University at Buffalo
About
The University at Buffalo is a public research university in Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. The university was founded in 1846 as a private medical college and merged with the State University of New York system in 1962. It is one of two flagship institutions of the SUNY system, along with Stony Brook University. As of fall 2023, the university enrolled nearly 32,000 students in 13 schools and colleges, making it the largest public university in the state of New York.
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 8.0-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 297 Title IV programs, 67 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 4 fail. 226 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing67 · 22.6%
- No Data226 · 76.1%
- Failing4 · 1.3%
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 · 35
Action history · 70
- Jul 2025Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Clinical doctoral program in Audiology
- Jul 2025Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
- Jan 2025Grant Substantive Change: ProgramAmerican Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Periodontics
- Jan 2025Grant Substantive Change: ProgramAmerican Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Pediatric Dentistry
- Nov 2024Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar · Law (LAW) - Professional schools
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, 7,842 students received $48.5M in Pell grants, alongside $213.0M 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 5,544 borrowers who entered repayment, 75 (1.3%) defaulted within three years — below 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 University at Buffalo
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 campus44
- Non-campus1
- Public property1
Includes 20 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
- Religion1
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
- Red Jacket Quad1 fireOtherDamage $100-$999
- Richmond Quad2 firesHeat detector melted by unknown flame deviceDamage $100-$999
- Richmond Quad2 firesBurnt paper products near heat detectorDamage $100-$999
- Wilkeson Quad1 fireElectricalDamage $100-$999
- Flint Village1 fireCookingDamage $100-$999
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
University at Buffalo vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions University at Buffalo 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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectUniversity at Buffalo | 75% | — | 31,903 | $20,995 | R1 Research |
| 84% | 58.1% | 52,269 | $24,406 | R1 Research | |
| 76% | 49.0% | 26,689 | $18,784 | R1 Research | |
| 68% | 86.1% | 56,365 | $16,674 | R1 Research | |
| 87% | 28.6% | 37,297 | $14,251 | R1 Research | |
| 93% | 9.0% | 47,335 | $12,548 | R1 Research | |
| 86% | 26.7% | 44,256 | $12,470 | R1 Research | |
| 75% | 83.6% | 30,779 | $22,531 | R1 Research | |
| 93% | 15.6% | 52,855 | $13,138 | R1 Research | |
| 91% | 15.3% | 32,438 | $11,655 | R1 Research | |
| 85% | 58.1% | 35,724 | $30,434 | R1 Research | |
| 85% | 39.1% | 56,997 | $14,091 | R1 Research | |
| 90% | 45.2% | 51,044 | $17,354 | R1 Research | |
| Peer group median | 85% | 42.2% | 44,256 | $16,674 |
Institutions like University at Buffalo
Explore the federal data for institutions in University at Buffalo's comparison group.
- R1 ResearchNew Jersey
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Grad rate84%Admit rate58.1%Enrollment52,269Net price$24,406View data - R1 ResearchNew York
Stony Brook University
Grad rate76%Admit rate49.0%Enrollment26,689Net price$18,784View data - R1 ResearchArizona
University of Arizona
Grad rate68%Admit rate86.1%Enrollment56,365Net price$16,674View data - R1 ResearchCalifornia
University of California-Irvine
Grad rate87%Admit rate28.6%Enrollment37,297Net price$14,251View data - R1 ResearchCalifornia
University of California-Los Angeles
Grad rate93%Admit rate9.0%Enrollment47,335Net price$12,548View data - R1 ResearchCalifornia
University of California-San Diego
Grad rate86%Admit rate26.7%Enrollment44,256Net price$12,470View data - R1 ResearchIowa
University of Iowa
Grad rate75%Admit rate83.6%Enrollment30,779Net price$22,531View data - R1 ResearchMichigan
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Grad rate93%Admit rate15.6%Enrollment52,855Net price$13,138View data - R1 ResearchNorth Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Grad rate91%Admit rate15.3%Enrollment32,438Net price$11,655View data - R1 ResearchPennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus
Grad rate85%Admit rate58.1%Enrollment35,724Net price$30,434View data - R1 ResearchWashington
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Grad rate85%Admit rate39.1%Enrollment56,997Net price$14,091View data - R1 ResearchWisconsin
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Grad rate90%Admit rate45.2%Enrollment51,044Net price$17,354View data
University at Buffalo Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The Office of Institutional Analysis 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.
