🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants. Affordable on average — net price runs around $16,236/yr. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

  • In-state residents (tuition ~$8,825 — major value play)
  • Students drawn to Business, Management, & Marketing or Communication, Journalism, & Related (the two biggest majors)

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 1060, or ACT below 23 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
M1: Master's - Larger Programs
Total enrollment
5,473
5,000 - 9,999
In-state tuition
$8,825
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$18,735
+$9,910 vs in-state
Admit rate
80.4%
Accepts the majority
SAT middle 50%
1060–1270
EBRW + Math composite
ACT middle 50%
23–27
composite
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$57,566
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$46,358
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$57,566
4-year completion
60%
Median debt (completers)
$20,880
Cost of attendance
$27,052
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
40%

💰 True ROI

8.9× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)
$64,944
$16,236/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$43,264
vs sticker $108,208
10-yr earnings total
$575,660
$57,566/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
1.1 yrs
at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At State University of New York at Oswego, the average net price is $16,236/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$8,714/yr
Family income $30-48k
$11,681/yr
Family income $48-75k
$17,412/yr
Family income $75-110k
$19,053/yr
Family income $110k+
$23,087/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use State University of New York at Oswego's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from State University of New York at Oswego →

Opens on State University of New York at Oswego's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at State University of New York at Oswego

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what State University of New York at Oswego actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Business, Management, & Marketing
325 degrees · 39.5%
Typical career outcomes
Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
2. Communication, Journalism, & Related
162 degrees · 19.7%
Typical career outcomes
Public Relations Specialist $67k Marketing Manager $158k Writer / Editor $75k Reporter / Journalist $58k
Media, PR, marketing communications. Salary spread is wide.
3. Education
127 degrees · 15.5%
Typical career outcomes
Elementary School Teacher $64k Secondary School Teacher $65k School Principal $101k Special Education Teacher $66k
Teaching is the largest path. Salary depends heavily on district + state.
4. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, & Firefighting
110 degrees · 13.4%
Typical career outcomes
Police Officer $72k Federal Special Agent $102k Detective / Investigator $91k
Public-sector careers in law enforcement, corrections, security. Strong pensions, modest base.
5. Visual & Performing Arts
98 degrees · 11.9%
Typical career outcomes
Graphic Designer $59k Art Director $106k Multimedia Artist / Animator $99k Musician / Singer $39k
Highly variable. Steady-pay roles cluster in design, illustration, production. Performance careers have very wide income distributions.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at State University of New York at Oswego

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Computer and Information Sciences, General. Bachelor's Degree $70,607 $100,148
Economics. Bachelor's Degree 7 $31,597 $87,667
Computer Engineering. Bachelor's Degree 1 $71,436 $86,865
Cognitive Science. Bachelor's Degree 2 $76,118
Information Science/Studies. Bachelor's Degree 13 $50,862 $74,812
Finance and Financial Management Services. Bachelor's Degree 52 $51,590 $72,784
Accounting and Related Services. Bachelor's Degree 49 $50,439 $70,218
Marketing. Bachelor's Degree 58 $41,903 $66,766
Human Resources Management and Services. Bachelor's Degree 21 $42,900 $66,544
Business Administration, Management and Operations. Bachelor's Degree 199 $45,569 $66,048

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at State University of New York at Oswego

CS degrees (annual)
48
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

State University of New York at Oswego vs. another college

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