College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

SUNY Polytechnic Institute

NYSmall public institution · Overall rank #348 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth ranks SUNY Polytechnic Institute #348 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions.

Who it’s a good fit for

SUNY Polytechnic Institute is a public university in Utica, New York, where Engineering Technologies and Computer & Information Sciences account for the largest shares of degrees. Affordability is well above average.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them, and the typical graduate earns above the median at comparable schools. The model attributes the gap to the factors it measures — field of study, enrollment and the local labor market — which adds, while the unexplained remainder subtracts.

Students who arrive with Pell Grants finish at a rate above the overall cohort. The lowest income band pays well below the published cost, and the spread between the lowest and highest bands is a difference of averages, not what any family pays.

The admission rate is below the median for comparable schools, 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 in health professions and engineering.

SUNY Polytechnic Institute at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
81.4%
Six-year completion[2]
55.1%
Four-year earnings[3]
$73,730

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$13,934
Median student debt[4]
$17,250
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$18,928

SUNY Polytechnic Institute rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

SUNY Polytechnic Institute is a public university in Utica, New York, enrolling 1,849 undergraduates. Its composite standing sits in the upper third of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (76th percentile).

The university admits 81.3% of applicants, a rate close to the 83.4% median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Among full-time first-year students, 69.2% return for a second year, compared with a median of 73.4% for similar schools.

The six-year graduation rate is 55.1%, which sits above the median for comparable institutions of 43.5%. An estimated 47.1% of entrants are not first-time, full-time students, so the six-year graduation rate describes a slight majority of the student body.

The six-year figure counts only those who start full time here. The four are spread out.

Affordability is the strongest (86th percentile), and access is the weakest (48th percentile). Mobility and return sit between them (75th and 65th percentiles, respectively).

Affordability is the strongest pillar in the Azimuth profile for SUNY Polytechnic Institute, sitting at the 86th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Mobility is also a clear strength, in the 75th percentile.

Return is in the 65th percentile, while access is the weakest of the four at the 48th percentile.

Enrolled students who submitted SAT scores landed in the middle 50% between 1,025 and 1,370. The ACT middle 50% for submitters ran from 22 to 30.

Pell Grants go to 39.6% of undergraduates. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Azimuth places the university at #765 for access.

Pell recipients finish at 65.0%, 9.9 percentage points above the overall six-year graduation rate (55.1%). Azimuth ranks SUNY Polytechnic Institute #374 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $6,121 more than the model expects for similar students.

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

SUNY Polytechnic Institute rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#348

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 75
Access & reach
National percentile: 48
Affordability
National percentile: 86
Return on investment
National percentile: 65

Top-ranked majors

  1. Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians#3
  2. Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians#19
  3. Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management#25

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 / SUNY Polytechnic Institute briefing

SUNY Polytechnic Institute cost & financial aid[6][7]

The published cost of attendance at SUNY Polytechnic Institute is $23,741 (an average across living arrangements). In-state tuition and fees are $8,625, and room and board is $16,584.

Out-of-state students pay $21,215 in tuition and fees. After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients is $14,164.

That is $1,342 above the $12,822 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Financial aid reduces the published cost by an average of $9,577.

Azimuth ranks the university #197 for affordability among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions.

The published cost of attendance at SUNY Polytechnic Institute is $23,741 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #197 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average net price—what aid recipients actually pay—for families earning under $30,000 is $7,442, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $13,934, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $20,613. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $13,171.

Aid saves the average recipient $9,577 against the sticker price. The across all aid recipients is $14,164, which is $1,342 above the $12,822 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

In-state tuition and fees are $8,625; out-of-state tuition and fees are $21,215. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $17,250 in federal student loans, $2,250 below the $19,500 peer median for comparable institutions.

81.6% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $18,928 in Parent PLUS loans.

If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $196 a month. It estimates costs and payments for your own situation.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$13,934

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Borrowers who complete at SUNY Polytechnic Institute owe a median of $17,250 in federal student debt. 81.6% of federal aid recipients use federal loans, so borrowing reaches most of the student body.

