Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPublic

SUNY Buffalo State University

Buffalo, New York·Public, 4-year or above·Mid East·suny.buffalostate.edu
6-yr Graduation
33%
-15.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
6,188
peer median 9,970
Avg net price
$11,346
-$2.9k vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
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About

SUNY Buffalo State University is a public institution located in Buffalo, New York, founded in 1871. The university has approximately 6,095 students enrolled and focuses on providing a diverse and inclusive academic environment with an emphasis on teaching, research, and community engagement.

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
18,219
18,219 candidates competed
Admitted
13,290
72.9% acceptance rate
Enrolled
1,226
9.2% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
33%-15.0pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
23%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
33%
Full-time retention
58%

Pell equity

6.4pp gap
Pell recipients
31%349 of 1123
Non-Pell (all)
37%231 of 618
Subsidized loan, no Pell
35%82 of 234
No Federal Aid
39%149 of 384

Non-Pell students graduate at a 6.4-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 89 Title IV programs, 35 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 54 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
89
Passing
35
39.3% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

89programs
  • Passing35 · 39.3%
  • No Data54 · 60.7%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
2
Watch
5
Safe
28
No data
54

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

35
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+0.9%
$67,511 vs $66,899
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
+1.3%
$46,986 vs $46,391
Curriculum and Instruction
Master's Degree · Education
+10.3%
$51,175 vs $46,391
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+16.0%
$39,863 vs $34,350
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Subject Areas
Master's Degree · Education
+16.5%
$54,034 vs $46,391
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies General
Master's Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
+18.3%
$63,411 vs $53,607
Special Education and Teaching
Master's Degree · Education
+24.3%
$57,652 vs $46,391
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Master's Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+25.0%
$58,389 vs $46,700

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

2
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+0.9%
+$612
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
+1.3%
+$595

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

33
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
66%
$30,817 debt · $46,986 earn
Special Education and Teaching
Master's Degree · Education
54%
$31,148 debt · $57,652 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Bachelor Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
53%
$24,744 debt · $46,705 earn
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
49%
$19,451 debt · $39,863 earn
Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians
Bachelor Degree · Communications Technologies/Technicians And Support Services
48%
$21,500 debt · $45,120 earn
Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies
Bachelor Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
47%
$22,387 debt · $47,880 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
46%
$24,229 debt · $52,490 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
45%
$30,058 debt · $67,511 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Accredited since 1948Next review Jan 2031

Programmatic accreditations · 9

Action history · 17

  1. Jul 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIET) - Coordinated Program in Dietetics
  2. Jan 2024Approved for Distance Education
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
  3. Jul 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
  4. Jun 2023Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary Withdrawal
    Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIET) - Coordinated Program in Dietetics
  5. Jun 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$7,405
$30–48k$9,393
$48–75k$14,706
$75–110k$17,155
$110k+$19,332

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$11,346
-$2,939vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $14,286
Federal loans
50.1%
In-state tuition
$8,533
Out-of-state
$19,653

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 3,155 students received $18.6M in Pell grants, alongside $26.4M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
3,155
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$18.6M
$18,563,578 total
Direct Loans
$26.4M
5,208 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

4k
20
3k
21
3k
22
3k
23
3k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$8.4M
2,166 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$8.4M
2,300 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$6.3M
452 loan awards
Parent PLUS$3.2M
270 loan awards
Grad PLUS$214K
20 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 2,827 borrowers who entered repayment, 109 (3.8%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
3.8%
+1.5pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
2,827
Defaulted
109
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
8.2%
2017
9.8%
2018
10.1%
2019
3.8%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at SUNY Buffalo State

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs142
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,255 total completions
01Education
43834.9%
02Multi/Interdisciplinary
15512.4%
03Business
14111.2%
04Security/Protective
917.3%
05Liberal Arts
876.9%
06Health Professions
786.2%
07Psychology
756.0%
08Social Sciences
685.4%
09Visual/Performing Arts
624.9%
10Communication
604.8%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
6,188
12-mo unduplicated
8,254
Undergraduate
7,011
Graduate
1,243

