SUNY Cortland Rankings & Recognition

SUNY Cortland appears in 5 of CollegesRef's value rankings by major. Its best placement is #48 of 521 for education, and #9 of 30 ranked colleges in New York.

SUNY Cortland rankings by major

Source: CollegesRef value rankings from U.S. College Scorecard data, 2025

Each ranking compares bachelor's programs in one field. A college's value score is the weighted average of four percentiles among the ranked colleges: graduate earnings, average net price, debt compared with earnings, and graduation rate. Percentiles here are 100 for the best figure in the field. How the rankings work

Education

Ranked #48 of 521 for value

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas · 242 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $63,201; Ranked-college median: $48,822
Median debt: $20,000; Ranked-college median: $21,500

Value score 75.4 of 100 · #9 of 30 in New York

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 97th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 28th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 87th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 83th percentile

Average net price $22,125 (median $17,201) · graduation rate 72.2% · debt is 32% of earnings

Ranked just above: Pacific Lutheran University (#47)
Ranked just below: Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College (#49)

Best colleges for education

Communications

Ranked #101 of 388 for value

Communication and Media Studies · 48 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $63,431; Ranked-college median: $56,130
Median debt: $20,500; Ranked-college median: $19,593

Value score 63.2 of 100 · #14 of 30 in New York

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 79th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 31th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 65th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 72th percentile

Average net price $22,125 (median $17,285) · graduation rate 72.2% · debt is 32% of earnings

Ranked just above: Simmons University (#100)
Ranked just below: The University of Alabama (#102)

Best colleges for communications

Kinesiology and exercise science

Ranked #138 of 459 for value

Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness · 279 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $56,466; Ranked-college median: $53,707
Median debt: $19,500; Ranked-college median: $21,500

Value score 61.2 of 100 · #7 of 16 in New York

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 68th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 30th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 69th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 86th percentile

Average net price $22,125 (median $18,314) · graduation rate 72.2% · debt is 35% of earnings

Ranked just above: Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College (#137)
Ranked just below: Minnesota State University-Mankato (#139)

Best colleges for kinesiology and exercise science

Psychology

Ranked #199 of 814 for value

Psychology, General · 88 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $56,366; Ranked-college median: $51,007
Median debt: $22,397; Ranked-college median: $21,000

Value score 63.1 of 100 · #36 of 71 in New York

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 78th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 36th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 56th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 78th percentile

Average net price $22,125 (median $18,874) · graduation rate 72.2% · debt is 40% of earnings

Ranked just above: Bucknell University (#198)
Ranked just below: Stonehill College (#200)

Best colleges for psychology

Biology

Ranked #226 of 680 for value

Biology, General · 53 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $61,879; Ranked-college median: $58,001
Median debt: $20,500; Ranked-college median: $20,717

Value score 59.2 of 100 · #30 of 53 in New York

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 68th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 35th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 62th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 74th percentile

Average net price $22,125 (median $18,049) · graduation rate 72.2% · debt is 33% of earnings