University at Albany, State University of New York
SUNY's oldest university center, an R1 in New York's capital known for public policy, criminal justice and atmospheric science.
- Acceptance rate
- 70%
- First-year students entering fall 2025 (Common Data Set 2025-26)
- Students
- 17,426
- 12,889 undergraduates
- International
- 3%
- of students
- Student–faculty
- 15:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- $35,499
- 2026-27
About UAlbany
The University at Albany began on May 7, 1844 as the New York State Normal School, a teacher-training college in a former railroad depot in downtown Albany. It became the New York State College for Teachers in 1914 and in 1962 one of the four doctoral-granting university centers of the State University of New York, the oldest of the four. Today it is an R1 research university with 17,426 students in fall 2025, 12,889 of them undergraduates, across the Uptown, Downtown and Health Sciences campuses.
Most students live and study on the Uptown Campus, designed by Edward Durell Stone in the early 1960s around a single canopied Academic Podium, a fountain and the Carillon water tower, with four residential quads at its corners. Undergraduates choose from more than 60 majors in units that include the College of Arts and Sciences, the Massry School of Business, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity, the College of Integrated Health Sciences and the College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering.
Admission is test-optional and grade-driven: UAlbany admitted 25,123 of 35,664 first-year applicants for fall 2025, and enrolled first-years averaged a 3.7 high school GPA. The student body is diverse, with 44.5% first-generation and 46.6% Pell-eligible students, and the location in New York's capital suits students interested in government, policy, criminal justice, public health and emergency management.
Sapientia et sua et docendi causa
“Wisdom, both for its own sake and for the sake of teaching” — university motto
Why students choose UAlbany
Being in the state capital: Rockefeller College, the School of Criminal Justice and the School of Social Welfare sit on the Downtown Campus, about a mile from the New York State Capitol.
Out-of-state students can pay the in-state tuition and fees of their home state's flagship university through the Flagship Match program, or receive merit scholarships of up to $16,500 a year.
Atmospheric science with real infrastructure: the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center and a National Weather Service office are on the Uptown Campus.
Newer career-focused units such as the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (created 2015) and the College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering, reunited with UAlbany in 2023.
Admissions
First-year students entering fall 2025 (Common Data Set 2025-26)
25,123 admitted from 35,664 applicants
2,801 first-years enrolled in fall 2025. UAlbany's first-year page gives about 35,500 applications and a mid-range GPA of 89-96 (3.3-4.0) for its fall 2025 accepted profile. 385 applicants were offered a waiting-list place and 382 were later admitted. Only 6.1% of fall 2025 first-years came from outside New York (excluding international students).
Typical entry requirements
| U.S. high school curriculum | College-preparatory program required (CDS): 18 academic units including 4 English, 3 math (4 recommended), 2 lab science (3 recommended), 1 foreign language (3 recommended), 3 social studies, 2 history and 4 academic electives |
|---|---|
| International secondary education | Official secondary school transcript with certified English translation; evaluations from The Evaluation Company, WES or another NACES member accepted but not required; SAT or ACT optional |
| English language | IELTS 6 · TOEFL iBT 70 Minimums for applicants who studied outside the U.S. and whose native language is not English: TOEFL iBT 70 (4 on the new scale), IELTS 6.0, PTE 50, Duolingo 95, Cambridge English B2, or SAT ERW 400 with a 22 Reading sub-score. Applicants below these scores can apply for conditional admission through the Intensive English Language Program. |
Deadlines
- Early Action (international applicants) Non-binding Next deadline · In 25 daysNovember 1, 2026
International admissions reviews applications on a rolling basis and advises applying as early as possible.
- Early Action Non-binding In 39 daysNovember 15, 2026
Priority deadline; completed applicants are guaranteed a decision by the end of December. Required for the competitive first-year scholarships. The 2025-26 Common Data Set lists an early action notification date of January 15, while the first-year page promises a decision by the end of December.
- Regular Admission Non-binding In ~4 monthsFebruary 1, 2027
Priority deadline with rolling decisions; completed applicants are guaranteed a decision by the end of March. Later applications are considered on a space-available basis. Enrollment deposit due May 1.
