Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY · Private nonprofit · 15,477 undergrads (large, city) · website ↗

Test-optional
$85 application fee

What you'll actually pay

Average net price per year — tuition, fees, room & board minus grant and scholarship aid — for in-state students by household income.

Household income	Avg net price / year
Under $30,000	$15,817
$30,000 – $48,000	$15,845
$48,000 – $75,000	$21,132
$75,000 – $110,000	$28,780
Over $110,000	$55,401
All incomes (average)	$38,793

Sticker tuition and fees: $65,528 in-state — before aid, from the same earlier College Scorecard release as the net prices above.

These are averages. For an estimate for your family, use Syracuse University's own net price calculator — every college that takes federal student aid must publish one.

Net price calculator ↗

Other costs of attendance, 2025–26

The college's own estimate for a full-time undergraduate for the year, before aid, from the October 2026 College Scorecard. It is a newer year than the tuition and net prices above, so don't add the two together.

Housing and meals, on campus	$19,756
Housing and meals, off campus (not with family)	$18,249
Books and supplies	$1,799
Other expenses, on campus	$2,077
Other expenses, off campus	$2,077

Grants and loans for first-year students, 2022–23

What the college reported for its full-time, first-time students (4,094 of them) in 2022–23; 84% got some kind of aid, loans included. Each average is over the students who received that kind of aid, not over everyone. It is an older year than the 2025–26 costs above.

Type of aid	Students awarded	Average amount
Any grant or scholarshipFederal, state, local and the college's own	82%	$29,110
Federal Pell GrantNeed-based, from the federal government	13%	$5,697
The college's own grants and scholarshipsNeed- or merit-based, funded by the college	81%	$27,583
Federal student loansBorrowed by the student; repaid with interest. No Parent PLUS or private loans	29%	$5,222

IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education, Student Financial Aid 2022–23 (SFA2223, provisional release); full-time, first-time degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates; public domain.

Admissions & outcomes

Acceptance rate: 46%
Average SAT: 1375
Median ACT: 30
Students with Pell grants: 17%
Graduation rate (6yr): 84%
Freshman retention: 90%
Median earnings @ 10yr: $79,164
Median debt at graduation: $26,000
International undergrads: 1,784 (11.3%)

For comparison, the median across all 1,596 four-year colleges on this site: graduation rate 56%, earnings ten years after entering $54,869, debt at graduation $23,250.

Admission policy, test scores and teaching

SAT/ACT policy: Test-optional
Application fee: $85
Students per faculty member: 15 to 1
Faculty who are full-time: 68%
Open admission: No

Middle 50% of test scores, fall 2024

25th to 75th percentile of enrolled first-year students who submitted scores. A quarter scored below the first figure and a quarter above the second. Section ranges can't be added together into a total-score range.

SAT Reading and Writing: 640–720
SAT Math: 630–720
ACT composite: 29–32

What the college considers in admission decisions, fall 2023

How the college said it used each item when deciding on first-time, degree- or certificate-seeking applicants for fall 2023. For SAT and ACT scores, see the fall 2024 policy above.

High school GPA	Required
High school class rank	Considered if submitted
High school record	Required
Completion of a college-preparatory program	Required
Recommendations	Required
Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g. portfolio)	Required
English proficiency test (for applicable students)	Required
Other test (Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)	Considered if submitted
Work experience	Considered if submitted
Personal statement or essay	Required
Legacy status	Not considered

First-time applicants: 42,089
Admitted: 17,545
Enrolled: 3,672

Counts of first-time, degree- or certificate-seeking students, including early decision and early action. The acceptance rate higher up this page comes from a different College Scorecard release, so it may not match these counts.

IPEDS, U.S. Department of Education, Admissions 2023–24 (ADM2023, provisional release), fall 2023; open admission from IPEDS Institutional Characteristics 2023–24 (revised); public domain.

Most popular fields of study

Share of bachelor's degrees awarded.

Social Sciences14%

Communications & Media13%

Business13%

Visual & Performing Arts9%

Psychology8%

Computer Science7%

Engineering6%

Kinesiology & Sports Science5%

Architecture4%

Biology & Life Sciences4%

Earnings and debt by field of study

Median annual earnings of graduates who received federal student aid and were working, not studying: one year after completing (graduates of 2020–21 and 2021–22) and four years after (2017–18 and 2018–19), measured in 2022 and 2023 and shown in 2024 dollars. Median debt is federal Direct and Grad PLUS loans borrowed at this college by 2022–23 and 2023–24 graduates; it leaves out Parent PLUS and private loans. “National” is the median for the same field and credential across all US colleges.

