College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Binghamton University

NYLarge public institution · Overall rank #104 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth’s composite view begins with mobility.

Who it’s a good fit for

Binghamton University is a public university in New York whose degree mix is led by Biological Sciences, Social Sciences, and Business. Mobility is among the highest we track.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them. The model attributes that to the factors it measures, while what it cannot explain subtracts from it.

Students who arrive with Pell Grants finish below the rate for the entering cohort as a whole, and access is among the highest we track. The lowest income band pays well below the published cost, while the highest pays closer to it.

The admission rate is below the median for comparable institutions, and most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study. A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the best-paid ones are smaller.

Binghamton at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
38.6%
Six-year completion[2]
81.6%
Four-year earnings[3]
$80,304

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$20,347
Median student debt[4]
$18,500
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$27,270

Binghamton rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Binghamton University is a public university in Vestal, New York, enrolling 14,655 undergraduates. Its composite standing is in the top tenth of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Binghamton University accepts 38.6% of applicants, well below the 78.1% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size. First-year retention is 89.4%, above the peer median of 83.1%, the typical figure for similar institutions.

The six-year graduation rate is 81.6%, also above the peer median of 65.0%. An estimated 19.0% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students.

The four show a clear shape: mobility is the strongest and affordability is the weakest. Access and return sit between them, with the spread between the top and bottom pillars running wide.

Mobility is the clearest strength in the Azimuth profile, with access also standing well above affordability. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, the mobility pillar is in the 93rd percentile and access is in the 91st percentile.

Return stands in the 83rd percentile, while affordability, the weakest pillar, is in the 59th percentile. Strong mobility and access sit alongside a less favorable affordability result.

28.1% of undergraduates at Binghamton University receive Pell Grants. Those students complete at 70.1%, 11.5 percentage points below the rate for the cohort as a whole.

Azimuth ranks the university #133 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Binghamton University #100 for mobility. Graduates earn about $1,341 more than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Binghamton rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#104

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 93
Access & reach
National percentile: 91
Affordability
National percentile: 59
Return on investment
National percentile: 83

Top-ranked majors

  1. Neurobiology and Neurosciences#4
  2. Fine and Studio Arts#5
  3. Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services#6

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / Binghamton briefing

Binghamton cost & financial aid[6][7]

Costs remain above those at comparable institutions even after aid, although grants reduce the published total for recipients. Binghamton University lists a published cost of attendance of $30,345 before grants and scholarships.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported sticker charges of $7,070 for in-state tuition and $3,497 in required fees for the 2026-27 academic year; out-of-state tuition was $28,970. For aid recipients, the average net price, what recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $21,620, with $8,725 in financial aid savings against the published cost.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $15,634, and the university's is $5,986 above it. Azimuth ranks the university #577 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid lowers the published cost, yet the average price remains above the peer median.

At Binghamton University, published cost of attendance is $30,345, but aid recipients’ costs vary substantially by family-income band. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $12,171 for the lowest family-income band; $15,281 for the next band; $20,347 for the middle band; $23,533 for the next-highest band; and $28,475 for the highest family-income band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $16,304. Azimuth ranks Binghamton University #577 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 29% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, and average aid savings against the sticker price are $8,725. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $21,620.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $15,634, making Binghamton’s average net price $5,986 above that benchmark. Aid offsets part of the published cost, though the overall average sits above the peer median.

Federal borrowing at completion is below the comparable-institution median, though 88.9% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. Borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $18,500, compared with $20,076 at comparable institutions (same type and size), a difference of $1,576 below the peer figure.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $210 a month if repaid over ten years. Parent borrowers have median Parent PLUS borrowing of $27,270.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$20,347

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Binghamton

Federal borrowing is widespread, but median debt at completion sits below the comparable-institution figure. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt was $18,500.

88.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median federal debt is $20,076; the university's median is below it by $1,576.

For the separate population of Parent PLUS parent borrowers, median borrowing was $27,270. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 52% of graduates borrowed from any source, with average cumulative debt of $29,027 per borrower.

Of whom, 51% of graduates had federal loans, averaging $20,238. 13% of graduates had private loans, averaging $8,789.

