Private nonprofit · University

Syracuse University

Syracuse, New York · Midsize city

45.9%
Admit rate
$38,793
Avg net price
84%
Graduation rate
$79,164
Median earnings

Syracuse University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Syracuse, New York (midsize city setting), enrolling 15,477 undergraduates.

Private nonprofitLarge · 15,477 undergradsMidsize citySelective · 46% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Atlantic Coast ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Syracuse University's admitted students.

Admit rate
45.9%
SAT (mid 50%)
1270–1440
Avg GPA (est.)
3.82

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

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

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
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
1 mile to Syracuse, NY
To Great Lakes shore
35 miles
Nearest airport
5 miles to Syracuse Hancock (SYR) · major hub

How Syracuse University compares

Selectivity45.9%

More selective than 86% · #22 most selective of 137 in New York

SAT average1375

Higher than 88%

Graduation rate84%

Higher than 91% · #15 of 159 in New York

First-year retention90%

Higher than 86%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$79,164

Higher than 91% · #21 of 133 in New York

Average net price$38,793

Cheaper than 5% · #140 cheapest of 153 in New York

Median debt at graduation$26,000

Lower than 24%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment15,477

Larger than 93%

Percentiles compare Syracuse University 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

22,109students
  • Undergraduate15,47770%
  • Graduate6,63230%

Undergraduates by gender

15,477undergrads
  • Women8,58755%
  • Men6,89045%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White57%
  • Black7.9%
  • Hispanic12%
  • Asian7.3%
  • Other or multiracial16%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
15,477
Graduate enrollment
6,632
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
17%
First-generation students
19%
Students over 25
3%
Median family income
$78,436
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$118,701
Endowment
$2,074,832,074

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 3,672 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From New York32%
  • Other U.S. states57%
  • International11%

A national draw — only 32% of first-years come from New York; 57% arrive from other states.

11% 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
45.9%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1270–1440
SAT average
1375
SAT reading
640–720
SAT math
630–720
ACT composite
29–32
Average GPA (estimated)
3.82

Cost

In-state tuition
$65,528
Room & board
$19,188
Books & supplies
$1,753
Total cost of attendance
$84,517
Average net price
$38,793

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)
84%
Graduated on time (4 years)
73%
First-year retention
90%
Transferred to another college
10%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$60,459
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$79,164
Median debt at graduation
$26,000
Students with federal loans
32%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
74%

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
73%
Low-income (Pell)
75%
First-generation
75%

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
8,370
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
54%
Housing charge (year)
$10,794
Meal plan (year)
$7,650
Application fee
$85
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
Varsity athletes
709 (363 men · 346 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 (11)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)185
Football124
Rowing107
Lacrosse95
Soccer66
Basketball30
Field Hockey26
Ice Hockey24
Softball23
Volleyball19
Tennis10

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.9 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
60
Property offenses (2022–2024)
135

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 9 campuses (22,589 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.

65reported offenses a year
20 violent a year45 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
29
Burglary
16
Rape
13
Fondling
5.0
Aggravated assault
1.7
Robbery
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
$15,817
$30–48k
$15,845
$48–75k
$21,132
$75–110k
$28,780
$110k+
$55,401

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
$88,691

$21,132/year × about 4.2 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.

81%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$27,583
average award, among those who get one

Syracuse University discounts heavily: 81% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $27,583. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

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 4,094 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)
$79,164
Typical debt at graduation
$26,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
33%
Out-earn a HS grad
77%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.3 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
$77,009
Men
$84,742

Men out-earn women by $7,733 (10%) 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 (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 Syracuse University

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

Colleges near Syracuse 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.