State University of New York at Cortland

Public · Moderately Selective · NY

Photo: J. Passepartout (CC BY-SA 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationNY · Northeast

SettingRural

Undergrads5,901

Student:faculty15:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate56.1%

6-yr grad rate68%

Drop-out rate18.9%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$9k

Out-of-state tuition$19k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity23.9%

Gender diversity52.9%

International0.9%

Identity—

Overview

SUNY Cortland is a public college in central New York, roughly between Syracuse and Ithaca, built historically around physical education and teacher preparation and still carrying that identity today. It has one of the more athletics-forward cultures in the SUNY system, both in its academic programs and its campus life.

Academics

Physical education, sport management, and kinesiology are the school's signature strengths, with a long track record of producing coaches and PE teachers who go on to work throughout New York State. Teacher preparation more broadly is also well established, reflecting the college's roots as a normal school.

Campus & student life

The campus's athletic identity extends past its academic programs — Cortland fields a large number of varsity teams and hosted the New York Jets' training camp for many years. Its central New York location is small-town and seasonal, with student life centered on campus rather than a large surrounding city.

Getting in

Admission is straightforward and transcript-driven, typical of SUNY's comprehensive colleges, without the level of essay-driven differentiation seen at more selective private schools.

After graduation

Graduates of the PE and sport management programs place well into New York's public school coaching and teaching ranks, a real, longstanding pattern rather than a marketing claim.

Worth knowing

Students considering Cortland for something other than education, PE, or sport management should know those fields dominate the campus's culture and reputation more than at a typical comprehensive college.

cortland.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate59.8%

Enrolled mid-50%1240

Test policynot used

Rec letters1

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early actionNov 15

AdmissionRolling

Applying