Binghamton University shows a favorable earnings-and-debt picture: median earnings are $80,304 four years after completion for federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. Azimuth places those earnings in the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $1,341 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, fall in the 59th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios based on the program mix range from $59,210 in a downside case to $108,339 in an upside case, with a typical scenario of $80,304. Median federal student loan debt at completion is $18,500, below the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), of $20,076.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $210 a month if repaid over ten years. Higher earnings and lower borrowing point in the same direction.

For Parent PLUS borrowers, a separate parent-borrower population, median borrowing is $27,270. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $210 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$18,500
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$27,270

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$210/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$346/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Binghamton briefing

Binghamton career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

For federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, Binghamton University has median earnings of $80,304 four years after completion. Azimuth puts that earnings level in the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Azimuth places the university's return pillar in the 83rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,341 more than the model expects for similar students.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between graduate earnings and model expectations for similar students, is in the 59th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $10,597.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $9,256. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $65,610; the university stands $14,694 above it.

Above-peer earnings and higher-than-expected earnings point in the same direction.

At Binghamton University, the median for federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled is $80,304 four years after completion. Azimuth places this earnings measure in the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, based on an earnings cohort of 3,116 completers.

Graduates earn about $1,341 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings scenarios based on the program mix range from $59,210 in the downside scenario to $108,339 in the upside scenario, with $80,304 as the typical scenario rather than an observed group.

An estimated 39.6% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. The high median earnings and higher-than-expected earnings point in the same direction.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $80,304 at Binghamton University. That is $14,694 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #244 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,341 more than the model expects for similar students.

That places the gap at the 59th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $10,597.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $9,256. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $4,707.

The fields involved are broad, with 38.5% of degrees awarded in STEM and large programs in the biological and social sciences. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $59,210 on the downside to $108,339 on the upside.

An estimated 39.6% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Outcomes vary sharply by field, so the school-wide median does not describe every path. The downside earnings scenario is $59,210 and the upside scenario is $108,339, both four years after completion.

At Binghamton University, borrowers who complete carry less federal loan debt than comparable peers, although the average net price is higher. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $18,500, below the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), of $20,076.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $210 a month if repaid over ten years. Graduates earn about $1,341 more than the model expects for similar students.

Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $21,620, above the peer median of $15,634. Parent PLUS borrowers, a separate parent-borrower population, have median borrowing of $27,270.

Lower borrower debt and higher-than-expected earnings pull against the higher average net price in the overall cost picture.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$10,597
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$9,256
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$1,341

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Binghamton briefing

Binghamton acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Binghamton University admits 38.6% of applicants, below the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 61,197 first-year applicants, 22,835 admitted applicants, and 3,201 enrolled first-year students.

SAT: reported composite scores
Admission rate
38.6%
25th percentile
1320
Median
1410
75th percentile
1480

CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Binghamton briefing

What are the largest majors at Binghamton?[12]

Program earnings four years after completion vary widely at Binghamton University, separating higher-earning fields from nationally well-ranked fields with more moderate medians. Management Information Systems and Services pairs median earnings of $109,721 with 73 degrees awarded, and Azimuth places it #6 nationally in its field.

Nursing reports $108,691 and 169 degrees awarded, with an Azimuth national rank of #44 in its field. At the more moderate end of this selection, Neuroscience shows median earnings of $77,478 alongside 237 degrees awarded; Azimuth ranks the field #4 nationally.

Fine and Studio Arts records $60,299 in median earnings and 54 degrees awarded, with an Azimuth national field rank of #5. The rankings and earnings show that national standing within a field does not by itself indicate the same earnings level across fields.

The program picture combines several nationally ranked fields with earnings that vary widely by field. Of 35 fields with published earnings, 32 hold an Azimuth national rank.

Azimuth ranks Neuroscience #4 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions; it awarded 237 degrees and its completers earn a median of $77,478 four years after completion. Management Information Systems and Services ranks #6 nationally, with 73 degrees awarded and median earnings of $109,721 four years after completion.

The degree mix at Binghamton University is anchored in the sciences and social sciences. Biological Sciences accounts for 19.4% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Social Sciences at 14.3% and Business at 13.9%.

