College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

State University of New York at Plattsburgh

NYMedium public institution · Overall rank #446 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks State University of New York at Plattsburgh #446 among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

State University of New York at Plattsburgh is a public university in Plattsburgh, New York, where the degree mix is led by Business and Health Professions. Mobility is well above average.

Graduates earn less than predicts for students like them. The model attributes the factors it measures to adding to expected earnings.

The remainder it cannot explain subtracts from them. Pell recipients complete at a rate above the entering cohort as a whole, and access is above average.

Families at the bottom of the income scale pay well below the published cost, while those at the top pay closer to it. The admission rate is below the median for comparable institutions.

Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study, and the largest programs are not the best-paid ones.

State University of New York at Plattsburgh at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
78.4%
Six-year completion[2]
58.5%
Four-year earnings[3]
$58,319

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$17,076
Median student debt[4]
$21,196
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$19,010

State University of New York at Plattsburgh rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

State University of New York at Plattsburgh is a public university in Plattsburgh, New York, enrolling 3,769 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits in the middle of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (70th percentile).

The shape is a broad-access public campus where mobility is the strongest and return the weakest, with access and affordability sitting between them. The university admits 78.4% of applicants, a rate below the 85.9% median for comparable institutions of the same type and size.

Of students who start full time, 73.2% return for a second year, against the median for comparable institutions of the same type and size, which is 73.7%. The six-year graduation rate is 58.5%, which exceeds the median for comparable institutions of the same type and size, 49.1%.

An estimated 31.6% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, and the six-year rate describes only the first-time, full-time cohort. Mobility is the strongest pillar, while return is the weakest of the four.

Access and affordability sit closer together, giving the university a profile where the financial-access measures outpace the earnings picture.

Mobility is the clearest strength at State University of New York at Plattsburgh, while return is the area that pulls the overall picture down. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Azimuth puts mobility in the 82nd percentile, access in the 74th percentile, and affordability in the 69th percentile. Return sits in the 32nd percentile, making it the weakest of the four pillars.

The middle 50% of submitted SAT scores fell between 1,080 and 1,250. The middle 50% of submitted ACT scores ranged from 22 to 28.

40.6% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. Azimuth ranks State University of New York at Plattsburgh #380 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Pell recipients complete at a rate of 61.9%, which is 3.4 percentage points above the overall six-year graduation rate (58.5%). Mobility is the strongest pillar here, with Azimuth ranking the university #267 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $7,021 less than the model expects for similar students.

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

State University of New York at Plattsburgh rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#446

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 82
Access & reach
National percentile: 74
Affordability
National percentile: 69
Return on investment
National percentile: 32

Top-ranked majors

  1. Social Work#31
  2. Radio, Television, and Digital Communication#46
  3. Criminal Justice and Corrections#70

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 / State University of New York at Plattsburgh briefing

State University of New York at Plattsburgh cost & financial aid[6][7]

The published cost of attendance at State University of New York at Plattsburgh is $28,244, a starting point before aid. In-state tuition and fees are $9,035, out-of-state tuition and fees are $18,945, and room and board are $17,300.

For aid recipients, the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $17,156. Financial aid offsets $11,088 from the published cost for that group.

The is $3,088 above the peer median of $14,068 at comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth places the university’s affordability pillar in the 69th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid lowers the listed cost, though the aided average remains above comparable institutions.

Family income is the main divider in what aid recipients pay at State University of New York at Plattsburgh, where the published cost of attendance is $28,244. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $9,400 in the lowest family-income band; $12,121 in the lower-middle band; $17,076 in the middle band; $17,655 in the upper-middle band; and $24,611 in the highest band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $15,211. Azimuth ranks the university #433 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 39% of the published cost, or $11,088 against the sticker price. Across aid recipients, the average net price is $17,156.

That figure is $3,088 above the peer median of $14,068, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size). In-state tuition is $9,035, and out-of-state tuition is $18,945.

Aid offsets part of the published cost, but the overall average remains above the comparable-institution benchmark. For borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $21,196, and 90.6% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

This is $33 below the peer median federal debt of $21,229 at comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $241 a month if repaid over ten years.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing for parent borrowers is $19,010.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$17,076

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at State University of New York at Plattsburgh

At State University of New York at Plattsburgh, federal borrowing is common: 90.6% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $21,196.

The median is $33 below the $21,229 peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parent PLUS borrowers are a separate parent-borrower population, with median borrowing of $19,010.