- Regular Admission (international applicants) Non-binding In ~5 monthsMarch 1, 2027
UAlbany's first-year and international pages list the deadlines by month and day (November 15 and February 1; November 1 and March 1 for international applicants) alongside fee waivers for the 2027 application season. The years shown here are for fall 2027 entry. FAFSA priority date is December 1, and competitive scholarship applications are due January 1, 2027. The 2025-26 Common Data Set (its SharePoint workbook, CDS-C) lists early action closing November 15 and notification January 15.
How to apply
Common App or SUNY Application (choose one); essay of at least 250 words; official or unofficial high school transcript sent by the school; SAT or ACT optional; teacher or counselor recommendation optional for domestic applicants ($50 fee, waived through October 19, 2026 with the 'Free Application 2027' option and during SUNY Free Application Weeks, October 19 to November 2, 2026). International applicants also send a financial statement with bank statement and passport copy and one teacher or counselor recommendation.
What admissions looks for
- Academic GPA and the rigor of your high school record, both rated very important in the CDS.
- Character and personal qualities, the one non-academic factor rated very important.
- An essay of at least 250 words on the Common App or SUNY Application; recommendations, activities, talent, volunteer and work experience are considered.
- Test scores are considered only if you ask for them to be used; state residency is not a factor.
Tips for applying to UAlbany
- 1 Apply early action by November 15 if you want a decision by the end of December and a shot at the competitive $5,000 scholarships, whose separate application is due January 1, 2027.
- 2 Apply before October 19, 2026 and choose 'Free Application 2027' on UAlbany's Common App page to have the fee waived.
- 3 Think twice before sending scores: admissions advises applying test-optional unless your scores are a better measure of your ability than your grades, and merit scholarships ignore scores anyway.
- 4 If you live outside New York, check your home state's flagship on the Flagship Match list: UAlbany will match its in-state tuition and fees.
- 5 International applicants with lower English scores can still apply for conditional admission through the Intensive English Language Program.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in USD
Merit scholarships are automatic (no separate application) and test-blind: $1,000-$7,000 a year for New York residents and $10,000-$16,500 a year for out-of-state first-years, renewable for four years, and out-of-state students can alternatively receive a Flagship Match that equals their home flagship's in-state tuition and fees. International first-years can receive Global Excellence Scholarships of up to $20,500 a year ($82,000 over four years). New York residents can combine federal aid with state TAP and Excelsior Scholarship awards; file the FAFSA by December 1 for priority consideration.
- $34,844 New York resident; $57,888 out-of-state; $53,662 international (international admissions page)
- Estimated annual cost of attendance budgets, on campus, 2026-27 (UAlbany Cost of Attendance page; components are budget estimates, not the billed rates above)
- 62%
- Average share of need met, first-year need-based aid recipients (CDS 2025-26)
- $13,520
- Average need-based scholarship or grant, first-years (CDS 2025-26)
- 297 students, averaging $11,234
- International undergraduates awarded institutional aid (CDS 2025-26)
- About 60%
- Undergraduates receiving aid they don't repay (UAlbany)
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters
Criminal Justice
The School of Criminal Justice, founded in 1966, shaped the 'Albany model' of criminal justice PhD programs and teaches from the Downtown Campus near the State Capitol.
Political Science and Public Policy (Rockefeller College)
Named for Nelson Rockefeller and created in 1981, it offers degrees in political science, public administration and international affairs a short walk from state government.
Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences
Students work alongside the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, founded in 1961, and a National Weather Service office on the Uptown Campus.
Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity
An interdisciplinary college created in 2015, with departments of cybersecurity, emergency management and homeland security, and information sciences and technology.
Engineering and Nanoscale Science
The College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering offers ABET-accredited computer science and electrical and computer engineering, plus nanoscale science and engineering.
Business (Massry School)
AACSB-accredited in both business and accounting, housed in a dedicated building on the Uptown Campus since 2013.
Research
- $471.6 million in total R&D activity in FY2024, according to the NSF HERD survey figure UAlbany cites; classified R1.
- The Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, established in 1961, studies air quality, atmospheric chemistry, solar energy, clouds and climate.
- The Cancer Research Center and the School of Public Health, founded in 1985 jointly with the New York State Department of Health, are on the Health Sciences Campus in Rensselaer.
