SUNY Oneonta

“I think that’s one of the reasons I love SUNY Oneonta the most, because you have so many different people on campus, and every single one wants you to succeed. They care about what you’re interested in. … I’m learning from a professor; he’s learning from me. It’s incredible.” — Manny Katz ’25, Fashion and Textiles, Media Studies

With small class sizes, accessible faculty and an emphasis on learning by doing, SUNY Oneonta offers many opportunities for personalized learning. Students get plenty of interaction with faculty members who are not just scholars and teachers, but also club advisers, research partners and mentors.

FIRST-YEAR FOCUS
Through the annual Common Read, incoming students read the same diversity-related book, which is then discussed in fall courses across several disciplines. As part of the program, the author of this book visits the campus to present the Mills Distinguished Lecture and interact with students.

FIELD WORK
Students put their learning into practice during hands-on field experiences across many disciplines. For example, every other summer, anthropology students spend a month searching for evidence of ancient hunter-gatherer communities during the Pine Lake Archeological Field School, which is offered in collaboration with neighboring Hartwick College. The Biological Field Station, which is located on the shores of Otsego Lake at the university’s Cooperstown Campus, is a learning laboratory for field research on topics such as parasitology, entomology and lake management. Political science and International Studies students compete each year at the National Model UN event in New York City, and economics students put their knowledge of economic policy to the test at the annual College Fed Challenge competition.

CO-CURRICULAR LEARNING
Under the mentorship of faculty members, students have a variety of opportunities to apply their learning through co-curricular clubs. For example, the Mask & Hammer theatre club produces two student-directed shows each year; art students mount solo and group exhibitions in the university’s art galleries; student and faculty musicians practice and perform together in a variety of ensembles; and Oneonta State Emergency Squad members get real-world experience as emergency first responders.

SPECIAL STUDY OPTIONS
Cross-registration
Distance learning
Double major
English as a Second Language (ESL)
Independent study
Internships
Liberal arts/career combination
Study abroad
Undergraduate research
Teacher certification program

“The campus is beautiful, and so is the area. There are just so many opportunities and things to sink your teeth into. I’m only a freshman and have found a variety of clubs that I like. You can get involved in multiple activities here and be as busy as a person can be, going from one thing to the next. You just find life so fun, and that’s the bottom line of it. You’re developing multiple skills and enjoying yourself at the end of the day.” – Jadyn Trujillo ’26, Elementary Education

There’s plenty to do on campus when classes are over! SUNY Oneonta offers hundreds of hours of entertainment, athletic events, and social programming every semester. And with more than 150 student clubs and organizations—ranging from the A/C Activities Council to the Young Americans for Liberty—there’s an activity for every interest.

SUSTAINABILITY
Students are involved in a variety of activities to protect the natural environment. Several clubs have a sustainability focus, and students work as volunteers at the Red Closet Thrift Shop on campus, which raises money for scholarships awarded to students interested in sustainability.. Each year around Earth Day, Green Dragon Week features activities such as film screenings, speakers, clothing swaps, a local food dinner, bicycle repair stations, and composting demonstrations.

LEADERSHIP AND MULTICULTURAL ACTIVITIES
Through the Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) program, students have the opportunity to achieve recognition in three leadership levels (silver, gold, and platinum). Each level requires a mix of programmatic and experiential leadership opportunities. More than a dozen clubs have a multicultural- or diversity-related focus, and a variety of programming—including speakers, films, readings, plays, festivals and leadership conferences—is offered each semester. The Center for Racial Justice and Inclusive Excellence is a gathering place and home to an array of social and academic events.

STUDENT-RUN CONFERENCES
Student scholars from throughout New York state and across the country come to Oneonta for the annual Undergraduate Philosophy Conference, Undergraduate Political Science Conference, and New Critics, New Writers Undergraduate Conference. All three conferences are organized by students and feature keynote speakers in addition to student presenters and panelists. Students also help organize the annual PRISM Conference, which brings students, faculty and staff, community members, resource professionals and administrators together for a weekend of workshops and activities. The conference aims to highlight and celebrate LGBTQIA+ experiences through fostered dialogue across academic and/or practical experiences, as well as provide support and resources to those that attend.

CAMPUS TRADITIONS

• Pass Through the Pillars: New students officially join the “Oney” family at the “Pass Through the Pillars” event on the night before fall classes begin. After donning red T-shirts and gathering for a class photo, the students walk through the pillars of Old Main, the university’s first building. Faculty, staff and students gather near the pillars to clap, cheer, and high-five the new students as they make their way down to the quad. The day before graduation, SUNY Oneonta seniors pass through those same pillars in the opposite direction, and the class president leads a champagne toast to their success.
• Red Day: The campus community celebrates school spirit in style on the first Friday of the school year. Decked out in red, students, faculty and staff gather on the academic quad for food, giveaways, carnival activities, and photos with Red the Dragon, the college mascot.
• OH-Fest: One of the most popular social events at SUNY Oneonta is OH-Fest, a spring carnival and concert. Past headliners for the concert have included Blues Traveler, Pitbull, Mac Miller, Panic! at the Disco and Flo Rida.

