---
title: SUNY Buffalo State University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Buffalo, NY
control: Public
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# SUNY Buffalo State University

Buffalo, NY · Public · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $52,334 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $32,907 – $71,022 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $12,500 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $6,923 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 33% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $24,279 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 71% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.24× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $24,334 | derived |

**33% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $12,500 (≈ 24% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $20,151 to $62,019 across 30 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $62,019 | $25,324 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $55,172 | $22,400 |
| Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $48,939 | $24,870 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Master's Degree | $48,718 | $34,771 |
| Special Education and Teaching. | Master's Degree | $47,038 | $33,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Master's Degree | $44,663 | $20,944 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision. | Master's Degree | $42,976 | $29,545 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Master's Degree | $40,192 | not reported |
| Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,709 | $26,450 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,646 | $20,407 |
| Information Science/Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,405 | $19,250 |
| Economics. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,130 | $24,250 |
| Social Work. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,534 | $20,000 |
| Curriculum and Instruction. | Master's Degree | $32,955 | $19,870 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,852 | $20,000 |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,017 | not reported |
| Hospitality Administration/Management. | Bachelor's Degree | $31,023 | $15,625 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,625 | $24,857 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $30,437 | $17,250 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,825 | $20,500 |
| Sociology. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,388 | $20,370 |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,631 | $19,700 |
| History. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,349 | $20,160 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,658 | $25,000 |
| Family and Consumer Economics and Related Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,193 | $21,691 |
| Fine and Studio Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,129 | $19,000 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Bachelor's Degree | $27,003 | $21,000 |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,612 | $18,375 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $25,844 | $21,031 |
| Special Education and Teaching. | Bachelor's Degree | $20,151 | $19,450 |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore SUNY Buffalo State University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?196130

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/suny-buffalo-state-university-ny.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`