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Cortland birds eyePhoto: ILoveCortlandNewYork · CC BY-SA 4.0
Colleges in and near Cortland

Cortland is a college town: 24 of every 100 residents are students

State University of New York at Cortland (6,168 students on campus) is inside the city. Across New York, 7 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town24% of residents are studentsState University of New York at Cortland

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Cortland. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
2
10,512 students on campus
Nearest college
0.5 mi
SUNY Cortland
Residents in college
24%
Above NY (7%)
Nearest community college
8.8 mi
Tompkins Cortland · $6,970 tuition
Nearest public university
0.5 mi
SUNY Cortland · $8,874 in-state
Students on campus in Cortland
6,168
next to 17,394 residents

What stands out about college in Cortland

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college town24 of every 100 Cortland residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.A university in CortlandState University of New York at Cortland has 6,168 students on campus in Cortland, 68% of whom graduate within six years.In-state price at SUNY CortlandLiving in New York, State University of New York at Cortland charges $8,874 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $18,784. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.A community college 8.8 miles awayTompkins Cortland Community College in Dryden: tuition and fees $6,970 a year for New York residents.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Cortland

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

24 of every 100 Cortland residents are in college (NY: 7).

6,168students on campus at State University of New York at Cortland, next to 17,394 residents (dorm students count as residents)
1,579college students live in Cortland households rather than dorms
27.4median age · NY 39.8
52%of residents are women · NY 51% (±1.8 points)
54%of homes rented · NY 46%
$975median rent · 40% below the state
CortlandCortland, NY
Cost of living$975/mo median rentC+SafetyCrime reported to the FBIC−HealthCDC estimatesB−Jobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundCHandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Cortland’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income C

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 20.9% of Cortland residents are below the poverty line, 16.6% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 5 points either way). 55% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living C+

The Cost grade counts the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent, leaving it out only where students are a quarter of residents or more. Here they are 24%, so student incomes still weigh on that figure.

Health B−

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Cortland’s median age is 27.4 (New York 39.8), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety C−

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Cortland

Both are public. Every other college is more than 15 miles from Cortland.

5 mi10 mi15 miSUNY CortlandTompkins CortlandCortland
University or collegeCommunity college
State University of New York at CortlandUniversity or college · Public · 6,168 on campus · In Cortland60%admitted$22knet price68%graduate$60kearningsTompkins Cortland Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 4,344 on campus · 8.8 mi · Dryden$13knet price26%graduate$41kearningsTuition and fees: $6,970 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $48–75k, where Cortland’s median household income ($59,482) falls.

Tompkins Cortland Community College8.8 mi · Dryden · sticker $20,222 · tuition $6,970$14,629a year
State University of New York at CortlandIn Cortland · sticker $28,108$20,102a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Cortland: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →SUNY CortlandTompkins Cortland
State University of New York at Cortland68% graduate$60k earnings$22k typical debt
Tompkins Cortland Community College26% graduate$41k earnings$16k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.

Majors

What students study in Cortland

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field at State University of New York at Cortland, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Education 35%Parks & recreation 19%Business 9%Psychology 7%Social sciences 7%Health professions 5%Everything else 19%

Biggest programs

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas252 graduates a year
$63k4 yrs out
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness247 graduates a year
$56k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods160 graduates a year
$62k4 yrs out
Psychology, General95 graduates a year
$56k4 yrs out
Special Education and Teaching94 graduates a year
$74k4 yrs out
Business/Managerial Economics89 graduates a year
$67k4 yrs out
Communication and Media Studies75 graduates a year
$63k4 yrs out
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services50 graduates a year
$62k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in Cortland

Is Cortland a college town?

Yes. 24 of every 100 Cortland residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 7 across New York. State University of New York at Cortland has 6,168 students on campus, next to 17,394 residents.

What colleges are in Cortland?

State University of New York at Cortland is inside the city. Tompkins Cortland Community College is 8.8 miles away in Dryden.

Why is Cortland’s poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 20.9% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 16.6% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 5 points).

What is the closest community college to Cortland, and what does it cost?

Tompkins Cortland Community College in Dryden, 8.8 miles away. Tuition and fees are $6,970 a year for New York residents; the federal net price, $12,723, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into State University of New York at Cortland?

State University of New York at Cortland admitted 60% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year.

Neighbors talk college

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

Town Square →
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Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Cortland. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →