Syracuse University
A private R1 university on a hill above Syracuse, New York, known for Newhouse, Maxwell and ACC sports.
- Acceptance rate
- 49%
- First-year students entering fall 2025 (Common Data Set 2025-26)
- Students
- 21,922
- 16,149 undergraduates
- International
- 7%
- of students
- Student–faculty
- 14:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- $69,180
- 2026-27
About Syracuse
Syracuse University was founded in 1870 and is a private R1 research university whose main campus sits on a hill overlooking the city of Syracuse in Central New York. In fall 2025 it enrolled 21,922 students: 16,149 undergraduates and 5,773 graduate and law students. It also runs centers in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, and study abroad programs in 60 countries.
Undergraduates apply to a specific school or college, among them the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the School of Information Studies (iSchool), the David B. Falk College of Sport, the School of Architecture and the College of Visual and Performing Arts. A dual enrollment option lets students complete two majors in two colleges for a single bachelor's degree, usually within four years.
Syracuse admitted 22,756 of 46,645 first-year applicants for fall 2025 (48.8%), and admission is to a specific college, so program fit matters. It suits students who want a big-time sports and school-spirit campus with strong professional schools, especially in communications, public affairs, management and sport.
Suos Cultores Scientia Coronat
“Knowledge crowns those who seek her” — university motto
Why students choose Syracuse
The Newhouse School is one of the best-known communications schools in the U.S., with alumni from Ted Koppel and Bob Costas to generations of broadcast and sports journalists.
Dual enrollment lets you earn one bachelor's degree from two colleges, such as Newhouse and Whitman or Maxwell and Arts and Sciences, usually in four years.
Syracuse reports meeting 95 percent of demonstrated need for full-time undergraduates, and 82 percent of students receive some form of financial support.
Orange athletics play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, with football and basketball in the on-campus JMA Wireless Dome.
Admissions
First-year students entering fall 2025 (Common Data Set 2025-26)
About 1 in 2 applicants is admitted
22,756 admitted from 46,645 applicants
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
3,969 first-years enrolled. For the fall 2024 entering class, 1,478 of 2,654 Early Decision applicants were admitted. 14,242 applicants were offered a place on the fall 2025 waiting list, 6,530 accepted and 2,039 were admitted from it. Admission is to a specific college, and the Newhouse School and talent-based programs in architecture and the performing and visual arts are more competitive or require portfolios and auditions.
Typical entry requirements
| U.S. high school curriculum | Recommended: four years each of English, science, social studies and mathematics (through geometry and intermediate algebra) and at least three years of a foreign language |
|---|---|
| British curriculum | IGCSE/GCSE alone is not enough: at least one further year of study (such as AS or A-levels) is required; BTEC is not accepted |
| Other international secondary education | Official academic credentials with English translations and a key to the grading scale |
| English language | IELTS 6.5 · TOEFL iBT 85 Preferred scores for most colleges: TOEFL 85+ (4.5 on the scale in effect from January 21, 2026), IELTS 6.5+, Cambridge 176+, Duolingo 125+. Whitman and Architecture prefer TOEFL 90+ and IELTS 7.0+; Newhouse prefers TOEFL 102+, IELTS 7.0+ and Duolingo 130+. Waived for students who spent grades 10-12 at a U.S. high school in person. |
Deadlines
- Early Decision I Binding Next deadline · In 25 daysNovember 1, 2026
Binding. Most candidates hear before January 1. Aid applicants receive an early estimated aid package.
- Early Action Non-binding In 25 daysNovember 1, 2026
New for fall 2027 applicants. Non-binding; decisions typically in early February.
- Early Decision II Binding In ~3 monthsJanuary 5, 2027
Binding. Candidates typically notified by mid-February.
- Regular Decision Non-binding In ~3 monthsJanuary 5, 2027
Decisions released from mid-March, weekly through the spring. Drama acting and musical theater applicants must submit application and prescreen by December 1.
Syracuse's deadlines page lists month and day without a year; its enrollment-options page describes Early Action as new for fall 2027 applicants, so the dates are applied to the 2026-27 cycle. Some programs, especially in Visual and Performing Arts, have earlier portfolio and audition deadlines.
How to apply
Common App or Coalition Application powered by Scoir; official high school transcript; senior-year grade report; counselor evaluation; one academic recommendation; optional SAT/ACT (self-reported accepted); portfolio or audition for talent-based programs in Architecture, Visual and Performing Arts and some other programs; ED agreement for Early Decision; optional virtual interview.
What admissions looks for
- Academic preparation and purpose: grades and course rigor are a significant factor, especially senior-year work and honors, AP or meaningful electives.
- Your record read in context, using your school's profile to understand its curriculum and grading.
- A counselor evaluation and one academic teacher recommendation that show your capabilities and character.
- Activities, volunteer work and jobs that show organizational and leadership skills and commitment to others.
- Strength of character (integrity, risk-taking, supporting those around you) and, for arts and architecture programs, talent evaluated by faculty.
Tips for applying to Syracuse
- 1 Choose your college carefully: you apply to a specific undergraduate school or college, and Newhouse and the talent-based programs are the most competitive.
- 2 Consider the new non-binding Early Action round (November 1) if you want an answer by February without committing; use ED I or ED II only if Syracuse is your first choice.
- 3 If you have two strong interests, ask about dual enrollment, which lets you graduate with two majors from two colleges on one degree.
- 4 Drama, music, art, design and architecture applicants must submit portfolios or auditions through the applicant portal, some well before the main deadlines.
- 5 Submit scores only if they help: enrolled students who submitted had a middle-50% SAT of 1300-1410, and non-submitters are still considered for merit scholarships.
What are your chances?
