Public · Community college

Onondaga Community College

Syracuse, New York · Large suburb

20%
Transfer rate
$8,562
Avg net price
27%
Grad / completion
$41,190
Median earnings

Onondaga Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Syracuse, New York (large suburb setting), enrolling 4,456 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 4,456 undergradsLarge suburbNJCAA Division IIICold wintersSnowy

About Syracuse, New York

Syracuse is a city in New York, United States, and the county seat of Onondaga County. At the invitation of the Onondaga Nation, one of the five nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, a Jesuit priest by the name of Simon Le Moyne, accompanied by soldiers and coureurs des bois, including Pierre Esprit Radisson, set up a mission, known as Ste. Live jazz music is the centerpiece of two annual outdoor festivals in Syracuse, the Syracuse Jazz Festival, Polish Festival as well as the CNY Jazz Arts Foundation's Jazz in the Square Festival. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Associate
Nearest big city
4 miles to Syracuse, NY
To Great Lakes shore
35 miles
Nearest airport
9 miles to Syracuse Hancock (SYR) · major hub

How Onondaga Community College compares

Graduation rate27%

Higher than 10% · #162 of 185 in New York

First-year retention55%

Higher than 15%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$41,190

Higher than 73% · #74 of 148 in New York

Average net price$8,562

Cheaper than 76% · #25 cheapest of 175 in New York

Median debt at graduation$10,000

Lower than 46%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 39%

Undergraduate enrollment4,456

Larger than 90%

Percentiles compare Onondaga Community College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in New York.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

4,456undergrads
  • Women2,30252%
  • Men2,15448%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White54%
  • Black19%
  • Hispanic8.7%
  • Asian4.7%
  • Other or multiracial13%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
4,456
Student–faculty ratio
18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
28%
First-generation students
40%
Students over 25
14%
Median family income
$24,817
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$55,854
Endowment
$16,822,257

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 1,560 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From New York98%
  • Other U.S. states1.6%
  • International0.5%

Most first-years stay in state — Onondaga Community College draws overwhelmingly from New York.

1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition
$6,102
Out-of-state tuition
$11,392
Room & board
$11,862
Books & supplies
$700
Total cost of attendance
$16,585
Average net price
$8,562

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated
27%
First-year retention
55%
Transferred to another college
20%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$34,215
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$41,190
Median debt at graduation
$10,000
Students with federal loans
18%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
35%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
27%
Low-income (Pell)
12%
First-generation
12%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
771
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
17%
Housing charge (year)
$6,930
Meal plan (year)
$4,328
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NJCAA Division III
Varsity athletes
343 (246 men · 97 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (12)

Track and Field (Indoor)52
Lacrosse46
Other Sports43
Baseball40
Soccer38
Basketball34
Track and Field (Outdoor)34
Wrestling17
Softball11
Volleyball11
Cross Country9
Golf8

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
26
Property offenses (2022–2024)
6

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (8,537 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

11reported offenses a year
8.7 violent a year2.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
4.3
Rape
3.7
Burglary
1.0
Arson
0.7
Robbery
0.3
Aggravated assault
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$5,490
$30–48k
$6,958
$48–75k
$10,307
$75–110k
$13,269
$110k+
$15,707

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

13%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,104
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 13% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,104. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,105 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$41,190
Typical debt at graduation
$10,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
24%
Out-earn a HS grad
44%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.4 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$36,634
Men
$46,295

Men out-earn women by $9,661 (26%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
82°F
Winter low
16°F
Annual rain
39.9″
Annual snow
127.8″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.93.9JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Syracuse Hancock Intl AP, NY US station (8.7 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Onondaga Community College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Onondaga Community College side by side →

Colleges near Onondaga Community College

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.