptionally diverse, in every sense of that word. There is no “typical Purchase student.”

But some common principles unite us all. We value the things that differentiate us from each other. We look for underlying connections. We have a high tolerance for outrageous ideas.

When you want to do more than one thing, at Purchase, you can. Whether you’re premed, a conservatory virtuoso, or a documentary filmmaker, you’ll find the time and space to try new things, even if it means pushing the edges of your comfort zone.

We bring a spirit of exploration indoors, too: our famous student center, the Stood, is fully programmed and managed by students to accommodate Zombie Prom, Culture Shock, and hundreds of other events, exhibitions, and performances.

At Purchase College, you will live and eat and dance among some of the most creative minds you’ll ever meet—chemists, performers, computer scientists, painters, and poets. We’ll back you up with academic support, safety, and wellness.

Founded by Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1967 as the cultural gem of the State University of New York system, Purchase College today enjoys a world-class reputation for its arts programs and high rankings for its liberal arts and sciences programs. The college attracts students and faculty from around the world seeking a place where they can develop their talents, expand their minds, and prepare for a life of creative independence. The focus and diversity at Purchase College are notable.