SUNY Buffalo State University
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.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Non-Pell students graduate at a 4.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.
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.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing35 · 39.3%
- No Data54 · 60.7%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
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.
Near the line (±5%)
Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Programmatic accreditations · 9
Action history · 17
- Jul 2025Renewal of AccreditationAcademy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIET) - Coordinated Program in Dietetics
- Jan 2024Approved for Distance EducationAcademy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Didactic Program in Dietetics
- Jul 2023Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
- Jun 2023Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary WithdrawalAcademy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics · Dietetics (DIET) - Coordinated Program in Dietetics
- Jun 2023Renewal of AccreditationMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
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 $18.0M in Pell grants, alongside $26.4M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
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.
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 vs national, by cohort
* 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.
Academic programs at SUNY Buffalo State
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 9
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus31
- Public property1
Includes 13 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
- Moore Complex2 firesElectricalDamage $100-$999
- Moore Complex2 firesElectricalDamage $100-$999
Data quality: 2 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
SUNY Buffalo State vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions SUNY Buffalo State selected for federal comparison reporting.
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 | $14,229 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
California State University-Fresno | 57% | 95.3% | 24,427 | $6,480 | R2 Research |
Central Connecticut State University | 48% | 73.3% | 9,997 | $16,435 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Eastern Illinois University | 47% | 65.3% | 8,505 | $14,093 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Jacksonville University | 51% | 56.9% | 4,247 | $26,255 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Kean University | 47% | 75.9% | 13,905 | $12,168 | Doctoral/Professional |
Northeastern Illinois University | 22% | 74.6% | 5,734 | $13,550 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Rowan University | 67% | 77.7% | 21,026 | $22,185 | R2 Research |
Saginaw Valley State University | 48% | 72.1% | 6,822 | $14,582 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
Salem College | 57% | 76.7% | 549 | $18,835 | Baccalaureate |
The College of New Jersey | 86% | 62.3% | 8,141 | $25,458 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
University of Central Missouri | 54% | 63.8% | 12,857 | $15,336 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
University of Central Oklahoma | 37% | 78.1% | 12,554 | $18,990 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
University of North Carolina Wilmington | 71% | 64.2% | 18,848 | $19,472 | R2 Research |
University of North Florida | 65% | 53.2% | 16,154 | $10,353 | R2 Research |
University of Northern Iowa | 68% | 92.7% | 9,278 | $14,609 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
University of West Georgia | 43% | 51.6% | 14,337 | $15,450 | Doctoral/Professional |
Valdosta State University | 42% | 72.3% | 10,262 | $11,298 | Doctoral/Professional |
Western Illinois University | 45% | 71.2% | 6,332 | $11,592 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
William Paterson University of New Jersey | 44% | 90.1% | 9,942 | $17,764 | Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs |
| Peer group median | 48% | 72.3% | 9,970 | $14,973 |
SUNY Buffalo State Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
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- Christine AumanAssociate for Institutional Research
- Sumanlata GhoshAssociate for Institutional Research
- Alton CaylorAssistant for Institutional Research
- Yves GachetteDirector
Common Data Set (1)
The institution's official annual Common Data Set publications — the most detailed reference for enrollment, admissions, and outcomes.
Reports & documents (6)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DashboardDashboardinstitutionalresearch.buffalostate.edu
- Data definitionData and Reports | Institutional Research | SUNY Buffalo State UniversityThe page provides data and reports related to institutional research at SUNY Buffalo State University. It covers various areas such as admissions trends, enrollment summary, faculty/staff trends, graduation, persistence, and retention rates. Definitions for key metrics such as Graduation Rate, Persistence Rate, and Retention Rate are included. Access to detailed reports and dashboards is available through Tableau, requiring network credentials or being public depending on the dashboard.institutionalresearch.buffalostate.edu
- Data dictionaryData and Reports | Institutional Research | SUNY Buffalo State University2025This page provides a comprehensive overview of data and reports related to SUNY Buffalo State University, including enrollment summaries, faculty/staff trends, and admissions data. It highlights detailed reports on admissions trends, faculty distribution, and graduation rates, with public access available for student data dashboards. Additionally, it includes detailed definitions for key metrics such as Graduation, Persistence, and Retention Rates, and it's indicated that the data is primarily accessible through Tableau and requires authentication for some reports.institutionalresearch.buffalostate.edu
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- FactbookData and Reports | Institutional Research | SUNY Buffalo State University2025This page from SUNY Buffalo State University's Office of Institutional Research provides data and reports on various institutional metrics. It includes sections on admissions trends, enrollment summaries, faculty and staff trends, graduation, persistence, and retention rates, and student data. The most recent enrollment data is for Fall 2025, and detailed faculty information is available for the 2025-26 academic year. Data dashboards are available for public viewing through Tableau for some categories.institutionalresearch.buffalostate.edu
- Strategic planStrategic Plan 2022-20262022The SUNY Buffalo State University Strategic Plan 2022-2026 emphasizes the university's commitment to access, equity, social justice, and belonging, while establishing itself as a key urban-engaged campus within the SUNY system. The plan outlines key goals across five pillars, including enhancing student success, promoting professional success for faculty and staff, and ensuring sustainability. It aims for a transformative impact through partnerships, diversity initiatives, and environmentally responsible planning, preparing students and the institution to thrive amidst dynamic societal changes.suny.buffalostate.edu
Frequently asked questions about SUNY Buffalo State University
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about SUNY Buffalo State.
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Who runs Institutional Research at SUNY Buffalo State University?
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