The university has 32 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 35 with published four-year earnings data. The largest single program is Biology, at 443 degrees awarded, with Economics next at 333 degrees awarded and Psychology at 310 degrees awarded.

The strongest programs are spread across several fields. Neuroscience is the highest-ranked, with 237 degrees awarded and median earnings of $77,478 four years after completion; Azimuth ranks it #1 in New York within its field.

Management Information Systems and Services carries a benchmark ratio of 1.32x against the national median for its field, with 73 degrees awarded. It ranks #1 in New York within its field.

The highest-earning program is Computer Science, where graduates earn a median of $126,183 four years out, from 115 degrees awarded. Finance follows at $115,013, with a benchmark ratio of 1.38x.

The pattern is one of breadth with pockets of real strength. The largest programs are not the highest-paid ones, but several of them carry strong national ranks: Psychology ranks #19 nationally and #2 in New York within its field, while Neuroscience ranks #4 nationally within its field.

A student drawn to the sciences or social sciences will find the largest departments, while the strongest returns on the page sit in technical and quantitative fields. 38.5% of degrees awarded are in STEM.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Biology, General 443 degrees awarded
$66,816
Economics 333 degrees awarded
$81,040
Psychology, General 310 degrees awarded
$67,249
Neurobiology and Neurosciences 237 degrees awarded
$77,478
Mathematics 175 degrees awarded
$82,492
Accounting and Related Services 171 degrees awarded
$106,323

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Binghamton briefing

How does Binghamton serve students from different backgrounds?

At Binghamton University, the 81.6% six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort anchors a strong mobility picture. Pell recipients in that cohort complete within six years at 70.1%, below the overall rate by 11.5 percentage points.

Azimuth puts the mobility pillar in the 93rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,341 more than the model expects for similar students.

The earnings-beyond-expectations measure, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is in the 59th percentile.

With an admission rate of 38.6%, Binghamton University offers access within a public university enrolling 14,655 undergraduates. Pell Grant recipients account for 28.1% of undergraduates, and an estimated 19.0% of the undergraduate body entered as transfers or part-time students.

Azimuth places the access pillar in the 91st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The admission rate, Pell share, and transfer estimate describe several entry points into a large undergraduate population.

06 / Binghamton briefing

What colleges are similar to Binghamton?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Binghamton.

Admissions peerBucknell University28.9% admitted
Comparison with Binghamton
MeasureBinghamtonBucknell University
Peer earnings · 4 years$80,304$96,035+$15,731 vs Binghamton
Average annual net price$21,620$40,766+$19,146 vs Binghamton · higher cost
Admission rate38.6%28.9%
Explore Bucknell University →
Higher-admission alternativeUtica University92.0% admitted
Comparison with Binghamton
MeasureBinghamtonUtica University
Peer earnings · 4 years$80,304$77,491-$2,813 vs Binghamton
Average annual net price$21,620$19,108-$2,512 vs Binghamton · lower cost
Admission rate38.6%92.0%
Nearby alternativeSyracuse UniversityNearby option · NY
Comparison with Binghamton
MeasureBinghamtonSyracuse University
Peer earnings · 4 years$80,304$79,406-$898 vs Binghamton
Average annual net price$21,620$38,793+$17,173 vs Binghamton · higher cost
Admission rate38.6%45.9%
Explore Syracuse University →
Lower-cost alternativeSUNY Polytechnic Institute$14,164 average net price
Comparison with Binghamton
MeasureBinghamtonSUNY Polytechnic Institute
Peer earnings · 4 years$80,304$73,730-$6,574 vs Binghamton
Average annual net price$21,620$14,164-$7,456 vs Binghamton · lower cost
Admission rate38.6%81.4%
Explore SUNY Polytechnic Institute →
Similar profileUniversity of Massachusetts-LowellMatched across several measures
Comparison with Binghamton
MeasureBinghamtonUniversity of Massachusetts-Lowell
Peer earnings · 4 years$80,304$81,163+$859 vs Binghamton
Average annual net price$21,620$17,163-$4,457 vs Binghamton · lower cost
Admission rate38.6%83.0%
Explore University of Massachusetts-Lowell →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings