Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private nonprofit university in Syracuse, NY, with about 20,543 students on campus and 2,405 more studying only online.
The short version on Syracuse University
A higher price after aid than almost any college
The average family on federal aid pays $38,793 a year after grants, more than at 95% of 4-year colleges. What it costs ↓
Syracuse University’s graduates are among the best paid in the country
Former students earn a median $79,164 ten years after starting, more than at 96% of U.S. colleges. Outcomes ↓
What you pay depends heavily on your income
Families earning under $30,000 pay about $15,817 a year after grants. Families over $110,000 pay $55,401, 4 times as much. What it costs ↓
Family background barely changes what graduates earn
Ten years after starting, students from lower-income families earn a median $79,138, about the same as the $81,021 earned by students from families making over $75,000. Outcomes ↓
What you study here makes a big difference to pay
Among Syracuse University’s biggest bachelor’s programs, finance and financial management services graduates earn a median $120,274 four years out. Psychology graduates earn $65,694. Majors ↓
This summary is written from the data on this page. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard; price, graduation and earnings include online students.
The sticker price, and what families really pay
Sticker price: $84,517 a year
Before any grants
After grants, the average family on aid pays $38,793.
Your family’s price
Average net price after grants, by family income
About $84,528 over 4 years · 75% off the sticker price
How hard is it to get into Syracuse University?
of applicants admitted
About 9 of every 20 applicants get in.
Test scores of admitted students
The middle 50%: a quarter scored below the range and a quarter above it. Average SAT: 1375.
Do students finish, and does it pay off?
Debt vs. the paycheck
The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting
$276 a month against about $5,038 a month in pay.
Paying back loans
Federal student loans, this college
of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 94% of U.S. colleges.
Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).
Earnings by family background
Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income at enrollment
What students study, and what it pays
Share of degrees by field
Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates
And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).
The students
15,477 degree-seeking undergraduates.
By race and ethnicity
Women and men
Living in Syracuse
17% of Syracuse’s 144,896 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Syracuse pages.
Other colleges within 30 miles
Straight-line distances from Syracuse University; colleges with 100 or more students on campus.
Ask around
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.