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SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry: SUNY-ESF-Bray-Hall
Photo: David A. Sonnenfeld, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

National university

#11 Colleges with the lowest student debt in America

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Syracuse, NY · Public · 4-year

Your real cost

Average price after aid $18,952 a year

Median debt at graduation: $11,000 (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

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In New York

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Academic Excellence

A-Academic Excellence: A- (grade A-): 0 to 100 points out of 100, from federal data.
Excellent · Top 14%
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.66%
  • First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.87%
  • 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.14 to 1
  • Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$25,510

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$9,473
$30,001–$48,000$11,635
$48,001–$75,000$18,870
$75,001–$110,000$20,953
Over $110,000$24,014

Full cost of attendance before aid: $28,133 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)
2,346
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
20%
First-year students from another state
Of first-time students whose home is a U.S. state, fall 2023 (IPEDS)
25%
Total students2,737
Average net price (per year)
After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid
$18,952
Cost of attendance (per year)$28,133
Median federal debt at graduation$11,000
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
66%
Graduation rate for Pell grant recipients
Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard)
69%
Graduation rate for first-generation students
Finishing within 6 years (College Scorecard)
67%
Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years
Borrowers who repaid at least $1 of principal within 3 years (College Scorecard)
80%
First-year retention87%
Median earnings 10 years after entry$55,763
Admission rate63%
Application fee
Undergraduate application fee, 2023–24 (IPEDS)
$50
Students receiving Pell grants20%

Value: Excellent · Top 13% (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
Other construction trades$99,249
Engineering (general)$74,307
Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy$65,604
Landscape Architecture$59,480
Forestry$57,664
Ecology and evolutionary biology$50,010
Natural resources and conservation$49,489
Zoology/Animal Biology$42,505

Also offered (no earnings published yet): Biochemistry, Biomedical/Medical Engineering, Biotechnology, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Construction Management, Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering, Other biological and biomedical sciences, Other engineering, Other natural resources and conservation, Paper Science and Engineering, Sustainability Studies.

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
Biology44%
Natural resources31%
Engineering14%
Architecture4%
Business3%

Campus life

School colors
SettingCity
Part-time undergraduates5%
Undergraduates aged 25 and older6%
On-campus room and board (per year)$18,080
ROTCArmy · Air Force
Study abroadOffered
Students per faculty member14 to 1
Faculty who are full-time79%Of instructional faculty, fall 2023 (College Scorecard)
Endowment per student$19,741Endowment at the end of fiscal year 2023, per full-time-equivalent student (IPEDS)
Dorm spaceFor about 26% of studentsCampus beds divided by undergraduate enrollment. Not how many students live on campus (IPEDS)
Nearest airport with scheduled flightsSyracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR)About 6 miles away in a straight line (OurAirports)
Town population146,3842020–2024 five-year estimate (U.S. Census Bureau)
Nearest city of 250,000 people or moreBuffaloAbout 138 miles away in a straight line (U.S. Census Bureau)
Average temperature in January24°F1991–2020 normal, from SYRACUSE HANCOCK INTL AP, NY US, about 6 miles away (NOAA)
Average temperature in July72°F1991–2020 normal, from SYRACUSE HANCOCK INTL AP, NY US, about 6 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
Rape0.000.07
Robbery0.000.01
Aggravated assault0.000.04
Burglary0.000.08
Motor vehicle theft0.180.15

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 of Environmental Science and Forestry’s Compass Score?
Excellent (grade A-). It ranks in the top 18% 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 SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry cost after financial aid?
The average net price is $18,952 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 of Environmental Science and Forestry?
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry admitted 63% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
How do SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s graduates do?
66% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $55,763; the median federal debt at graduation is $11,000.

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