Median federal student debt covers borrowers who completed and excludes Parent PLUS. That range shows that borrowing levels differ widely among completers.

That median sits $2,250 below the $19,500 figure for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $18,928 in Parent PLUS loans.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of SUNY Polytechnic Institute who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $73,730. That places the university at the 82nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, and it is $20,614 above the $53,116 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $6,121 more than the model expects for similar students, a result at the 74th percentile. Estimated from the university's program mix, the earnings scenarios range from a downside of $52,450 to an upside of $93,209, with a typical scenario of $73,730.

The median federal loan balance of $17,250 is $2,250 below the peer median. It corresponds to an estimated payment of $196 a month if repaid over ten years.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $18,928. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $196 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
$17,250
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$18,928

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

Estimated student payment · monthly
$196/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$240/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 / SUNY Polytechnic Institute briefing

SUNY Polytechnic Institute career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

The earnings scenarios show a spread of about $93,209 on the upside to $52,450 on the downside, reflecting the range of programs at SUNY Polytechnic Institute. These are scenarios estimated from the program mix, not observed groups of graduates.

At the higher end, Nursing graduates earn $108,014 four years after completion, from 40 degrees awarded. Mechanical Engineering follows at $87,788, and Computer and Information Sciences at $85,180.

Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $73,730 four years after graduating from SUNY Polytechnic Institute. That median lands in the 82nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The earnings cohort includes 736 completers measured in the current federal release. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix outline a typical outcome of $73,730, a downside scenario of $52,450, and an upside scenario of $93,209.

The scenarios are estimates derived from the mix of programs offered, not predictions for individual graduates. An estimated 21.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $73,730 four years after graduating, placing the figure at the 82nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $53,116 for earnings, leaving SUNY Polytechnic Institute $20,614 above that benchmark.

Azimuth ranks SUNY Polytechnic Institute #511 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $6,121 more than the model expects for similar students.

Earnings beyond expectations measure the gap between what graduates actually earn and what the model expects for similar students. That result falls at the 74th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $7,936. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $1,815.

Within the measured factors, the STEM component alone adds $7,086. Degrees awarded cluster in Engineering Technologies, Computer & Information Sciences and Health Professions programs.

Estimated from the overall program mix, the downside earnings scenario is $52,450 and the upside scenario is $93,209. An estimated 21.8% of graduates continue on to graduate study, based solely on the program mix.

Borrowers who finish leave with a median of $17,250 in federal student loans, $2,250 below the $19,500 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $196 a month.

The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $14,164. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price drops to $7,442, while the highest income band averages $20,613.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $18,928 in Parent PLUS loans. Azimuth ranks SUNY Polytechnic Institute #197 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$7,936
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$1,815
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$6,121

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 / SUNY Polytechnic Institute briefing

SUNY Polytechnic Institute acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

SUNY Polytechnic Institute admits 81.3% of applicants, a figure close to the median of 83.4% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
81.4%
Approximate lower endpoint
1025
Reported average
1201
Approximate upper endpoint
1370

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 / SUNY Polytechnic Institute briefing

What are the largest majors at SUNY Polytechnic Institute?[12]

52.8% of degrees awarded at SUNY Polytechnic Institute are in STEM fields. The highest-earning programs are concentrated in health professions and engineering, while the largest program sits in a technical field with more moderate pay.

Nursing leads with median earnings of $108,014 four years after completion, from 40 degrees awarded. Mechanical Engineering follows at $87,788, with 27 degrees awarded.

The largest program, Computer and Information Sciences, awards 47 degrees a year and reports median earnings of $85,180. Azimuth ranks it #109 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

At the more moderate end, Biology graduates earn $54,176 from 32 degrees awarded.

Engineering Technologies accounts for 19.0% of bachelor's degrees awarded, followed by Computer & Information Sciences at 17.5% and Health Professions at 15.9%. The university has 8 nationally ranked program.

The largest single program is Computer and Information Sciences, with 47 degrees awarded and median earnings of $85,180 four years after completion. Azimuth ranks it #109 within its field nationally and #10 in New York.

