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State University of New York at Cortland: Bowers Hall at SUNY Cortland
Photo: J. Passepartout, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Regional university

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State University of New York at Cortland

Cortland, NY · Public · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $22,345 a year

Median debt at graduation: $21,500 (all students)

Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator

Rankings

Where this college places on our top lists. Lists are worked out from official data and our own research; places in the top quarter of each list are shown. See every list

In America

In New York

Academic Excellence

B+Academic Excellence: B+ (grade B+): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Very good · Top 25%
From federal data, on fixed published scales.

Each measure counts for the share shown.

  • Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.68%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.81%
  • Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.Not reported
  • Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.15 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$11,144

Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.

Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))

What families pay, by income

Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.

Average net price by family income
Family incomePrice after aid
Up to $30,000$12,550
$30,001–$48,000$16,453
$48,001–$75,000$20,102
$75,001–$110,000$21,636
Over $110,000$25,853

Full cost of attendance before aid: $28,108 a year.

Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.

Cost and value

Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.

Value and outcomes
Undergraduate students
Fall enrollment (IPEDS)
5,905
Men and women
Undergraduates, fall 2023 (College Scorecard)
Men 47% · Women 53%
First-generation students
Share of students who are first-generation, by the College Scorecard’s definition
27%
First-year students from another state
Of first-time students whose home is a U.S. state, fall 2023 (IPEDS)
5%
Total students6,780
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$22,345
Cost of attendance (per year)$28,108
Median federal debt at graduation$21,500
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
68%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard)
65%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard)
63%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
Borrowers who repaid at least $1 of principal within 3 years (College Scorecard)
73%
First-year retention81%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$60,236
Admission rate60%
Application fee
Undergraduate application fee, 2023–24 (IPEDS)
$50
Students receiving Pell grants27%

Value: Good · Top 42% (how it’s computed)

Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.

Earnings by major

Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).

Median earnings by major
MajorMedian earnings
Special education$74,079
Managerial economics$66,644
Communication studies$63,431
Secondary education$63,201
Other health professions and related clinical sciences$62,524
Teacher education$62,275
Speech-language pathology$62,122
Biology$61,879
Political science$60,296
Geology and earth science$60,027
Criminology$56,593
Kinesiology and exercise science$56,466
Psychology$56,366
Sociology$53,524
Rehabilitation and therapy$52,654
Allied health$52,067
History$51,043
Liberal arts$44,687

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Anthropology, Archeology, Biochemistry, Broadcasting, Chemistry, Community Organization and Advocacy, Design, Ecology and evolutionary biology, Economics, English, Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, Ethnic and gender studies, Film and video, Fine arts, Geography, Health administration, International relations, Mathematics, Music, Other english language and literature/letters, Outdoor Education, Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management, Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies, Philosophy, Physics, Public Policy Analysis, Public health, Public relations, Romance languages, Teaching English as a second language, Theatre, Visual and performing arts, Writing and rhetoric.

What students study most

Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).

Most common bachelor’s fields
FieldShare of degrees
Education35%
Parks, recreation and fitness20%
Social sciences8%
Business6%
Psychology6%

Campus life

School colors
SettingTown
Part-time undergraduates2%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older2%
On-campus room and board (per year)$15,560
SportsNCAA Division III · State University of New York Athletic Conference
ROTCArmy · Air Force
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member15 to 1
Faculty who are full-time58%Of instructional faculty, fall 2023 (College Scorecard)
Endowment per student$7,550Endowment at the end of fiscal year 2023, per full-time-equivalent student (IPEDS)
Dorm spaceFor about 53% of studentsCampus beds divided by undergraduate enrollment. Not how many students live on campus (IPEDS)
Nearest airport with scheduled flightsBuffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF)About 131 miles away in a straight line (OurAirports)
Town population17,4502020–2024 five-year estimate (U.S. Census Bureau)
Nearest city of 250,000 people or moreBuffaloAbout 137 miles away in a straight line (U.S. Census Bureau)
Average temperature in January21°F1991–2020 normal, from Freeville 1 NE, NY, about 9 miles away (NOAA)
Average temperature in July68°F1991–2020 normal, from Freeville 1 NE, NY, about 9 miles away (NOAA)

Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard), except school colors.

Campus safety reports

On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.

On-campus crimes per 1,000 students
CategoryThis campusU.S. rate
Rape0.290.07
Robbery0.000.01
Aggravated assault0.000.04
Burglary0.860.08
Motor vehicle theft0.000.15

Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.

Source: Official data: U.S. Department of Education

Questions families ask

What is State University of New York at Cortland’s Compass Score?
Very good (grade B+). It ranks in the top 26% of rated colleges. The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
How much does State University of New York at Cortland cost after financial aid?
The average net price is $22,345 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
How hard is it to get into State University of New York at Cortland?
State University of New York at Cortland admitted 60% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do State University of New York at Cortland’s graduates do?
68% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $60,236; the median federal debt at graduation is $21,500.

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