Public · College

SUNY College at Potsdam

Potsdam, New York · Remote town

77.7%
Admit rate
$13,624
Avg net price
45%
Graduation rate
$47,866
Median earnings

SUNY College at Potsdam is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Potsdam, New York (remote town setting), enrolling 1,823 undergraduates.

PublicSmall · 1,823 undergradsRemote townAccessible · 78% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold wintersSnowy

About Potsdam, New York

Potsdam is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. David Clarkson and Garret van Horn were early investors in the town, and settlement began around 1803. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Remote town
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
27 miles
Nearest airport
20 miles to Massena International Airport Richards Field (MSS)

How SUNY College at Potsdam compares

Selectivity77.7%

More selective than 49% · #88 most selective of 137 in New York

Graduation rate45%

Higher than 31% · #121 of 159 in New York

First-year retention78%

Higher than 54%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$47,866

Higher than 32% · #102 of 133 in New York

Average net price$13,624

Cheaper than 78% · #54 cheapest of 153 in New York

Median debt at graduation$24,250

Lower than 43%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 68%

Undergraduate enrollment1,823

Larger than 55%

Percentiles compare SUNY College at Potsdam 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

2,544students
  • Undergraduate1,82372%
  • Graduate72128%

Undergraduates by gender

1,823undergrads
  • Women1,06358%
  • Men76042%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White71%
  • Black7.2%
  • Hispanic12%
  • Asian1.6%
  • Other or multiracial8.2%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,823
Graduate enrollment
721
Student–faculty ratio
11 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
40%
First-generation students
34%
Students over 25
6%
Median family income
$40,619
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$66,447
Endowment
$53,841,887

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 430 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From New York96%
  • Other U.S. states3.3%
  • International0.7%

Most first-years stay in state — SUNY College at Potsdam 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.

Admissions

Admission rate
77.7%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,768
Out-of-state tuition
$18,678
Room & board
$15,280
Books & supplies
$950
Total cost of attendance
$25,083
Average net price
$13,624

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)
45%
Graduated on time (4 years)
33%
First-year retention
78%
Transferred to another college
33%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$39,440
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$47,866
Median debt at graduation
$24,250
Students with federal loans
55%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
53%

About 13% 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
33%
Low-income (Pell)
37%
First-generation
37%

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
2,069
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
100%+
Housing charge (year)
$8,800
Meal plan (year)
$6,284
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division III without football
Varsity athletes
363 (196 men · 167 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)

Lacrosse64
Soccer55
Ice Hockey50
Track and Field (Outdoor)44
Track and Field (Indoor)37
Basketball31
Volleyball30
Softball20
Swimming19
Cross Country13

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
1.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
10
Property offenses (2022–2024)
2

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,832 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.

4.0reported offenses a year
3.3 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
2.3
Fondling
1.0
Arson
0.7

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
$8,623
$30–48k
$8,684
$48–75k
$14,524
$75–110k
$15,513
$110k+
$20,041

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
$64,108

$14,524/year × about 4.4 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.

94%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,934
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 94% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,934. 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 443 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)
$47,866
Typical debt at graduation
$24,250
Debt vs. one year's pay
51%
Out-earn a HS grad
53%

Typical debt would take roughly 5.1 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
$43,849
Men
$54,975

Men out-earn women by $11,126 (25%) 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
6°F
Annual rain
42″
Annual snow
77.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
0°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.6JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Colton 2 N, NY US station (5.4 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 College at Potsdam

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare SUNY College at Potsdam side by side →

Colleges near SUNY College at Potsdam

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.