- The College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering conducts nanotechnology and semiconductor research, one of the signature research strengths UAlbany lists alongside AI, climate science and RNA science.
Schools & faculties
- College of Arts and Sciences
- College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity
- College of Integrated Health Sciences
- College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering
- Massry School of Business
- Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy
- School of Education
- Honors College
- AI and Society College
College Scorecard: median earnings of $67,979 ten years after entry and $51,380 six years after entry for federally aided students.
Student life
Life centers on the Uptown Campus, where first-years live in four residential quads (Indigenous, Dutch, Colonial and State), each a 22-story tower ringed by low-rise halls, and juniors and seniors can move to apartment-style complexes such as Empire Commons and Liberty Terrace. In fall 2025, 87.6% of first-years lived in university housing. UAlbany lists 250+ clubs, 25+ fraternity and sorority chapters and more than 1,300 events a year, and the student-run Five Quad Volunteer Ambulance Service has answered calls for 50 years. The Student Association also owns Camp Dippikill, a 1,000-acre retreat in the Adirondacks.
- 19 NCAA Division I teams, the Great Danes, in the America East Conference, with football in CAA Football.
- Five Quad Volunteer Ambulance Service, run by students for 50 years and answering over 800 calls a year.
- The New York State Writers Institute, founded in 1983 by novelist William Kennedy, brings authors to campus.
- Honors College housing, small seminars and a senior project with a faculty mentor.
Housing. International undergraduates are required to live on campus for their first two years; in fall 2025, 87.6% of first-years and 53.5% of all undergraduates lived in university housing.
Location
Albany is New York's state capital, a mid-sized city on the Hudson River in the Capital Region. The Uptown Campus sits at 1400 Washington Avenue on the city's western edge, with part of it extending into the town of Guilderland, while the Downtown Campus is about a mile from the State Capitol and Empire State Plaza. Expect a government town with a large student population, and a region that includes Saratoga Springs, the Adirondacks and the Hudson Valley.
Nearest airport: Albany International Airport (ALB)
Notable alumni
- OM Omar M. YaghiChemist who pioneered metal-organic frameworks and shared the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry; BS in chemistry, 1985
- FE Frances E. AllenComputer scientist, optimizing-compiler pioneer and 2006 Turing Award winner; BS in mathematics, 1954
- HM Harvey MilkGay rights pioneer and San Francisco supervisor; studied mathematics at the New York State College for Teachers, 1947-1951
- GM Gregory MaguireNovelist, author of Wicked; BA in English, 1976
- A AwkwafinaActress and rapper (born Nora Lum); studied journalism and women's studies, graduated 2011
- CB Catherine BertiniFormer executive director of the UN World Food Programme and 2003 World Food Prize laureate; bachelor's in political science
- LZ Lee ZeldinAdministrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency since 2025 and former congressman; BA in political science, 2001
- TV Tony VinciquerraFormer chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment (2017-2025); graduated 1977
Frequently asked questions
What is UAlbany's acceptance rate?
UAlbany admitted 25,123 of 35,664 first-year applicants for fall 2025, about 70%. Enrolled first-years had an average high school GPA of 3.7.
Does UAlbany require the SAT or ACT?
No. UAlbany is test-optional and advises most applicants to apply without scores; merit scholarships are awarded test-blind. Homeschooled applicants and applicants to the Guaranteed Admission Program with Upstate Medical University must submit scores.
When are UAlbany's deadlines for fall 2027?
Early action (non-binding) is November 15, 2026, with decisions by the end of December, and regular admission is February 1, 2027, with decisions by the end of March. International applicants have deadlines of November 1 and March 1.
How much does UAlbany cost?
For 2026-27, tuition and fees are $10,716 for New York residents and $32,776 for out-of-state students, plus $17,205 for a standard double room and unlimited meal plan. International undergraduates pay $35,499 in tuition and fees, including mandatory insurance.
Does UAlbany give scholarships to out-of-state and international students?
Yes. Out-of-state first-years can receive automatic merit scholarships of $10,000-$16,500 a year or a Flagship Match of their home state's in-state flagship tuition and fees. International first-years can receive Global Excellence Scholarships of up to $20,500 a year.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
Explore nearby in the world top 100
Universities ranked close to UAlbany in the QS World University Rankings 2027.