For State University of New York at Plattsburgh, the investment picture is mixed: earnings sit above comparable peers, but the model expects more from similar students. Graduates working and not enrolled report median earnings of $58,319 four years after completion, placing the measure in the 44th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $7,021 less than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is in the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The program-mix earnings scenarios range from $47,722 in the downside scenario to $79,515 in the upside scenario, with $58,319 in the typical scenario. Median federal student loan debt at completion is $21,196, $33 below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $241 a month if repaid over ten years. Lower debt and above-peer earnings sit alongside below-expected earnings.

Parent borrowers have a separate federal borrowing figure: median Parent PLUS borrowing is $19,010. For student borrowers, the federal debt measure corresponds to an estimated payment of $241 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
$21,196
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$19,010

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

Estimated student payment · monthly
$241/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$242/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 / State University of New York at Plattsburgh briefing

State University of New York at Plattsburgh career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $58,319. That is at the 44th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, and $1,018 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $7,021 less than the model expects for similar students. That places the gap at the 28th percentile.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $3,554. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $10,575.

Azimuth places the university at the 32nd percentile for return among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduate pay at State University of New York at Plattsburgh sits below the model’s expectation despite a median near the middle of nonprofit four-year institutions. Among 1,417 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings were $58,319 four years after completion.

Azimuth places that earnings median in the 44th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. For earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, graduates earn about $7,021 less than the model expects for similar students.

Earnings scenarios based on the program mix range from $47,722 in the downside scenario to $79,515 in the upside scenario. An estimated 28.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix.

The below-expected model result sits alongside a broad scenario range across program mixes.

Federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $58,319 four years after completing a degree. That figure sits at the 44th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, $1,018 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks State University of New York at Plattsburgh #992 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $7,021 less than the model expects for similar students.

That result falls at the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings beyond expectations measure the gap between what these graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $3,554. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $10,575.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $506. Degrees awarded cluster heavily in business and health fields, with psychology and criminal justice also drawing large shares.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from a downside of $47,722 to an upside of $79,515. An estimated 28.7% of graduates continue on to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Program choice accounts for a wide spread in modeled earnings at State University of New York at Plattsburgh. Across 32 programs with published earnings data, earnings scenarios range from $47,722 to $79,515, with $58,319 as the central scenario, all four years after completion.

At State University of New York at Plattsburgh, borrower debt sits just below the peer level, though the earnings model is less favorable. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $17,156.

For the lowest, lower-middle, middle, upper-middle, and highest income bands, the respective average net prices are $9,400, $12,121, $17,076, $17,655, and $24,611. Borrowers who completed carry median federal student loan debt of $21,196.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median is $21,229; the university is below it by $33. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $241 a month if repaid over ten years.

Graduates earn about $7,021 less than the model expects for similar students. Debt is slightly below the peer median, while the modeled earnings comparison points the other way.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$3,554
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$10,575
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$7,021

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 / State University of New York at Plattsburgh briefing

State University of New York at Plattsburgh acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

For the reported entering class, 78.4% was the share of applicants offered admission by State University of New York at Plattsburgh. That rate sits below the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
78.4%
Approximate lower endpoint
1080
Reported average
1165
Approximate upper endpoint
1250

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / State University of New York at Plattsburgh briefing

What are the largest majors at State University of New York at Plattsburgh?[12]

At State University of New York at Plattsburgh, program choice matters: four-year earnings span markedly across the fields shown here. Nursing posts $92,095 four years after completion and 104 degrees awarded, setting the higher end of this group.

For moderate-earning fields, Azimuth ranks Social Work #31 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions; it shows $59,925 and 38 degrees awarded. Radio, Television, and Digital Communication ranks #46 with $45,121 and 58 degrees awarded, while Criminal Justice ranks #70 with $58,331 and 63 degrees awarded.

The contrast with the higher-earning field makes the variation by program plain.

Business accounts for 26.5% of bachelor's degrees awarded, giving the program mix a substantial business presence. Azimuth has ranked 13 of the university's bachelor's fields nationally.

Azimuth ranks Social Work #31 nationally within its field; it awarded 38 degrees and its completers earned $59,925 four years after completion. Radio, Television, and Digital Communication ranks #46 nationally within its field, with 58 degrees awarded and $45,121 in median earnings.

Criminal Justice ranks #70 nationally within its field, awarded 63 degrees, and shows $58,331 in median earnings four years after completion.

State University of New York at Plattsburgh awards bachelor's degrees across 32 programs with published four-year earnings data, and 13 hold an Azimuth national rank within their field. The program mix is anchored by Business, which accounts for 26.5% of degrees awarded, followed by Health Professions at 13.1% and Psychology at 9.0%.

The largest single programs are Business Administration and Management at 111 degrees awarded, Accounting at 108, and Psychology at 107. The highest-ranked program is Social Work, which Azimuth ranks #8 in New York within its field.

