Public · University

SUNY Buffalo State University

Buffalo, New York · Large city

73.0%
Admit rate
$11,346
Avg net price
33%
Graduation rate
$52,334
Median earnings

SUNY Buffalo State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Buffalo, New York (large city setting), enrolling 5,097 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 5,097 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 73% admitNCAA Division III with football · Upstate Collegiate Athletic AssociationCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against SUNY Buffalo State University's admitted students.

Admit rate
73.0%
SAT (mid 50%)
980–1240
Avg GPA (est.)
3.11

Enter a test score to see where you land against SUNY Buffalo State University's admitted students.

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

About Buffalo, New York

Buffalo is a city in the U.S. state of New York. Before the arrival of Europeans, nomadic Paleo-Indians inhabited the western New York region from the 8th millennium BCE. The Woodland period began around 1000 BC, marked by the rise of the Iroquois Confederacy and the spread of its tribes throughout the state. Buffalo is home to over 20 theater companies, with many centered in the downtown Theatre District. Shea's Performing Arts Center is the city's largest theater. Designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany and built in 1926, the theater presents Broadway musicals and concerts. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
3 miles to Buffalo, NY
To Great Lakes shore
1 mile
Nearest airport
8 miles to Buffalo Niagara (BUF) · major hub

How SUNY Buffalo State University compares

Selectivity73.0%

More selective than 58% · #76 most selective of 137 in New York

SAT average1070

Higher than 20%

Graduation rate33%

Higher than 14% · #136 of 159 in New York

First-year retention58%

Higher than 11%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$52,334

Higher than 45% · #97 of 133 in New York

Average net price$11,346

Cheaper than 87% · #43 cheapest of 153 in New York

Median debt at graduation$21,028

Lower than 67%

Student–faculty ratio14 : 1

Lower than 42%

Undergraduate enrollment5,097

Larger than 78%

Percentiles compare SUNY Buffalo State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in New York.

SUNY Buffalo State University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

6,030students
  • Undergraduate5,09785%
  • Graduate93315%

Undergraduates by gender

5,097undergrads
  • Women2,94258%
  • Men2,15542%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White45%
  • Black29%
  • Hispanic13%
  • Asian6.6%
  • Other or multiracial6.2%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
5,097
Graduate enrollment
933
Student–faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
56%
First-generation students
34%
Students over 25
13%
Median family income
$32,331
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$82,188
Endowment
$96,391,605

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 1,456 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From New York94%
  • Other U.S. states5.8%

Most first-years stay in state — SUNY Buffalo State University draws overwhelmingly from New York.

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
73.0%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
980–1240
SAT average
1070
SAT reading
490–630
SAT math
490–610
ACT composite
Average GPA (estimated)
3.11

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,533
Out-of-state tuition
$19,653
Room & board
$15,986
Books & supplies
$1,052
Total cost of attendance
$24,279
Average net price
$11,346

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)
33%
Graduated on time (4 years)
23%
First-year retention
58%
Transferred to another college
40%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$40,877
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$52,334
Median debt at graduation
$21,028
Students with federal loans
50%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
49%

About 11% 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
23%
Low-income (Pell)
44%
First-generation
44%

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
2,782
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
55%
Housing charge (year)
$9,856
Meal plan (year)
$6,860
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association
Varsity athletes
520 (308 men · 212 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 (10)

Football120
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)101
Soccer90
Ice Hockey51
Volleyball37
Basketball30
Lacrosse26
Gymnastics23
Softball21
Wrestling21

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
4.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
51
Property offenses (2022–2024)
40

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (6,188 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.

30reported offenses a year
17 violent a year13 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
8.3
Motor vehicle theft
7.7
Fondling
5.3
Burglary
4.3
Aggravated assault
2.3
Arson
1.3
Robbery
1.0

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
$7,405
$30–48k
$9,393
$48–75k
$14,706
$75–110k
$17,155
$110k+
$19,332

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
$65,784

$14,706/year × about 4.5 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.

87%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,726
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 87% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,726. 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 1,241 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)
$52,334
Typical debt at graduation
$21,028
Debt vs. one year's pay
40%
Out-earn a HS grad
59%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.0 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
$48,141
Men
$57,120

Men out-earn women by $8,979 (19%) 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
40.7″
Annual snow
95.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.04.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Buffalo, NY US station (7.4 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 SUNY Buffalo State University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare SUNY Buffalo State University side by side →

Colleges near SUNY Buffalo State University

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.