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Cost & financial aid brief

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# SUNY Buffalo State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

[Overview](/school/suny-buffalo-state-university/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/suny-buffalo-state-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/suny-buffalo-state-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/suny-buffalo-state-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/suny-buffalo-state-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does SUNY Buffalo State University cost after financial aid?

SUNY Buffalo State University lists a published cost of attendance of $24,279 (an average across living arrangements). In-state students see tuition and fees of $8,533, while out-of-state students face $19,653.

Room and board adds another $15,986. For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what students pay after grants and scholarships—is $11,346.

That is $2,722 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). On average, aid covers about 53% of the published cost.

Azimuth ranks the university #186 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The affordability pillar at SUNY Buffalo State University is in the 87th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $11,346, $2,722 below the median at comparable institutions (same type and size).

Average net prices range from $7,405 in the lowest income band to $19,332 in the highest. Borrowers who finish hold a median of $21,028 in federal student loans, $201 below the peer median.

Lower-income aid recipients face the lowest average prices, and 55.6% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, which provides financial-access context for the lowest income band. In ascending income order, average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s are $7,405 in the lowest band, $9,393 in the next band, $14,706 in the middle band, $17,155 in the next-highest band, and $19,332 in the highest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,927.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$7,405

**$30–48K**
$9,393

**$48–75K**
$14,706

**$75–110K**
$17,155

**$110K+**
$19,332

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$11,346**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model expects for similar students.

[Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$12,951

**Estimated parent payment**
$165/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=suny-buffalo-state-university#parent-tool). [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

1.  Excellent Under 8%
2.  Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  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.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

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](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=suny-buffalo-state-university#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

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.