Bachelor's degrees (60)

Field of study	Degrees awarded 2023–24	Earnings, 1 yr after	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Psychology, General	247	$41,258	$65,694national $50,706	$21,091
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication	228	$63,858	$90,535national $63,560	$24,250
Finance and Financial Management Services	214	$80,290	$120,274national $83,343	$23,250
Economics	212	$63,076	$83,649national $82,686	$20,600
Information Science/Studies	172	$81,572	$104,842national $85,294	$20,656
Political Science and Government	159	$56,555	$75,239national $63,293	$22,579
Journalism	152	$50,132	$70,404national $56,278	$22,572
Marketing	151	$66,466	$91,235national $69,303	$24,976
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness	150	$48,438	$68,219national $54,562	$23,250
Data Analytics	137	—	—	$23,025
Architectural Sciences and Technology	121	$63,810	$76,367national $70,074	$29,527
Business Administration, Management and Operations	111	$69,614	$91,472national $68,257	$21,750
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication	109	$42,990	$70,815national $50,497	$22,250
Biology, General	109	$38,373	$68,283national $57,214	$23,250
Design and Applied Arts	104	$47,057	$71,527national $51,490	$23,571
Communication and Media Studies	96	$52,563	$70,106national $56,359	$21,000
International Relations and National Security Studies	85	$47,500	$68,049national $66,596	$23,250
Computer and Information Sciences, General	83	$93,174	$120,773national $92,374	$22,813
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft	73	$31,467	$44,045national $39,775	$23,250
Accounting and Related Services	66	$81,076	$112,682national $76,194	$24,125
Public Administration	65	$61,347	$89,732national $65,093	$21,500
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations	65	$63,941	$87,851national $61,027	$26,500
Security Science and Technology	59	$42,706	$69,491national $57,805	$24,875
Mechanical Engineering	56	$76,883	$91,438national $92,135	$23,500
Film/Video and Photographic Arts	55	$39,522	$54,115national $43,765	$26,602
Public Health	49	$50,980	$69,776national $58,808	$24,322
Natural Resources Conservation and Research	47	$60,456	—national $55,012	$20,500
Neurobiology and Neurosciences	47	$39,783	$54,088national $62,451	$25,500
Sociology	44	$46,011	$67,044national $52,657	$21,500
History	44	$39,111	$64,871national $50,680	$20,609
Real Estate	43	$75,378	$90,764national $84,821	$20,500
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering	39	$70,395	$90,470national $98,207	$27,000
Civil Engineering	34	$78,596	$88,996national $86,517	$22,236
English Language and Literature, General	33	$38,821	$60,602national $48,590	$19,500
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management	33	$49,151	$61,819national $48,240	$27,000
Special Education and Teaching	31	$55,359	$62,864national $50,499	$24,750
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services	31	$42,302	$53,522national $48,568	$21,000
Mathematics	29	—	$81,941national $69,562	$24,250
Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Business Services	28	$67,165	$90,210national $64,926	$24,250
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies	28	$54,123	$61,159national $48,471	$21,875
Education, General	27	—	$62,372national $49,808	—
Biomedical/Medical Engineering	27	$79,321	$99,521national $93,451	$27,000
Fine and Studio Arts	27	$32,998	$43,988national $41,367	$27,000
Anthropology	25	—	$53,196national $46,676	—
Geography and Cartography	25	—	$71,543national $57,853	$21,500
Interior Architecture	23	$62,061	$67,227national $60,369	—
Philosophy	22	$39,313	—national $54,455	$21,500
Computer Engineering	20	$87,778	$110,988national $109,015	$26,201
Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services	20	—	$58,038national $54,945	$19,344
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	20	—	$56,485national $58,928	$26,387
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering	19	$79,414	—national $100,647	—
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering	19	$59,851	—national $81,171	—
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	16	$43,555	$65,410national $51,389	$24,902
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology	16	—	—national $65,466	$22,219
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	15	$49,064	$84,654national $55,000	$23,750
Human Services, General	15	$53,805	$68,314national $48,597	$23,375
Social Work	15	$50,649	$60,920national $51,790	$26,000
Biotechnology	14	$50,031	$87,596national $67,097	$26,250
Chemistry	14	$54,129	$68,017national $65,120	—
Chemical Engineering	9	$80,691	$87,529national $98,158	—

