Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Suburban campus · verified rankings · federal data

University at Buffalo

Students comparing University at Buffalo on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Buffalo, New York20,112 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 25Public universityResearch universityU.S. News ranked

The short answer

University at Buffalo: U.S. News ranks it #75 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #154 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #407 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #198 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #162 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4 stars; QS ranks it #413 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 20,112 undergraduates, admits 74.2% of applicants, and posts a 75.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $31,536; aid recipients pay $20,995 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $70,814.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
74.2%

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$20,995

57% below the $48,962 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$70,814

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
75.2%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$19,000

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
1210–1380

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where University at ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#75of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#154of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#407of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#198of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)A-#162of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges4 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University Rankings#413of 1,504World (QS)

Methodology sensitivity: University at's position moves 33 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About University at

University at Buffalo is a public institution in Buffalo, New York. Federal data show 85.2% first-year retention and a 11:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $20,995 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $48,962 sticker cost against $20,995 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing University at Buffalo on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$10,936

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$31,536

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$17,426

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $48,962 a year, but the average family pays $20,995 — a 57% difference. 33.1% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run University at's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    11:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    85.2%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    20,112

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    University at: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $31,536 and on-campus room and board is $17,426, for a published total of $48,962 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $20,995.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 74.2%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Stony Brook University

    Stony Brook, NYPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Stony Brook University: U.S. News ranks it #59 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #80 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #266 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #265 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #155 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #454 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 18,101 undergraduates, admits 49.0% of applicants, and posts a 75.6% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $32,741; aid recipients pay $18,784 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $74,502.

    Acceptance rate
    49.0%
    Average net price
    $18,784
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $74,502
    6-yr graduation rate
    75.6%
    US News · National universities#59 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#80 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#266 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    18,101 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 23 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    University of Colorado Boulder

    Boulder, COPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Colorado Boulder: U.S. News ranks it #97 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #93 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #511 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #228 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #198 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #299 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 31,939 undergraduates, admits 78.1% of applicants, and posts a 74.2% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $44,918; aid recipients pay $25,346 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $69,738.

    Acceptance rate
    78.1%
    Average net price
    $25,346
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $69,738
    6-yr graduation rate
    74.2%
    US News · National universities#97 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#93 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#511 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    31,939 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 25 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    University of Connecticut

    Storrs, CTPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Connecticut: U.S. News ranks it #69 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #119 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #269 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #99 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #120 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #535 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 19,835 undergraduates, admits 52.4% of applicants, and posts a 83.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $43,712; aid recipients pay $25,097 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $73,997.

    Acceptance rate
    52.4%
    Average net price
    $25,097
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $73,997
    6-yr graduation rate
    83.3%
    US News · National universities#69 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#119 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#269 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    19,835 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 20 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare University at against these