It awards 38 degrees awarded, and graduates earn a median of $59,925 four years after completion. Radio, Television, and Digital Communication is also highly ranked, at #46 nationally and #7 in New York, with 58 degrees awarded and median earnings of $45,121.

The highest-earning program is Nursing, at $92,095 from 104 degrees awarded. Management Information Systems and Services follows at $85,677, though it is a much smaller program with 13 degrees awarded.

Business Administration and Management, the largest program, also appears among the top earners at $70,499. The pattern here is one of concentrated strength in a few professional fields.

The highest-ranked program is Social Work, while the highest earnings come from nursing and a small technology program. 13.1% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Business Administration, Management and Operations 111 degrees awarded
$70,499
Accounting and Related Services 108 degrees awarded
$70,109
Psychology, General 107 degrees awarded
$50,673
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 104 degrees awarded
$92,095
Criminal Justice and Corrections 63 degrees awarded
$58,331
Biology, General 61 degrees awarded
$67,359

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 / State University of New York at Plattsburgh briefing

How does State University of New York at Plattsburgh serve students from different backgrounds?

Mobility is the university’s strongest Azimuth pillar: it sits in the 82nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. For the first-time full-time cohort, the six-year graduation rate is 58.5%, and Pell recipients complete at 61.9%, above the overall rate by 3.4 percentage points.

Graduates earn about $7,021 less than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places earnings beyond expectations in the 28th percentile nationally. Strong completion figures sit alongside lower-than-expected earnings.

Access stands out at State University of New York at Plattsburgh, where Azimuth places the access pillar in the 74th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The public university enrolls 3,769 undergraduates and admits 78.4% of applicants.

Pell Grant recipients make up 40.6% of undergraduates, and an estimated 31.6% enter as transfers or part-time students. Those figures describe a campus serving both Pell recipients and a sizable estimated transfer population.

06 / State University of New York at Plattsburgh briefing

What colleges are similar to State University of New York at Plattsburgh?[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 State University of New York at Plattsburgh.

Admissions peerNorwich University74.4% admitted
Comparison with State University of New York at Plattsburgh
MeasureState University of New York at PlattsburghNorwich University
Peer earnings · 4 years$58,319$75,909+$17,590 vs State University of New York at Plattsburgh
Average annual net price$17,156$22,257+$5,101 vs State University of New York at Plattsburgh · higher cost
Admission rate78.4%74.4%
Explore Norwich University →
Higher-admission alternativeSUNY College of Technology at Canton92.2% admitted
Comparison with State University of New York at Plattsburgh
MeasureState University of New York at PlattsburghSUNY College of Technology at Canton
Peer earnings · 4 years$58,319$57,422-$897 vs State University of New York at Plattsburgh
Average annual net price$17,156$15,268-$1,888 vs State University of New York at Plattsburgh · lower cost
Admission rate78.4%92.2%
Nearby alternativeSaint Michael's CollegeNearby option · VT
Comparison with State University of New York at Plattsburgh
MeasureState University of New York at PlattsburghSaint Michael's College
Peer earnings · 4 years$58,319$60,903+$2,584 vs State University of New York at Plattsburgh
Average annual net price$17,156$25,239+$8,083 vs State University of New York at Plattsburgh · higher cost
Admission rate78.4%84.5%
Higher-earnings alternativeUniversity of Massachusetts-Lowell$81,163 earnings
Comparison with State University of New York at Plattsburgh
MeasureState University of New York at PlattsburghUniversity of Massachusetts-Lowell
Peer earnings · 4 years$58,319$81,163+$22,844 vs State University of New York at Plattsburgh
Average annual net price$17,156$17,163+$7 vs State University of New York at Plattsburgh · higher cost
Admission rate78.4%83.0%
Explore University of Massachusetts-Lowell →
Lower-cost alternativeCUNY Brooklyn College$3,103 average net price
Comparison with State University of New York at Plattsburgh
MeasureState University of New York at PlattsburghCUNY Brooklyn College
Peer earnings · 4 years$58,319$62,833+$4,514 vs State University of New York at Plattsburgh
Average annual net price$17,156$3,103-$14,053 vs State University of New York at Plattsburgh · lower cost
Admission rate78.4%58.4%
Explore CUNY Brooklyn College →
Similar profileWestfield State UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with State University of New York at Plattsburgh
MeasureState University of New York at PlattsburghWestfield State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$58,319$59,434+$1,115 vs State University of New York at Plattsburgh
Average annual net price$17,156$16,721-$435 vs State University of New York at Plattsburgh · lower cost
Admission rate78.4%81.4%
Explore Westfield State University →

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