University at Buffalo is a college town: 98 of every 100 residents are students
No college sits inside University at Buffalo’s boundary, but University at Buffalo’s campus in Buffalo, with 29,624 students on campus, is 0.1 miles from the center of town, and Erie Community College is 9.2 miles away in Buffalo. Across New York, 7 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.
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 University at Buffalo. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college from University at Buffalo
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
What it’s like to live in University at Buffalo
How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.
98 of every 100 University at Buffalo residents are in college (NY: 7).
How students change University at Buffalo’s other numbers
Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →
Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 48.6% of University at Buffalo residents are below the poverty line, 0.0% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 334 points either way). 59% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.
The Cost grade leaves out the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent wherever students are a quarter of residents or more (98% here): it would mostly measure student incomes.
CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and University at Buffalo’s median age is 19.5 (New York 39.8), so the adult figures describe a young population.
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.
Colleges within 15 miles of University at Buffalo
Six private colleges within 10.6 miles, two public colleges within 6.6 miles, and two community colleges.
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 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.
Starts at Under $30k; the Census has no median household income for University at Buffalo.
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.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of University at Buffalo: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
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. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: Bryant & Stratton College-Buffalo (8).
Questions about college near University at Buffalo
Is University at Buffalo a college town?
Yes. 98 of every 100 University at Buffalo residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 7 across New York. The nearest campus, University at Buffalo, is 0.1 miles away in Buffalo.
What colleges are near University at Buffalo?
10 colleges are within 15 miles. The largest: University at Buffalo (0.1 miles, 29,624 students on campus), Erie Community College (9.2 miles, 6,380) and SUNY Buffalo State University (6.6 miles, 6,170).
Why is University at Buffalo’s poverty rate so high?
Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 48.6% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 0.0% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 334 points).
What is the closest community college to University at Buffalo, and what does it cost?
Erie Community College in Buffalo, 9.2 miles away. Tuition and fees are $6,100 a year for New York residents; the federal net price, $7,765, counts housing and food at full cost.
Neighbors talk college
Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.
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 University at Buffalo. 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 →