Visit IR office page- Craig W. AbbeyVice Provost for Institutional Analysis and Planning
- Diane J. StolarskiStaff Assistant
- Mark L. MolnarAssistant Vice President for University Reporting and Senior Data Architect
- Lynne M. DePasqualeResearch Analyst
- Dan P. EnglishSenior Programmer/Analyst
- Tiffany D. FuzakBusiness Intelligence Analyst
- Samantha A. ScarpelloResearch Analyst
- Jonathan H. HaveyResearch Analyst
- Jessica R. JulicherAssociate Data Architect for University Information
- Holly A. KlickResearch Analyst
- Shannon E. Mahany-KulinskiDecision Intelligence and Analytics Associate
- Mychal A. OstuniDecision Intelligence and Analytics Associate
- Michele M. SedorSenior Programmer/Analyst
- Laura M. SzefelSenior Staff Assistant
- Nick R. TomarasAssistant for Institutional Research
- Melinda M. WhitfordResearch Analyst
- Dris PropheteGraduate Assistant
Common Data Set
University at Buffalo's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.
Affordability & Value
Cost of attendance
GTotal sticker cost of attendance is $35,849 (2025-2026).
Sticker vs. net price
G+HSticker $35,849 → about $23,707 net for aided students after the average need-based grant ($12,142); 53% of demonstrated need is met.
Where grant aid comes from
H116% of need-based grant dollars come from the institution itself.
Graduate debt
H4/H555% of graduates borrowed; those who did owed $36,063 on average.
Outcomes & Equity
Graduation & retention
B6-year graduation rate 73%; first-year retention 85%.
Equity: Pell graduation gap
B4Pell-grant recipients graduate 5 pts below the overall rate (68% vs 73%).
Academic Experience
Class-size distribution
I332% of classes have under 20 students; 19% have 50+.
Faculty profile
IKey faculty indicators.
Degrees by discipline
JSTEM-dominant: ~33% of bachelor's degrees are in computing, engineering, math & sciences.
Student Body & Diversity
Undergraduate race/ethnicity
B2Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity.
International students
B211% of undergraduates are international (nonresident).
Undergrad vs graduate
B121,192 undergraduates and 10,460 graduate students.
Transfer Path
Transfer admissions
D14,663 transfer applicants → 3,052 admitted (65.4%) → 1,493 enrolled
Source publications
Reports & documents (5)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DashboardDashboardbuffalo.edu
- Data definitionData Cookbook - Office of Institutional Analysis - University at BuffaloThe University at Buffalo's Data Cookbook is a system managed by the Office of Institutional Analysis. It provides a framework for defining and cataloging terms for campus analytics and reporting. Various stewards are responsible for maintaining these definitions across different subject areas including Admissions, Campus Living, Degrees, Enrollment, Financial, Financial Aid, Human Resources, Organizations, Policy, Research, Space, Student Demographics, and Student Financials. The Data Cookbook Team requests that inquiries be directed to their email, and the system is organized under a stewardship group with specific roles such as administrators and moderators for each subject area.buffalo.edu
- Data dictionaryData Cookbook - Office of Institutional Analysis - University at BuffaloThe Data Cookbook is a system at the University at Buffalo that provides a framework to define and catalog definitions used for campus analytics and reporting. It is maintained by stewards who manage definitions within specific subject areas such as admissions, campus living, degrees, enrollment, financials, and research among others. Access to the Data Cookbook is available through the Office of Institutional Analysis, and it involves a stewardship group including roles like Administrator and Subject Area Moderators.buffalo.edu
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- FactbookUniversity Factbook2025The UB Factbook is an interactive compendium providing official information on various aspects of university operations, updated based on data governance policies. It includes metrics like student enrollment, graduation rates, faculty demographics, and research funding.buffalo.edu
Notable alumni of University at Buffalo (21)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Wolf BlitzerNews
- Gregory JarvisScience, technology, and engineering
- Cindy ShermanArt, film, theatre, and television
- Ron SilverArt, film, theatre, and television
- Michael A. BattleLaw, politics, and government
- Chaturon ChaisangLaw, politics, and government
- Cathy ConnollyLaw, politics, and government
- Zsolt Csenger-ZalánLaw, politics, and government
- Paul L. FriedmanLaw, politics, and government
- Julio M. FuentesLaw, politics, and government
- William J. Hochul Jr.Law, politics, and government
- Mohamed Abdullahi MohamedLaw, politics, and government
Frequently asked questions about University at Buffalo
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about University at Buffalo.
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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.
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