Cost & financial aid brief
SUNY Buffalo State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does SUNY Buffalo State University cost after financial aid?
Lower-income families receive the deepest average discounts at SUNY Buffalo State University, a pricing pattern that puts more aid toward lower-income bands. The published cost is $24,279 (an average), while the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $11,346; aid offsets $12,933 against that cost.
For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 53% of the published cost. By family income, the average net price is $7,405 for families earning under thirty thousand dollars; $9,393 for those earning from thirty thousand and one dollars through forty-eight thousand dollars; $14,706 from forty-eight thousand and one dollars through seventy-five thousand dollars; $17,155 from seventy-five thousand and one dollars through one hundred ten thousand dollars; and $19,332 for families earning over one hundred ten thousand dollars.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,927, showing larger average discounts in the lower-income bands.
The published cost of attendance at SUNY Buffalo State University is $24,279 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #186 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $7,405, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $14,706, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $19,332. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,927.
Aid covers about 53% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $11,346, which is $2,722 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $21,028 in federal student loans, $201 below the peer median of $21,229. 82.8% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $12,951 in Parent PLUS loans. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $239 a month if repaid over ten years.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal loans are part of the financing picture for 82.8% of federal aid recipients at SUNY Buffalo State University. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $21,028.
Comparable institutions (same type and size) have a median federal debt of $21,229; the university's median is below that figure by $201. Parent borrowers are a separate population, with median Parent PLUS borrowing of $12,951.
Access is SUNY Buffalo State University's strongest pillar, but its investment figures are mixed. Graduates working and not enrolled earn median earnings of $53,203 four years after completion.
Azimuth places that earnings figure in the 27th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $6,706 less than expects for similar students.
Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sits in the 29th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The downside earnings scenario is $46,437, the typical scenario matches the observed median, and the upside scenario is $64,420.
Borrowers complete with median federal student debt of $21,028, below the $21,229 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $201. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $239 a month if repaid over ten years.
Parent PLUS borrowers, a separate parent-borrower population, have median borrowing of $12,951. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $239 a month if repaid over ten years.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $12,951
- Estimated parent payment
- $165/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 9.7% | Caution |
| $100,000 | 4.4% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 2.1% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.4% | Safe |
The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. Open the parent tool for your own numbers. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $21,028
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $12,951
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $239/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $165/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $404/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $53,203, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
9.8% of income above the allowance · Good
- Excellent Under 8%
- Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
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.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
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. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.