SCHOOL LOCATION
SUNY Oneonta is located in Oneonta, New York, a safe, friendly city known for its small-town ambiance and genuine sense of community. The university’s 250-acre campus overlooks the scenic Susquehanna River Valley, about halfway between Albany and Binghamton and 3.5 hours from New York City. On nearby Otsego Lake in Cooperstown—home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum—the university maintains a complex that houses its Biological Field Station and graduate program in Museum Studies.

ATHLETICS
The Oneonta Red Dragons compete at the NCAA Division III level in the State University of New York Athletic Conference and the Empire Collegiate Wrestling Conference.

Oneonta has 21 varsity sports:

• 10 men’s-–baseball, basketball,  cross country,  lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track & field, and wrestling
• 11 women’s–-basketball, cross country, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track & field, and volleyball

Red the Dragon is the college mascot.

RESIDENCE LIFE
Percentage of students that live on campus.
First-time, first-year (freshman) students: 96%
Undergraduates: 38%

All first-year students live in double-style rooms, usually with one roommate, and a common bathroom shared on each wing. These First Year Experience residence halls offer special programming and support designed to ease the social and academic transition to college life.

After their first year, students have additional housing options, including quad-style rooms with four students, suites with six students and one apartment-style residence hall, Higgins Hall. Residence halls are students’ home-away-from-home, with amenities such as fitness centers, kitchens, computer labs and front-loading washing machines.

The price of living on campus is fixed for each entering class and will not be increased for as long as a student lives in the residence halls.

CAMPUS HOUSING
Coed dorms
Apartments for single students
Special housing for disabled students
Special housing for international students
Theme housing

“I never wanted to be a Media Studies major until I joined WIRE-TV. I always knew that I had a hobby in making videos and editing and all that stuff, but that is all it was at first. The minute that I walked into the campus TV studio, I felt very scared, but also comfortable with where I was. I felt this overwhelming passion and knew this is what I want to do. This is what I want to be. And now I’m the WIRE-TV president.” – Grace Tran ’26, Media Studies

PREPARING STUDENTS FOR SUCCESS
At 70%, the university’s six-year graduation rate is well above the national average for public institutions. From double majors to internships, research projects, study abroad experiences, community service activities, campus jobs and leadership skills developed through student clubs and organizations, SUNY Oneonta students are getting the most out of their college experience – and still graduating on time.

ALUMNI NETWORK
SUNY Oneonta’s strong alumni network helps students find and land jobs. Each year, successful alumni return to campus to speak to classes and share their career experience and advice with students.Through the Campus to Careers programs, students interested in theatre, business, music industry and political science travel to New York City or Washington, D.C., to network with successful alumni at their places of business.

SERVICE-LEARNING
Students participate in service-learning activities close to campus and further afield. Recent projects have ranged from wetlands restoration in New Orleans to work with poor children in Ecuador. In the Human Ecology Department, event-planning students have collaborated with food and restaurant administration majors to put on fundraising dinners for university scholarships and local charities.

Admission

ADMISSION CRITERIA
SUNY Oneonta welcomes a first-year class of over 1,000 students each year. The university seeks well-rounded applicants who show the potential to succeed academically and the desire to get involved in the campus community. SUNY Oneonta is now test optional, which means the college will consider test scores if submitted, but they aren’t required. Successful applicants will have completed four units of English and social studies,and three to four units of math, science and the same foreign language during high school. All students wishing to declare education as a major will need a grade-point average of at least 3.0 or they must rank in the top 30 percent of their high school graduating class.

ADMISSION FACTORS
Very Important
Rigor of secondary school record | Academic GPA
Important
Application Essay | Recommendation(s) | Talent/ability
Character/personal qualities | Volunteer work | Work experience
Considered
Class rank | Standardized test scores | Interview | Extracurricular activities
First generation | Racial/ethnic status | Level of applicant’s interest 

FRESHMAN PROFILE
SAT Composite
25th Percentile: 978 | 75th Percentile: 1169
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing
25th Percentile: 484 | 75th Percentile: 593
SAT Math
25th Percentile: 474 | 75th Percentile: 585
ACT Composite
25th Percentile: 19 | 75th Percentile: 27

Tuition & Cost

Tuition (in-state): $7,070
Tuition (out-of-state): $18,020
Fees: $1,761
Room & Board: $16,580

Aid

SCHOLARSHIPS AND FINANCIAL AID
SUNY Oneonta is committed to offering students an excellent college experience at an affordable price. In 2024-25, 91.5% of first-year students and 88% of all undergraduates received financial assistance. SUNY Oneonta awarded more than $8.9 million in scholarships in 2024-25. Qualified applicants are automatically considered for merit and need-based scholarships, which are awarded during the application review process. Funds are limited, and priority is given to students who complete their application, with all required supporting documentation, by Jan. 15.