Master's degrees (26)

Field of study	Degrees awarded 2023–24	Earnings, 1 yr after	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Computer and Information Sciences, General	512	$102,530	$155,598national $124,201	$47,849
Business Administration, Management and Operations	224	$124,136	$138,634national $103,485	$78,470
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods	194	$103,196	$124,750national $124,807	$44,929
Public Administration	145	$80,834	$107,868national $81,408	$37,545
Information Science/Studies	134	$107,459	$146,546national $112,705	$51,176
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication	122	$66,584	$87,500national $80,125	$60,545
Library Science and Administration	107	$50,754	$55,160national $56,301	$65,997
Social Work	76	$58,167	$61,656national $65,123	$61,365
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions	73	$53,422	$63,591national $59,571	$74,705
International Relations and National Security Studies	70	$74,755	$92,844national $95,627	$37,065
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	64	$59,961	$60,755national $63,707	$30,750
Computer Engineering	60	$124,669	—national $136,736	—
Journalism	55	$52,419	$62,512national $69,034	$48,480
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management	47	$107,931	—national $121,855	—
Architectural Sciences and Technology	33	—	—national $77,466	$106,873
Special Education and Teaching	33	$63,866	$66,858national $64,397	$51,250
Security Science and Technology	31	$55,088	$76,631national $82,399	$75,937
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication	30	$49,605	$65,092national $75,972	$61,586
Mechanical Engineering	28	$94,059	$112,673national $115,974	—
Fine and Studio Arts	24	$38,650	$52,797national $49,079	—
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations	22	$92,077	—national $97,366	—
Educational Administration and Supervision	14	$53,574	$62,699national $71,685	—
Museology/Museum Studies	12	$43,137	$42,914national $53,692	—
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management	12	—	$95,311national $59,685	—
Biomedical/Medical Engineering	10	$78,058	—national $106,375	—
Accounting and Related Services	0	$86,264	$110,435national $95,833	—

First professional degrees (1)

Field of study	Degrees awarded 2023–24	Earnings, 1 yr after	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Law	200	$72,221	$97,648national $107,773	$110,960

Doctoral degrees (1)

Field of study	Degrees awarded 2023–24	Earnings, 1 yr after	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Chemistry	8	—	$91,446national $115,386	—

Post-baccalaureate certificates (9)

Field of study	Degrees awarded 2023–24	Earnings, 1 yr after	Earnings, 4 yrs after	Median federal debt
Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management	—	$109,663	—national $128,842	—
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other	—	$98,964	$114,122national $123,678	—
Educational Administration and Supervision	—	$92,737	$108,190national $88,516	—
Student Counseling and Personnel Services	—	$56,879	—national $68,085	—
Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services	—	—	$67,447national $69,384	—
Dispute Resolution	—	$79,304	—	—
Security Science and Technology	—	$53,801	—national $106,875	—
Public Administration	—	$88,998	—national $85,234	—
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions	—	$59,848	—national $60,647	—

A dash means the Department of Education suppressed the figure because too few graduates were measured — not zero. 194 more programmes at this college have every figure suppressed and are not listed.

Contact and accreditation

Address: 900 South Crouse Ave., Syracuse, NY 13244
Phone: (315) 443-1870
Institutional accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Is Syracuse University a reach, target, or safety for you?

Take the 5-minute quiz and see how it stacks up against 1,595 other colleges — ranked by fit and by what your family would actually pay.

Find my matches →

Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts) and IPEDS Fall Enrolment for international student counts. College Scorecard, October 2026 release: net price calculator link, mission flags and religious affiliation (2025–26), enrolment shares, test policy, SAT/ACT ranges and student-to-faculty ratio (fall 2024), cost-of-attendance components (2025–26), and earnings and debt by field of study. IPEDS Institutional Characteristics 2023–24 for the application fee and the IPEDS 2024 directory for the phone number. IPEDS Admissions 2023–24 (ADM2023, provisional release) for admission requirements and first-time applicants, admits and enrolments (fall 2023). IPEDS Student Financial Aid 2022–23 (SFA2223, provisional release) for grants and loans to full-time, first-time students. All are U.S. Department of Education data in the public domain. Verify current costs and requirements with the school.

Similar colleges in the United States

Picked by control, selectivity, mix of majors, location and size, from the same data as this page — not a judgement of quality.