The college offers a liberal arts curriculum across 21 academic departments, including ABET-accredited engineering degree programs.

The local Dutch Reformed Church began to show an interest in establishing an academy or college under its auspices there.

By at least 1792 it offered a full four-year college course, as well as one of elementary and practical subjects taught mainly to girls.

Surrounding it in French was "Sous les lois de Minerve nous devenons tous frères" (English: Under the laws of Minerva, we all become brothers).

By the late 18th century she had indeed come to represent all of those qualities that might be wished for in a rational, virtuous, prudent, wise, and "scientific" man.

[27] In 2023, the college changed the school's nickname from "Dutchmen" and "Dutchwomen" to "Garnet Chargers" as part of a branding update.

Garnet has been the school's official color for 150 years, and the name "chargers" is a reference to "Schenectady's legacy as a leader in electrical technologies.

The school has the distinction of having had the longest serving college or university president in the history of the United States, Eliphalet Nott (62 years).

[31] During the first half of the 19th century, students in American colleges would have encountered a very similar course of study, a curriculum with sturdy foundations in the traditional liberal arts.

[33] Although Latin and Greek remained a part of the curriculum, new subjects were adopted that offered a more readily apparent application to the busy commercial life of the new nation.

[38] So successful were Union's reform efforts that by 1839 the college had one of the largest faculties in American higher education and an enrollment surpassed only by Yale.

In 1806 a large tract of land was acquired to the east of the Downtown Schenectady, on a slope up from the Mohawk River and facing nearly due west.

[45] Nott Memorial: Designed by Edward Tuckerman Potter (class of 1853), this building derived from the central rotunda in the original Ramée Plan.

The original building was designed by Walker O. Cain of McKim, Mead and White and built by the Hamilton Construction Company.

Designed by the firm of Perry, Dean, Rogers, and Partners, the renovation provided space for College Media Services, Writing Center, and a language lab.

Sited where Ramee's original plans called for a garden, it initially featured a mix of vegetables, shrubs, and flowers – some of which were grown from seeds sent by botanists and botanical enthusiasts from around the world.

As early as 1844 it drew the admiration of visitors such as John James Audubon, and evolved into a sweeping retreat for both students and faculty.

[58] The Union College radio station was among the first wireless transmitters in the country to broadcast regularly scheduled programs.

[61] The most popular majors, by number out of 488 graduates in 2022, were:[62] For the Class of 2027 (enrolling fall 2023), Union College received 9,484 applications and accepted 4,175 (44%).

Since then, undergraduate research has taken hold in all disciplines at the college, making this endeavor what has been termed "the linchpin" of the Union education.

[67] Union College makes available a variety of opportunities for formal study outside the United States, the most popular of which are the Terms Abroad Programs.

[68] Currently, Terms Abroad are offered for residence and study on nearly every continent, some in cooperation with Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

[69] Every year Union College also offers a variety of mini-terms (three-week programs during the winter break or at the beginning of the summer vacation).

This ban removed exclusive rights from sororities and fraternities to any residence on campus, allowing Union College to regain partial ownership of the houses.

The move was cast as a means of enhancing Union’s social and cultural life, which college officials reported to be overwhelmingly Greek.

[92] A non-residential "house system" was created and funded, establishing buildings to serve as intellectual, social, and cultural centers for resident and non-resident members.

[96] The college owns over 3,000 works of art and artifacts which comprise its Permanent Collection, most of which are available for use by faculty and students in support of teaching and research.

[98] The Department of Theater and Dance offers several major theatrical productions as well as staged readings, student performances, guest appearances, and other shows throughout the school year.

The most active and popular clubs are baseball, bowling, fencing, golf, ice hockey, karate, rugby, skiing, volleyball, and ultimate frisbee.

Yale University defeated Union College, 3–2, in the ECAC Hockey League first-round playoff game after 81:35 of overtime.