Public · University
State University of New York at Cortland
Cortland, New York · Distant town
- 59.8%
- Admit rate
- $22,345
- Avg net price
- 68%
- Graduation rate
- $60,236
- Median earnings
State University of New York at Cortland is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Cortland, New York (distant town setting), enrolling 5,901 undergraduates.
About Cortland, New York
Cortland is a city and the county seat of Cortland County, New York, United States. When the county was formed in 1808, Cortland vied with other villages to become the county seat. Known as the "Crown City" because of its location on a plain formed by the convergence of seven valleys, Cortland is 1,130 feet (340 m) above sea level. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Distant town
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 31 miles to Syracuse, NY
- To Great Lakes shore
- 58 miles
- Nearest airport
- 16 miles to Ithaca Tompkins (ITH)
How State University of New York at Cortland compares
More selective than 76% · #41 most selective of 137 in New York
Higher than 74% · #56 of 159 in New York
Higher than 65%
Higher than 68% · #68 of 133 in New York
Cheaper than 39% · #90 cheapest of 153 in New York
Lower than 63%
Lower than 35%
Larger than 81%
Percentiles compare State University of New York at Cortland with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in New York.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate5,90185%
- Graduate1,02715%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women3,18954%
- Men2,71246%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White76%
- Black3.7%
- Hispanic12%
- Asian1.1%
- Other or multiracial7.1%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 5,901
- Graduate enrollment
- 1,027
- Student–faculty ratio
- 15 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 27%
- First-generation students
- 27%
- Students over 25
- 2%
- Median family income
- $72,219
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $68,013
- Endowment
- $60,145,944
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 1,216 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From New York94%
- Other U.S. states4.7%
- International1.8%
Most first-years stay in state — State University of New York at Cortland draws overwhelmingly from New York.
2% 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.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 59.8%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
- Average GPA
- 3.48
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $8,874
- Out-of-state tuition
- $18,784
- Room & board
- $15,560
- Books & supplies
- $1,200
- Total cost of attendance
- $28,108
- Average net price
- $22,345
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 (within 6 years)
- 68%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 56%
- First-year retention
- 81%
- Transferred to another college
- 25%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $46,535
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $60,236
- Median debt at graduation
- $21,500
- Students with federal loans
- 61%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 66%
About 12% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
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
- 3,110
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 53%
- Housing charge (year)
- $8,710
- Meal plan (year)
- $7,000
- Application fee
- $50
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- Empire Eight
- Varsity athletes
- 931 (568 men · 363 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 (17)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 2.3 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 34
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 14
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (6,938 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$20,102/year × about 4.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
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.
Modest institutional aid: 54% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,548. 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 1,340 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)
- $60,236
- Typical debt at graduation
- $21,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 36%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 69%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $4,298 (7%) 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
- 79°F
- Winter low
- 12°F
- Annual rain
- 39.5″
- Annual snow
- 64.4″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Freeville 1 NE, NY US station (9.1 mi from campus).
What State University of New York at Cortland graduates study — and earn
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 State University of New York at Cortland
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare State University of New York at Cortland side by side →
State University of New York at New Paltz
New Paltz, New York · Fringe town · 65 mi to Albany
- Students
- 6,086
- Admission
- 62%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1265
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $58k
University of Alabama in Huntsville
Huntsville, Alabama · Midsize city · 3 mi to Huntsville
- Students
- 6,591
- Admission
- 69%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1319
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $62k
College of Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina · Midsize city · 1 mi to Charleston
- Students
- 10,558
- Admission
- 60%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1247
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $56k
SUNY Oneonta
Oneonta, New York · Remote town · 68 mi to Albany
- Students
- 4,643
- Admission
- 70%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1230
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $60k
University of Vermont
Burlington, Vermont · Small city · 1 mi to Burlington
- Students
- 11,743
- Admission
- 65%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1374
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $62k
SUNY College at Geneseo
Geneseo, New York · Distant town · 27 mi to Rochester
- Students
- 3,869
- Admission
- 66%
- Net price
- $18k
- SAT
- 1286
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $67k
Colleges near State University of New York at Cortland
Tompkins Cortland Community College
Dryden, NY · Public · Associate · 1,469 students
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 15,995 students
Ithaca College
Ithaca, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 4,242 students
Onondaga Community College
Syracuse, NY · Public · Associate · 4,456 students
Cayuga County Community College
Auburn, NY · Public · Associate · 1,187 students
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Syracuse, NY · Public · Bachelor's · 1,839 students
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 15,477 students
Upstate Medical University
Syracuse, NY · Public · Bachelor's · 159 students
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.