Sign up to see your personalized admission chances for Syracuse University
Sign up to see your chancesCosts & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in USD
Syracuse awards need-based aid through the CSS Profile and FAFSA and reports meeting 95 percent of demonstrated need for full-time undergraduates who applied for aid; it also awards merit scholarships, which students who do not submit test scores remain eligible for. International applicants are considered for merit scholarships; in 2025-26, 682 nonresident undergraduates received institutional aid.
- 82%
- Students receiving some form of financial support
- 96%
- Average need met, first-year need-based aid recipients (CDS 2025-26)
- $48,257
- Average need-based grant, first-years with need (CDS 2025-26)
- 682 students, averaging $14,262
- International undergraduates receiving institutional aid (CDS 2025-26)
- $433 million
- Grants and scholarships awarded by Syracuse
- $95,676 ($98,544 with health insurance)
- 2026-27 cost of attendance, living on campus
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters
S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
Syracuse's flagship communications school, with dedicated English-score expectations and a long list of broadcast and journalism alumni.
Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
Combines social sciences with public administration and international relations; U.S. News ranked it the No. 1 public affairs school in 2024.
Sport Management and Sport Analytics (Falk College)
Bachelor's programs in a college dedicated to sport, on a campus with ACC athletics.
School of Information Studies (iSchool)
Information management and technology programs; Syracuse cites U.S. News top-five rankings in information systems and IT management.
Architecture B.Arch
A professional architecture degree in a school where talent is evaluated by faculty as part of admission.
Dual enrollment
Two majors in two colleges leading to one bachelor's degree granted by both, usually within four years.
Research
- Classified R1 (very high research activity) by the Carnegie Classification.
- University institutes include the BioInspired Institute (programmable smart materials), the Institute for Quantum and Information Sciences and a new Institute for Artificial Intelligence.
- The Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship in Washington, D.C. researches trust in news media and governance and hosts a semester in D.C.
- The Burton Blatt Institute works internationally on the civic, economic and social participation of people with disabilities.
Schools & faculties
- College of Arts and Sciences
- School of Architecture
- School of Education
- College of Engineering and Computer Science
- David B. Falk College of Sport
- School of Information Studies (iSchool)
- Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
- S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
- College of Visual and Performing Arts
- Martin J. Whitman School of Management
- College of Law
- College of Professional Studies
Syracuse reports that 92 percent of employed graduates work in positions related to their career goals within six months of graduation. College Scorecard: median earnings of $79,164 ten years after entry and $60,459 six years after entry for federally aided students.
Student life
First- and second-year students are required to live in university housing, spread across 21 residence halls on Main and South Campus, with more than 30 living-learning communities and 25-plus places to eat. Life centres on the Shaw Quadrangle, flanked by Hendricks Chapel and the Hall of Languages, and on game days at the JMA Wireless Dome. More than 300 clubs and groups, Greek chapters across five councils and a student radio tradition at WAER round out campus life. Each autumn the university marks Remembrance Week for the 35 Syracuse students killed on Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988.
- 20 NCAA Division I teams competing as the Orange, mostly in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
- 300+ clubs and student organizations.
- Study abroad in 60 countries plus semester centers in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles.
- Remembrance Week and the Remembrance Scholars program honour the victims of Pan Am Flight 103.
Housing. Students must live on campus for their first two years; about half of all students live on campus across 21 residence halls and apartments.
Location
Syracuse is a mid-sized city of about 150,000 people in Central New York, and the university's hilltop campus looks down over downtown, linked to the city's main destinations by shuttle and the Connective Corridor. Syracuse promotes the region's mix of nature and access: the Finger Lakes and Adirondack Mountains are nearby, and New York City, Boston, Toronto and Montreal are all within reach.
Nearest airport: Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR)
Notable alumni
- JB Joe Biden46th President of the United States; JD, Syracuse University College of Law (1968)
- EC Eileen CollinsFirst woman to command a Space Shuttle mission; BA in mathematics and economics (1978)
- AS Aaron SorkinScreenwriter of The West Wing and The Social Network; studied drama at Syracuse
- TK Ted KoppelFounding anchor of ABC's Nightline; Bachelor of Science
- KH Kathy Hochul57th Governor of New York and the state's first female governor (graduated 1980)
- GS George SaundersBooker Prize-winning author of Lincoln in the Bardo; MFA in creative writing (1988)
- LR Lou ReedMusician and co-founder of the Velvet Underground; studied journalism, film and creative writing
- JB Jim BrownNFL Hall of Fame fullback, actor and civil rights activist; unanimous All-American at Syracuse
Frequently asked questions
What is Syracuse University's acceptance rate?
Syracuse admitted 22,756 of 46,645 first-year applicants for fall 2025, about 49%. Rates differ by college, and talent-based programs and Newhouse are more competitive.
Is Syracuse test-optional?
Yes. SAT/ACT scores are not required for Fall 2026 through Spring 2028 admission, and non-submitters stay eligible for merit scholarships. Enrolled students who submitted had a middle-50% SAT of 1300-1410 and ACT of 29-33.
Does Syracuse have Early Action?
Yes, for the first time for fall 2027 applicants: non-binding Early Action closes November 1, alongside binding Early Decision I (November 1) and Early Decision II (January 5). Regular Decision closes January 5.
How much does Syracuse University cost per year?
For 2026-27, tuition is $69,180 and the full cost of attendance for a student living on campus is $95,676, or $98,544 including health insurance. Syracuse reports meeting 95% of demonstrated need for full-time undergraduates who applied for aid.
Does Syracuse give scholarships to international students?
International applicants are considered for merit scholarships. In 2025-26, 682 nonresident undergraduates received institutional aid averaging $14,262.
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.
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