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Cortland, NY · Public · 5,901 undergraduates · town

State University of New York at Cortland

Moderately selective

Cortland stands out for career-focused public programs in education, sport, exercise science and recreation within a traditional college-town setting.

Campus image / Publicly hosted campus image

Institutional profile

Well established Solid in affordability, and solid in career outcomes.
Academic Solid Affordability Solid Career Solid Mobility Steady Experience Solid
Academic standing Solid
Affordability Solid
Career outcomes Solid
Mobility Steady
Student experience Solid
Admission
50.7% admitted

15,867 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Resident and nonresident prices differ

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
70.8%

$60,236 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets SUNY Cortland apart

Academic design

Experiential learning, fieldwork, internships and faculty collaboration are central across teacher preparation, kinesiology, sport management, sciences and liberal arts.

Campus pattern

The campus anchors the small city of Cortland, producing an active, athletics-heavy student culture in central New York.

Career & value signal

Its outdoor-education facilities in the Adirondacks extend recreation, environmental and leadership learning far beyond the main campus.

Can I get in?

50.7% admitted

Start with the academic record, then make the intended direction and school-specific fit concrete.

Recent applicant pool

15,867

About 51 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 50.7%
Entering class

Record over scores

No score range is published for the entering class, so the transcript, the course rigor, and the required materials carry the file.

Testingoptional
Return for a second year81%
Finish the degree70.8%

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for SUNY Cortland, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What SUNY Cortland weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

Experiential learning, fieldwork, internships and faculty collaboration are central across teacher preparation, kinesiology, sport management, sciences and liberal arts.

02

Make institutional fit specific

Cortland stands out for career-focused public programs in education, sport, exercise science and recreation within a traditional college-town setting.

03

Use the application route carefully

Keep academic direction and school-specific choices coherent across the application.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and assemble each required item once.

Early ActionNov 1
Regular Decisionrolling
Application routeInstitution application

$50 application fee

Major and program admission

Some fields have their own entry path.

The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.

Teacher preparationAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$25,164
Average annual cost after aid, in-state$22,000
Affordability profileSolid

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at SUNY Cortland

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

Read completion, borrowing, field mix, and earnings together. One university-wide earnings figure does not describe every student path.

Complete within 8 years70.8%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one81%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$60,236

Reported 10 years after enrollment

Academic portfolio

Largest bachelor’s fields

How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.

Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness

Recent graduates247
Median earnings$56,466

Psychology, General

Recent graduates95
Median earnings$56,366

What is campus life like?

SUNY Cortland beyond the classroom

The campus anchors the small city of Cortland, producing an active, athletics-heavy student culture in central New York.

Academics

A defining academic feature

Experiential learning, fieldwork, internships and faculty collaboration are central across teacher preparation, kinesiology, sport management, sciences and liberal arts.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

The campus anchors the small city of Cortland, producing an active, athletics-heavy student culture in central New York.

Career & value

Where the degree can lead

Its outdoor-education facilities in the Adirondacks extend recreation, environmental and leadership learning far beyond the main campus.

5,901 undergraduatesMid-Atlantictown settingCampus housing available