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Cost & financial aid brief

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# SUNY College at Potsdam Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/suny-college-at-potsdam/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/suny-college-at-potsdam/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/suny-college-at-potsdam/admissions/)[Majors](/school/suny-college-at-potsdam/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/suny-college-at-potsdam/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does SUNY College at Potsdam cost after financial aid?

At SUNY College at Potsdam, aid recipients have an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, of $13,624 against a published cost of attendance of $25,083. Published in-state tuition and fees are $8,768 and room and board are $15,280; out-of-state tuition and fees are $18,678.

Average aid reduces the published cost by $11,459 for recipients. Among comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $12,822.

The college's average net price is $802 above that peer median. Azimuth ranks SUNY College at Potsdam #387 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid cuts the listed price substantially, though the average net price remains above the comparable-institution median.

Affordability is the clearest financial strength at SUNY College at Potsdam, though borrowing runs higher than at comparable schools. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Azimuth places its affordability pillar in the 73rd percentile.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $13,624. That is $802 above the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), of $12,822.

The average net price is $8,623 in the lowest income band and $20,041 in the highest. Completers with federal loans have median federal student loan debt of $24,250, $4,750 above the comparable-institution median of $19,500.

Lower-income aid recipients pay less on average here than recipients in the upper income bands. In the lowest family-income band, average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $8,623; in the next band, it is $8,684; in the middle band, $14,524; in the next-highest band, $15,513; and in the highest band, $20,041.

40.3% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,418.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$8,623

**$30–48K**
$8,684

**$48–75K**
$14,524

**$75–110K**
$15,513

**$110K+**
$20,041

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$13,624**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Price reductions are larger in the lower-income bands, though average aid does not erase the published cost. For the average aid recipient, aid reduces the $25,083 published cost to an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $13,624, a gap of $11,459.

Aid covers about 46% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Average net prices are $8,623 in the lowest income band, $8,684 in the next, $14,524 in the middle, $15,513 in the next-highest, and $20,041 in the highest.

The $11,418 spread shows larger average aid offsets at lower incomes, rather than describing any individual aid package.

The published cost of attendance is $25,083, with in-state tuition and fees at $8,768 and room and board at $15,280. Azimuth ranks SUNY College at Potsdam #387 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 average $8,623, those in the $48,001–$75,000 band average $14,524, and those earning over $110,000 average $20,041. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,418.

Grants and scholarships lower the sticker price by an average of $11,459 for aid recipients, leaving an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $13,624 across all bands. The average net price is $802 above the $12,822 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $24,250 in federal student loans, which is $4,750 above the $19,500 median for comparable institutions. 92.3% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $19,000 in [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $276 a month.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Federal borrowing is widespread at SUNY College at Potsdam, where 92.3% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $24,250.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $19,500. SUNY College at Potsdam's median is $4,750 above that benchmark.

For the separate parent-borrower population, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $19,000. The borrowing rate and above-peer median show that debt is a material part of the cost picture here.

Affordability is the stronger part of the picture at SUNY College at Potsdam, but the return figures are less favorable. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings are $49,169 four years after completion.

That level falls in the 16th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. [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, also sits in the 16th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $11,532 less than the model expects for similar students. The earnings scenarios run from $38,375 in a downside scenario to $63,029 in an upside scenario; the typical scenario matches the reported median earnings.

Median federal student debt at completion is $24,250, $4,750 above the $19,500 peer median for comparable institutions of the same type and size. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $276 a month if repaid over ten years. Lower earnings and higher debt than peers point in the same direction.

Parent borrowers using [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) have median borrowing of $19,000, separate from federal student loan borrowers. For the median federal debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $276 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**
$19,000

**Estimated parent payment**
$241/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [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**
$24,250

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$19,000

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$276/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$241/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$517/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 $49,169, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**12.5%** of income above the allowance · Concerning

1.  Excellent Under 8%
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20% · selected scenario
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, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 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-college-at-potsdam#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.