Public · University

University at Buffalo

Buffalo, New York · Large suburb

74.2%
Admit rate
$20,995
Avg net price
75%
Graduation rate
$70,814
Median earnings

University at Buffalo is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Buffalo, New York (large suburb setting), enrolling 20,112 undergraduates.

PublicLarge · 20,112 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 74% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Mid-American ConferenceCold wintersSnowy

Will you get in?

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

Admit rate
74.2%
SAT (mid 50%)
1210–1380
Avg GPA
3.70

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

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and University at Buffalo'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 suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
9 miles to Buffalo, NY
To Great Lakes shore
6 miles
Nearest airport
5 miles to Buffalo Niagara (BUF) · major hub

How University at Buffalo compares

Selectivity74.2%

More selective than 56% · #81 most selective of 137 in New York

SAT average1295

Higher than 79%

Graduation rate75%

Higher than 85% · #33 of 159 in New York

First-year retention85%

Higher than 76%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$70,814

Higher than 84% · #37 of 133 in New York

Average net price$20,995

Cheaper than 45% · #84 cheapest of 153 in New York

Median debt at graduation$19,000

Lower than 80%

Student–faculty ratio11 : 1

Lower than 68%

Undergraduate enrollment20,112

Larger than 95%

Percentiles compare University at Buffalo 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

31,656students
  • Undergraduate20,11264%
  • Graduate11,54436%

Undergraduates by gender

20,112undergrads
  • Women8,60043%
  • Men11,51257%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White44%
  • Black9.3%
  • Hispanic9.4%
  • Asian18%
  • Other or multiracial19%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
20,112
Graduate enrollment
11,544
Student–faculty ratio
11 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
33%
First-generation students
28%
Students over 25
5%
Median family income
$46,678
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$111,735
Endowment
$1,059,489,397

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 4,271 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From New York88%
  • Other U.S. states3.5%
  • International8.3%

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

8% 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
74.2%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1210–1380
SAT average
1295
SAT reading
600–680
SAT math
610–700
ACT composite
27–32
Average GPA
3.70

Cost

In-state tuition
$10,936
Out-of-state tuition
$31,536
Room & board
$17,426
Books & supplies
$1,500
Total cost of attendance
$30,785
Average net price
$20,995

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)
75%
Graduated on time (4 years)
60%
First-year retention
85%
Transferred to another college
14%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$53,742
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$70,814
Median debt at graduation
$19,000
Students with federal loans
40%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
63%

About 15% 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
60%
Low-income (Pell)
59%
First-generation
59%

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
7,725
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
38%
Housing charge (year)
$9,314
Meal plan (year)
$7,440
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Mid-American Conference
Varsity athletes
544 (280 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 (9)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)252
Football118
Wrestling34
Basketball31
Swimming and Diving (combined)29
Soccer26
Softball23
Volleyball16
Tennis15

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)
35
Property offenses (2022–2024)
94

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (31,903 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.

43reported offenses a year
12 violent a year31 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
17
Motor vehicle theft
13
Fondling
6.0
Rape
3.7
Robbery
1.3
Arson
1.3
Murder
0.3
Aggravated assault
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
$14,668
$30–48k
$16,585
$48–75k
$21,262
$75–110k
$24,117
$110k+
$28,079

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
$91,390

$21,262/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.

68%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,886
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 68% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,886. 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 4,187 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)
$70,814
Typical debt at graduation
$19,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
27%
Out-earn a HS grad
72%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

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
$65,579
Men
$74,815

Men out-earn women by $9,236 (14%) 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 (4.5 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 University at Buffalo

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

Colleges near University at Buffalo

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.