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SUNY College at Potsdam: Satterlee Hall and campus, SUNY Potsdam
Photo: GastelEtzwane, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Regional university

SUNY College at Potsdam

Potsdam, NY · Public · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $13,624 a year

Median debt at graduation: $24,250 (all students)

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

Academic Excellence

BAcademic Excellence: Good (grade B): 70 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Good · Top 36%
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.45%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.78%
  • 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.11 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$17,215

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$8,623
$30,001–$48,000$8,684
$48,001–$75,000$14,524
$75,001–$110,000$15,513
Over $110,000$20,041

Full cost of attendance before aid: $25,083 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)
2,211
Men and women
College Scorecard, fall 2023
Men 44% · Women 56%
First-generation students
College Scorecard
34%
First-year students from another state
IPEDS, fall 2023
3%
Total students2,751
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$13,624
Cost of attendance (per year)$25,083
Median federal debt at graduation$24,250
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
45%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
College Scorecard, within 6 years
48%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
College Scorecard, within 6 years
47%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
College Scorecard, within 3 years
58%
First-year retention78%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$47,866
Admission rate78%
Application fee
IPEDS, 2023–24
$50
Typical rent
HUD fair market rent, FY2026
About $816 a month for a one-bedroom
Students receiving Pell grants40%

Value: Good · Top 41% (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
Geology and earth science$62,004
Secondary education$57,949
Business administration$57,066
Teacher education$53,834
Criminal justice$53,597
Arts management$52,583
Sociology$51,086
Health sciences$50,659
Biology$49,725
English$48,920
Psychology$48,601
History$45,234
Communication studies$43,686
Writing and rhetoric$38,562
Music$36,677
Visual and performing arts$33,743
Theatre$33,581
Fine arts$30,688

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Anthropology, Archeology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Computer science, Computing and information science, Dance, Design, Economics, Ethnic and gender studies, Geography, Global studies, Human resources, Interdisciplinary studies, International relations, Kinesiology and exercise science, Managerial economics, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Natural resources and conservation, Philosophy, Physics, Physiology and pathology, Political science, Public health, Romance languages.

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
Education31%
Visual and performing arts11%
Psychology10%
Business10%
Social sciences6%

Campus life

School colors
SettingTown
Part-time undergraduates4%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older6%
On-campus room and board (per year)$15,280
SportsNCAA Division III · State University of New York Athletic Conference
ROTCArmy · Air Force
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member11 to 1
Undergraduates registered with the disability officeAbout 11%IPEDS, 2023–24
Faculty who are full-time63%College Scorecard, fall 2023
Endowment per student$18,765IPEDS, 2023, per student
Dorm spaceFor about 94% of studentsBeds per undergraduate; not who lives on campus
Nearest airport with airline servicePlattsburgh International Airport (PBG)About 74 miles away · about 2 hours 15 minutes by car
Town population8,427Census, 2020–2024
Nearest city of 250,000 people or moreBuffaloAbout 229 miles away · about 5 hours 40 minutes by car
Typical weather16°F in January · 69°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Colton 2 N, NY, about 5 miles away

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
Rape1.060.07
Robbery0.000.01
Aggravated assault0.000.04
Burglary0.000.08
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 SUNY College at Potsdam’s Compass Score?
Good (grade B-). 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 SUNY College at Potsdam cost after financial aid?
The average net price is $13,624 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 SUNY College at Potsdam?
SUNY College at Potsdam admitted 78% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do SUNY College at Potsdam’s graduates do?
45% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $47,866; the median federal debt at graduation is $24,250.

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