Gender split

Men
41%3,375
Women
59%4,879

Race / ethnicity composition

White
45.4%
Black
28.7%
Hispanic
13.0%
Asian
6.6%
Two or more
4.7%
Non-resident
1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%
Unknown
0.0%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
454
268 M · 186 W
Women athletes
41.0%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$5.7M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$31K
$11K
Head-coach salaries
$69K
$66K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 10

Football
120 M ·
$705K
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
65 M · 36 W
$376K
Soccer
57 M · 33 W
$677K
Ice Hockey
28 M · 23 W
$567K
Volleyball
20 M · 17 W
$454K
Basketball
18 M · 12 W
$397K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
4.33
28 offenses · 6,470 students

3-year trend

4.602 yrs ago4.971 yr ago4.33Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
93
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
50
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
2
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
6

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
8
Burglary
5
Motor vehicle theft
5
Fondling
4
Aggravated assault
4
Robbery
2

By location

28total
  • On campus28

Includes 16 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

3
Domestic violence
11
Dating violence
1
Stalking
15 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Religion2

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons20
Drugs20
Liquor019

Residence-hall fires

  • Moore Complex1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99

Data quality: 2 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
14.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
292

SUNY Buffalo State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions SUNY Buffalo State selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectSUNY Buffalo State University
33%6,188$11,346Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
57%95.3%24,427$7,000R2 Research
48%73.3%9,997$16,857Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
47%65.3%8,505$12,786Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
51%56.9%4,247$25,180Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
47%75.9%13,905$12,447Doctoral/Professional
22%74.6%5,734$14,109Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
67%77.7%21,026$22,408R2 Research
48%72.1%6,822$10,775Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
57%76.7%549$18,277Baccalaureate
86%62.3%8,141$27,646Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
54%63.8%12,857$14,462Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
37%78.1%12,554$18,309Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
71%64.2%18,848$20,109R2 Research
65%53.2%16,154$10,154R2 Research
68%92.7%9,278$15,901Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
43%51.6%14,337$12,786Doctoral/Professional
42%72.3%10,262$10,945Doctoral/Professional
45%71.2%6,332$12,937Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
44%90.1%9,942$18,745Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median48%72.3%9,970$14,286

Institutions like SUNY Buffalo State

Explore the federal data for institutions in SUNY Buffalo State's comparison group.

SUNY Buffalo State Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Research
Email
marcomm [at] buffalostate.edu
Phone
716-878-4521
Address
Cleveland Hall 414, 1300 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222

The Office of Institutional Research has the primary institutional responsibility for the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative information on the institution, its students, its faculty, its programs, its publics, its practices, and its services. The office provides analytic support for the planning, evaluation, and policy initiatives of the senior leadership and acts as the institution's reporting agent.

Visit IR office page
Team
4 members
  • Christine Auman
    Associate for Institutional Research
  • Sumanlata Ghosh
    Associate for Institutional Research
  • Alton Caylor
    Assistant for Institutional Research
  • Yves Gachette
    Director

Common Data Set

SUNY Buffalo State's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.

Source publications

Reports & documents (6)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Frequently asked questions about SUNY Buffalo State University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about SUNY Buffalo State.

What is the graduation rate at SUNY Buffalo State University?

SUNY Buffalo State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 33% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend SUNY Buffalo State University?

SUNY Buffalo State University reports a total enrollment of 6,188 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at SUNY Buffalo State University?

The average net price at SUNY Buffalo State University is $11,346 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at SUNY Buffalo State University?

SUNY Buffalo State University's yield rate is 9.2%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is SUNY Buffalo State University located?

SUNY Buffalo State University is located in Buffalo, New York 14222.

Who runs Institutional Research at SUNY Buffalo State University?

SUNY Buffalo State University's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.

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