🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants. Affordable on average — net price runs around $13,624/yr. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

  • In-state residents (tuition ~$8,768 — major value play)
  • Students focused on Education (the school's signature program)
  • Families wanting a small liberal-arts experience

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
M2: Master's - Medium Programs
Total enrollment
1,823
1,000 - 4,999
In-state tuition
$8,768
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$18,678
+$9,910 vs in-state
Admit rate
85.5%
Accepts the majority
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$47,866
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
$39,440
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$47,866
4-year completion
45%
Median debt (completers)
$24,250
Cost of attendance
$25,083
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
40%

💰 True ROI

8.8× 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)
$54,496
$13,624/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$45,836
vs sticker $100,332
10-yr earnings total
$478,660
$47,866/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 SUNY College at Potsdam, the average net price is $13,624/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$8,623/yr
Family income $30-48k
$8,684/yr
Family income $48-75k
$14,524/yr
Family income $75-110k
$15,513/yr
Family income $110k+
$20,041/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 SUNY College at Potsdam's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from SUNY College at Potsdam →

Opens on SUNY College at Potsdam'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 SUNY College at Potsdam

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what SUNY College at Potsdam actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Education
154 degrees · 42.0%
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.
2. Visual & Performing Arts
74 degrees · 20.2%
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.
3. Psychology
58 degrees · 15.8%
Typical career outcomes
HR Specialist $68k Market Research Analyst $75k Clinical Psychologist (post-PhD) $93k Social Worker $58k
Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.
4. Business, Management, & Marketing
50 degrees · 13.6%
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.
5. Social Sciences
31 degrees · 8.4%
Typical career outcomes
Economist $118k Political Scientist $130k Sociologist $93k Market Research Analyst $75k
Economics + poli sci sub-disciplines pay much more than sociology + anthropology.

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 SUNY College at Potsdam

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
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences. Bachelor's Degree 4 $62,004
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. Bachelor's Degree 106 $45,110 $57,949
Business Administration, Management and Operations. Bachelor's Degree 61 $36,555 $57,066
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. Bachelor's Degree 58 $36,487 $53,834
Criminal Justice and Corrections. Bachelor's Degree 32 $35,950 $53,597
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management. Bachelor's Degree 19 $36,899 $52,583
Sociology. Bachelor's Degree 25 $36,500 $51,086
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General. Bachelor's Degree $29,455 $50,659
Biology, General. Bachelor's Degree 26 $25,459 $49,725
English Language and Literature, General. Bachelor's Degree 10 $48,920

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

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at SUNY College at Potsdam

CS degrees (annual)
4
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

SUNY College at Potsdam vs. another college

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