Public · University

State University of New York at Oswego

Oswego, New York · Distant town

80.5%
Admit rate
$16,236
Avg net price
60%
Graduation rate
$57,566
Median earnings

State University of New York at Oswego is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Oswego, New York (distant town setting), enrolling 5,473 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 5,473 undergradsDistant townAccessible · 81% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against State University of New York at Oswego's admitted students.

Admit rate
80.5%
SAT (mid 50%)
1070–1270
Avg GPA (est.)
3.40

Enter a test score to see where you land against State University of New York at Oswego's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and State University of New York at Oswego's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Oswego, New York

Oswego is a city in and the county seat of Oswego County, New York, United States. The British established a trading post in the area in 1722 and fortified it with a log palisade later called Fort Oswego, named after the native Iroquois place name "os-we-go" meaning "pouring out place". (Wikipedia)

Setting
Distant town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
34 miles to Syracuse, NY
To Great Lakes shore
1 mile
Nearest airport
32 miles to Syracuse Hancock (SYR) · major hub

How State University of New York at Oswego compares

Selectivity80.5%

More selective than 44% · #95 most selective of 137 in New York

SAT average1187

Higher than 54%

Graduation rate60%

Higher than 61% · #77 of 159 in New York

First-year retention70%

Higher than 32%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$57,566

Higher than 61% · #78 of 133 in New York

Average net price$16,236

Cheaper than 67% · #61 cheapest of 153 in New York

Median debt at graduation$20,880

Lower than 69%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment5,473

Larger than 79%

Percentiles compare State University of New York at Oswego 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

6,671students
  • Undergraduate5,47382%
  • Graduate1,19818%

Undergraduates by gender

5,473undergrads
  • Women2,80751%
  • Men2,66649%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White65%
  • Black11%
  • Hispanic15%
  • Asian2.6%
  • Other or multiracial6.8%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
5,473
Graduate enrollment
1,198
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
40%
First-generation students
28%
Students over 25
8%
Median family income
$50,004
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$73,323
Endowment
$67,749,280

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 1,191 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From New York96%
  • Other U.S. states2.8%
  • International1.6%

Most first-years stay in state — State University of New York at Oswego 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
80.5%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1070–1270
SAT average
1187
SAT reading
530–630
SAT math
540–640
ACT composite
23–29
Average GPA (estimated)
3.40

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,825
Out-of-state tuition
$18,735
Room & board
$16,290
Books & supplies
$1,000
Total cost of attendance
$27,052
Average net price
$16,236

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)
60%
Graduated on time (4 years)
50%
First-year retention
70%
Transferred to another college
26%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$46,358
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$57,566
Median debt at graduation
$20,880
Students with federal loans
52%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
62%

About 10% 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)

All students
50%
Low-income (Pell)
60%
First-generation
60%

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
3,828
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
70%
Housing charge (year)
$8,990
Meal plan (year)
$6,450
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division III without football
Varsity athletes
551 (287 men · 264 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 (13)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)140
Lacrosse69
Soccer64
Ice Hockey51
Baseball41
Swimming and Diving (combined)39
Basketball35
Softball23
Field Hockey22
Tennis21
Wrestling20
Volleyball15
Golf11

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)
36
Property offenses (2022–2024)
10

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (6,715 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.

15reported offenses a year
12 violent a year3.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
8.3
Fondling
3.7
Burglary
3.3

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
$8,714
$30–48k
$11,681
$48–75k
$17,412
$75–110k
$19,053
$110k+
$23,087

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.

Est. total to a degree
$74,118

$17,412/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.

86%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,375
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 86% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,375. 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 1,460 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)
$57,566
Typical debt at graduation
$20,880
Debt vs. one year's pay
36%
Out-earn a HS grad
62%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.6 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
$54,554
Men
$60,887

Men out-earn women by $6,333 (12%) 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
80°F
Winter low
19°F
Annual rain
43.1″
Annual snow
140.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Oswego, NY US station (0.4 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 State University of New York at Oswego

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare State University of New York at Oswego side by side →

Colleges near State University of New York at Oswego

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.