The highest-earning program is Nursing, at $108,014 from 40 degrees awarded. Mechanical Engineering follows at $87,788 from 27 degrees awarded.

SUNY Polytechnic Institute awards degrees across 8 ranked programs, with earnings data available for 15. The largest program family is Engineering Technologies, accounting for 19.0% of bachelor's degrees awarded.

Computer & Information Sciences follows at 17.5%, and Health Professions is at 15.9%. The three largest single programs are Computer and Information Sciences with 47 degrees awarded, Business Administration and Management with 46, and Nursing with 40.

The highest-ranked program is Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians, which awards 20 degrees a year and ranks #2 in New York within its field. Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians also ranks well, at #19 nationally and #4 in New York, with 29 degrees awarded and median earnings of $73,268.

Nursing is the highest-earning program, with a median of $108,014 four years out. Azimuth ranks it #56 nationally within its field.

Mechanical Engineering follows at $87,788, from 27 degrees a year. High ranks appear in several fields, but they do not align with the largest award counts.

52.8% of degrees awarded are in STEM fields, and the strongest outcomes sit in engineering technologies and nursing. Four-year earnings for fields where graduate study is common may understate later trajectories.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Computer and Information Sciences, General 47 degrees awarded
$85,180
Business Administration, Management and Operations 46 degrees awarded
$59,011
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 40 degrees awarded
$108,014
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians 35 degrees awarded
$76,413
Biology, General 32 degrees awarded
$54,176
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians 29 degrees awarded
$73,268

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 / SUNY Polytechnic Institute briefing

What colleges are similar to SUNY Polytechnic Institute?[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 SUNY Polytechnic Institute.

Admissions peerState University of New York at Oswego80.6% admitted
Comparison with SUNY Polytechnic Institute
MeasureSUNY Polytechnic InstituteState University of New York at Oswego
Peer earnings · 4 years$73,730$59,955-$13,775 vs SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Average annual net price$14,164$16,236+$2,072 vs SUNY Polytechnic Institute · higher cost
Admission rate81.4%80.6%
Explore State University of New York at Oswego →
Higher-admission alternativeUtica University92.0% admitted
Comparison with SUNY Polytechnic Institute
MeasureSUNY Polytechnic InstituteUtica University
Peer earnings · 4 years$73,730$77,491+$3,761 vs SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Average annual net price$14,164$19,108+$4,944 vs SUNY Polytechnic Institute · higher cost
Admission rate81.4%92.0%
Nearby alternativeBinghamton UniversityNearby option · NY
Comparison with SUNY Polytechnic Institute
MeasureSUNY Polytechnic InstituteBinghamton University
Peer earnings · 4 years$73,730$80,304+$6,574 vs SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Average annual net price$14,164$21,620+$7,456 vs SUNY Polytechnic Institute · higher cost
Admission rate81.4%38.6%
Explore Binghamton University →
Higher-earnings alternativeSan Jose State University$89,614 earnings
Comparison with SUNY Polytechnic Institute
MeasureSUNY Polytechnic InstituteSan Jose State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$73,730$89,614+$15,884 vs SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Average annual net price$14,164$13,760-$404 vs SUNY Polytechnic Institute · lower cost
Admission rate81.4%84.6%
Explore San Jose State University →
Lower-cost alternativeCUNY New York City College of Technology$5,127 average net price
Comparison with SUNY Polytechnic Institute
MeasureSUNY Polytechnic InstituteCUNY New York City College of Technology
Peer earnings · 4 years$73,730$64,145-$9,585 vs SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Average annual net price$14,164$5,127-$9,037 vs SUNY Polytechnic Institute · lower cost
Admission rate81.4%80.3%
Explore CUNY New York City College of Technology →
Similar profileSUNY College of Environmental Science and ForestryMatched across several measures
Comparison with SUNY Polytechnic Institute
MeasureSUNY Polytechnic InstituteSUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Peer earnings · 4 years$73,730$57,774-$15,956 vs SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Average annual net price$14,164$18,952+$4,788 vs SUNY Polytechnic Institute · higher cost
Admission rate81.4%63.3%

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