Public Graduate Strong 71/100

SUNY College at Potsdam

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

Compare This College

Potsdam, New York

About SUNY College at Potsdam

Thinking about SUNY College at Potsdam, a college in New York where more students graduate in Education than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

SUNY College at Potsdam is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in Potsdam, New York. It enrolls 1,823 students (a mid-sized student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
77.7%
Graduation
49.6%
Net Price
$13,624
Median Earnings (10yr)
$47,866
Enrollment
1,823
Student : Faculty
10:1

Accreditor Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Strong
71/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 40
Value 75
Affordability 74
Selectivity 47

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

SUNY College at Potsdam admits 77.7% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.

Acceptance Rate
77.7%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test Policy Not Considered Standardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether SUNY College at Potsdam is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Becoming less selective ↑ 17.5 pts since 2019
68%201971.7%202081.3%202182.7%202285.5%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $13,624 a year on average, it sits below what public colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$13,624
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
40%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
55%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$8,768
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$18,678
Room & Board (on-campus)
$15,280
Room & Board (off-campus)
$11,845
Books & Supplies
$950
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$1,956
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$2,322
Total Cost of Attendance
$25,083

Application fee: $50 (one-time, due at submission)


Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $8,623
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $8,684
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $14,524
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $15,513
  • Over $110,000
    $20,041

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$3,822
10% percentile
$7,500
25% percentile
$24,250
Median percentile
$27,000
75% percentile
$32,895
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $18,735 ↓ $5,515
No Pell $16,444 ↓ $7,806
Dependent students $18,500 ↓ $5,750
Independent students $15,934 ↓ $8,316
Female students $17,760 ↓ $6,490
Male students $18,500 ↓ $5,750
Pell recipients: 17.7% (4,291 students)No Pell: 15.5% (3,766 students)Dependent students: 17.5% (4,237 students)Independent students: 15.1% (3,650 students)Female students: 16.8% (4,068 students)Male students: 17.5% (4,237 students)Overall Median$24,250
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $11,000, less than completers ($24,250), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

50% of students who start here finish within six years, and 78% come back after first year. Fewer than half finish in six years. Ask what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
50%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
78%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $47,866 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$47,866
Earning > $25K
76%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$38,000$41,000$44,000$46,000$49,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$36,900

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$47,000

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$36,600

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$39,700

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$44,800

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $10,100, about 21% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 16.2 pts across 6 years
60.1%1yr66.1%3yr67.6%5yr76.3%7yr
What this signals: Strong. 76% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,823 students, a mid-sized community. Worth knowing: 34% are the first in their family to go to college.

Total Enrolled
1,823
Part-Time
4%
First-Generation
34%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 71.3% 1,299
Hispanic 11.7% 213
Black 7.2% 132
Other 4.3% 79
Asian 1.6% 29
International 1.3% 23
White: 71.3% (1,299 students)Hispanic: 11.7% (213 students)Black: 7.2% (132 students)Other: 4.3% (79 students)Asian: 1.6% (29 students)International: 1.3% (23 students)Total1,823

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at SUNY College at Potsdam. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Town: Remote Potsdam, New York
Housing
Strongly residential 2,069 beds for 1,823 students
Adult Learners
6% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Visual & Performing Arts graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

SUNY College at Potsdam offers an extensive catalog of programs: 46 distinct programs across 20 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

7 Programs
2 Programs
2 Programs
2 Programs
1 Program

Faculty & Resources

There are 10 students for every instructor here: small classes, and staff who are likely to know your name.

Student : Faculty
10:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$25,341
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$46M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$63,199
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

206 instructional faculty across 5 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 54 26% $80,939
Associate Professors 65 32% $64,974
Assistant Professors 55 27% $53,263
Instructors 16 8% $42,814
Lecturers 16 8% $50,652

Pros & Cons of SUNY College at Potsdam

No college is right for everyone. Here is where SUNY College at Potsdam is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Below-average net price
  • Accessible admissions for most applicants
  • Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
  • Wide reach of need-based federal aid
CONS
  • Below-average completion rate
  • Modest first-year retention
Best for: Based on the data, SUNY College at Potsdam is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.

Frequently Asked Questions about SUNY College at Potsdam

The questions families ask most about SUNY College at Potsdam, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is SUNY College at Potsdam hard to get into?
Not especially. SUNY College at Potsdam admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 77.7%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at SUNY College at Potsdam?
77.7% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does SUNY College at Potsdam cost?
Budget around $13,624 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is SUNY College at Potsdam worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $47,866 a year against a net price of $13,624, about 3.5 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is SUNY College at Potsdam known for?
Mostly Teaching Specific Subjects, Psychology, Teacher Education (K-12). Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do SUNY College at Potsdam graduates earn?
About $47,866 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is SUNY College at Potsdam accredited?
Yes. SUNY College at Potsdam is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend SUNY College at Potsdam?
1,823 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at SUNY College at Potsdam?
50% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is SUNY College at Potsdam a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is SUNY College at Potsdam located?
SUNY College at Potsdam is located in Potsdam, New York.
What programs does SUNY College at Potsdam offer?
46 different programs, most commonly Teaching Specific Subjects, Psychology, Teacher Education (K-12). If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at SUNY College at Potsdam?
10 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Continue Exploring

Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.