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Last Updated: September 18, 2022

New York State University System

This is a state-supported higher education system in New York with 64 different institutions that are located in the state. Since most of the institutions under SUNY are located in rural areas within the state, candidates will find that the living cost in these areas is more affordable than those situated within New York City. These state institutions are 4-year schools with degree programs in almost every field of study.

SUNY awards over 96,000 degrees every year with around 4,352 undergraduate majors and over 700 online majors offered through the institutions. According to the data available at SUNY, around 1,781,000 graduates that are in the NY workforce have graduated from one of these institutions. Candidates who are interested in pursuing their athletic interests will also find that these institutions have over 750 athletic teams that one can join during their academic years.

List of SUNY Universities

The institutions that are part of SUNY are as follows-
UniversityCity/TownStudent Population
SUNY AdirondackQueensbury4,000
University at AlbanyAlbany County17,200
Alfred State CollegeAlfred3,700
NYS College of Ceramics at Alfred UniversityAlfred600
Binghamton UniversityBinghamton17,000
SUNY BrockportBrockport8,500
SUNY Broome Community CollegeBroome County6,700
University at BuffaloGetzville 30,000
Buffalo State CollegeBuffalo10,600
SUNY CantonSt. Lawrence County3,800
Cayuga Community CollegeAuburn4,700
Clinton Community CollegeClinton County2,300
SUNY CobleskillCobleskill2,500
Columbia-Greene Community CollegeColumbia County2,100
NYS College of Agriculture & Life Sciences at Cornell UniversityIthaca3,100
NYS College of Human Ecology at Cornell UniversityIthaca1,500
NYS College of Industrial & Labor Relations at Cornell UniversityIthaca900
NYS College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell UniversityTompkins County500
Corning Community CollegeSteuben County5,400
SUNY CortlandCortland6,800
SUNY DelhiDelhi2,800
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences UniversityBrooklyn800
Dutchess Community CollegeFairview10,300
SUNY Empire State CollegeSaratoga Springs9,000
SUNY College of Environmental Science and ForestrySyracuse2,000
Erie Community CollegeErie County15,000
Farmingdale State CollegeSuffolk County8,600
Fashion Institute of TechnologyNew York City8,900
Finger Lakes Community CollegeOntario County6,800
SUNY FredoniaFredonia4,000
Fulton-Montgomery Community CollegeFulton County2,500
Genesee Community CollegeGeneseo7,400
SUNY GeneseoGeneseo5,000
Herkimer County Community CollegeHerkimer3,800
Hudson Valley Community CollegeRensselaer County12,300
Jamestown Community CollegeJamestown2,600
Jefferson Community CollegeWatertown3,600
Maritime CollegeBronx1,500
Mohawk Valley Community CollegeUtica7,400
Monroe Community CollegeRochester11,500
SUNY MorrisvilleMorrisville3,500
Nassau Community CollegeGarden City13,800
SUNY New PaltzNew Paltz8,000
Niagara County Community CollegeSanborn12,300
North Country Community CollegeSaranac Lake2,300
SUNY Old WestburyNassau County5,000
SUNY OneontaOneonta6,000
Onondaga Community CollegeOnondaga11,800
College of OptometryNew York City330
Orange County Community CollegeMiddletown13,000
SUNY OswegoOswego County6,700
SUNY PlattsburghPlattsburgh4,600
SUNY PotsdamPotsdam2,900
Purchase CollegeWestchester County3,500
Rockland Community CollegeSuffern5,500
SUNY Schenectady County Community CollegeSchenectady5,000
Stony Brook UniversitySuffolk County26,000
Suffolk County Community CollegeSeiden22,500
Sullivan County Community CollegeLoch Sheldrake1,700
SUNY Polytechnic InstituteUtica2,500
Tompkins Cortland Community CollegeDryden5,500
Ulster County Community CollegeUlster County3,700
Upstate Medical UniversitySyracuse1,500
Westchester Community CollegeWestchester County14,000

Applying to Universities in SUNY

Candidates who wish to enroll in institutions that are part of SUNY will be able to apply through a single application form. They will be able to create an account at the applySUNY portal within the official website and submit their official documents after they have completed the application form. They will also be able to pay the application fee through this portal which is around $50 per institution. Candidates from around 200 high schools in the state will be able to apply for SUNY programs without an application fee. They will not even have to apply for fee waivers to avail themselves of this benefit.

Once the application has been submitted, candidates will receive their confirmation by email. They will be able to follow up on the email by logging into the portal within 48 hours to view their application status. A few campuses under SUNY will require candidates to submit supplemental applications which they will have to submit as specified by the institution.

Admission Criteria to Enroll in SUNY

The admission criteria for programs are set by individual institutions and it is not done through a centralized system. Hence, candidates will have to meet the specific course, and grade requirements that have been specified by their institution of choice. This criterion will also change according to the level of education one is pursuing and also depending on whether they are a freshman, transfer student, or international student.

