Buffalo State vs SUNY Potsdam

SUNY Buffalo State and SUNY College at Potsdam, both esteemed institutions within the State University of New York system, offer distinct educational experiences. Buffalo State, situated in the vibrant city of Buffalo, boasts a diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs, including popular majors in business, education, and health professions. Potsdam, nestled in the scenic North Country, is known for its strong liberal arts and sciences curriculum, with popular majors in music, education, and environmental studies. While Buffalo State welcomes a larger applicant pool, resulting in a higher acceptance rate, Potsdam maintains a more selective admissions process. Both institutions offer supportive learning environments and opportunities for personal growth, but their unique characteristics may appeal to different students. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	SUNY Buffalo State	SUNY College at Potsdam
Overview
Location	Buffalo, New York	Potsdam, New York
Campus setting	City: Large	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	48.0%	67.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	84.5%	81.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	930 - 1160	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	19.0%
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	12,057	3,225
Total number of admissions given out	10,193	2,623
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,344	416
Yield rate	13.2%	15.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $27,150 Out of state: $37,060	In state: $21,784 Out of state: $31,694
Average net price	$9,998	$14,494
Tuition	In state: $7,070 Out of state: $16,980	In state: $7,070 Out of state: $16,980
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,506 Meal plan: $5,880	Room/dormitory: $8,150 Meal plan: $5,800
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	88.0% Average amount $9,663	92.0% Average amount $10,014
Students receiving federal student loan	52.0% Average amount $4,720	71.0% Average amount $4,995
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $10,210	12.0% Average amount $11,185

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,147 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%	2,352 Men 37.6% Women 62.4%
Graduate students	1,026 Men 25.7% Women 74.3%	255 Men 27.8% Women 72.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	2.5%	3.9%
International students	1.0%	0.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	2,842	2,715
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York New Jersey Mississippi California Connecticut	New York Vermont Connecticut New Jersey Colorado

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Multidisciplinary Studies Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Engineering Technologies	Education Visual & Performing Arts Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	41.2%	49.8%
Dropout rate	19.8%	17.1%
Transferred out	37.7%	32.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,172 Year 2: $58,522 Year 3: $72,509 Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,939 Year 2: $63,749 Year 3: $69,910 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,019 Year 2: $44,942 Year 3: $57,686 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,405 Year 2: $46,254 Year 3: $52,604 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,976 Year 2: $44,276 Year 3: $48,855 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,038 Year 2: $45,969 Year 3: $48,754 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,663 Year 2: $45,249 Year 3: $47,057 Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,709 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $46,776 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,130 Year 2: $36,488 Year 3: $45,629 Special Education and Teaching (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,151 Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $44,724	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $80,254 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,353 Year 2: $40,017 Year 3: $47,596 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,838 Year 2: $43,712 Year 3: $46,516 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,686 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $46,475 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,720 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $45,785 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,690 Year 2: $34,420 Year 3: $44,513 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,078 Year 2: $37,424 Year 3: $43,713 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,008 Year 2: $35,891 Year 3: $43,677 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,842 Year 2: $27,440 Year 3: $40,409 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $39,586

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Buffalo State vs SUNY Potsdam

SUNY Buffalo State

SUNY College at Potsdam

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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