Admission Criteria for Freshman

The admission criteria for freshmen for are residents of the state are as follows-

Admission Criteria for Transfer Students

Transfer students who wish to be part of SUNY will have to submit all their previous educational transcripts irrespective of the number of credits they have received. This has to be sent directly to the institution at which they are applying by their high school.

Admission Criteria for International Students

The admission criteria for international students who are applying for SUNY programs are as follows-

Tuition and Fee to Study at SUNY

The tuition fee that one will have to pay while taking up any program in institutions under SUNY will be the same. The fee is different for state-operated campuses that offer baccalaureate degrees and community colleges that offer associate degrees. The fee structure is as follows-
Type of InstitutionIn-State FeeOut-of-State Fee
State-Operated Institutions$7,000$17,000
Community Colleges$5,100$9,500

Ranking for SUNY Universities

The institutions under SUNY can be categorized into too many different types for them to be ranked based on the same criteria. A few of the most common factors that are considered while ranking the institutions include- The rankings provided are as follows-

Ranking for National Universities

InstitutionRank
Binghamton University83
University at Buffalo93
Stony Brook University93
SUNY ESF117
University at Albany172

Ranking for Regional Colleges North

InstitutionRank
Alfred State College6
SUNY Canton12
SUNY Delhi13
Farmingdale State College15
SUNY Cobleskill17
SUNY Morrisville22

Ranking for Value Schools

InstitutionRank
Alfred State College7
Farmingdale State College9
SUNY Canton11
Suny Morrisville13
SUNY Cobleskill15
SUNY Delhi16
SUNY Plattsburgh47
SUNY Polytechnic Institute48
Binghamton University57
SUNY New Paltz57
SUNY Oswego58
SUNY Geneseo59
SUNY Fredonia60
SUNY Potsdam64

Popular Universities for International Students

University at Buffalo

Established in the year 1846, this is one of the best public research universities at SUNY. The university offers around 140 bachelor’s degrees, 220 master’s degrees, and over 95 doctoral programs. It has a student population of around 33,500 along with over 2,500 academic staff. The best programs offered here include business administration, psychology, social sciences, mechanical engineering, etc.

Stony Brook University

This university was established in the year 1957 and is considered to be the largest university at SUNY. It has a student population of around 27,000 out of which around 18,000 are undergraduate students. It also has over 2,800 academic staff. The student-to-faculty ratio here is 19:1. The best programs that one can take from here include applied mathematics, biological sciences, health sciences, etc.

Binghamton University

This university was established in the year 1946 and is one of the university centers for SUNY. It has a student population of around 18,000 along with over 800 academic staff. This university has been ranked as the best in the state with a 19:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The admit rate here is 40% for all six of the schools under this university. The best programs offered here are in the fields of economics, neuroscience, accounting, psychology, etc.

Suny Oneonta

Established in the year 1889, this university has over 6,000 undergraduates and it has a student-to-faculty ratio of 17:1. Ut also has over 150 clubs and organizations in that students can be active participants. More than 80% of students here receive financial aid. The best programs offered here are for business/managerial economics, speech communication, biological sciences, etc.

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

This university was established in the year 1911 and has its main campus in the city of Syracuse. It has a student population of around 1,700 undergraduates and 400 graduates. The student-to-faculty ratio here is 13:1 and it has been ranked fourth among the Top 50 Green Colleges in the country. This university offers over 24 undergraduate programs and around 30 graduate programs in all. The best programs offered here are conservation biology, environmental biology, bioengineering, environmental health engineering, etc.

University at Albany

This university was established in the year 1844 and is one of the university centers for SUNY. It has a student population of around 13,000 for undergraduate programs and around 4,500 for graduate programs. It has a student-to-faculty ratio of 18:1 with over 600 academic staff. The university offers around 50 undergraduate programs and more than 150 graduate programs. It has an admit rate of 50%. The best programs offered here include econometrics, biological sciences, business administration, etc.

SUNY Cortland

The university was established in the year 1868. It has a student population of around 6,200 undergraduate students along with a student-to-faculty ratio of 15:1. The university offers over 65 majors and 38 minors that one can choose from. The best programs offered here are in the fields of physical education teaching, sports management, kinesiology, business economics, etc.

SUNY New Paltz

The university was established in the year 1828 and is located in the Hudson River Valley. It has a student population of around 6,500 undergraduates along with a 16:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The university has over 200 clubs and organizations that students can be a part of. The best programs offered here are in the fields of sociology, digital communication, psychology, speech communication, etc.

List of Best Universities and Best Programs at SUNY

InstitutionProgram
University at BuffaloLaw
Stony Brook UniversityApplied Mathematics
Binghamton UniversityAccounting
SUNY OneontaBiological Sciences
SUNY College of Environmental Science and ForestryEnvironmental Health Engineering
University at AlbanyBusiness Administration
SUNY CortlandBusiness Economics
SUNY New PaltzDigital Communication


List of Universities (by state)

Popular Universities

Top Majors