Oswego students intern at Disney, Google and the NFL. They have summer research assignments at observatories in Switzerland and Taiwan, wetlands in Brazil and schools in India. They produce and broadcast an award-winning morning TV show and mentor children in high-need schools. They study lake-effect snowstorms on campus and chase tornados in the Midwest.
They learn with outstanding professors who model a life of inquiry and discovery. A State University of New York at Oswego education provides a world of opportunities to put learning and scholarship into meaningful action. The College holds the prestigious Carnegie designation for community engagement and is a SUNY leader in cooperative education, integrating workplace experience with academic study.
Oswego offers more than 140 undergraduate academic programs in its four academic divisions: College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; School of Business; School of Education; and School of Communication, Media and the Arts. SUNY Oswego remains ranked in the top tier by U.S. News & World Report’s “2021 Top Regional Universities in the North.”
Small Classes offer students the opportunity for invaluable interaction with faculty and peers. Every freshman during his or her first semester is enrolled in at least one class with no more than 19 other students. Instead of a “one-size-fits-all” freshman seminar, Oswego offers many options for first-year students to learn about services and resources on campus, to get to know their professors, and to explore areas of interest. The student to faculty ratio is 17:1.
Approximately 85 percent of all classes offered at Oswego enroll fewer than 40 students. More than 50 percent enroll fewer than 20 students. The average class size is 24 students.
Experiences of a Lifetime
Oswego’s faculty and students actively participate in research and creative activities. The College stresses the importance of undergraduate research, enabling advanced research for undergraduates that other institutions offer only at the graduate level. Outstanding facilities, including the recently constructed Shineman Center for Science, Engineering and Innovation, help students gain hands-on experience.
A $65 million renovation has been launched that will turn the former Hewitt Union into a nationally competitive hub for our School of Communication, Media and the Arts.
The transformed space will serve as the new home for the college’s renowned broadcasting, graphic design, and cinema and screen studies programs. Target completion is fall 2023.
The College sends 20 percent more than 450 students a year to 24 countries under its international education programs, which the Institute for International Education ranks among the nation’s elite study abroad programs. The opportunities range from traditional classroom study in another country to interning with a multinational corporation to student teaching abroad to intensive summer research in Oswego’s distinctive Global Laboratory network.
Over 1,200 students participate annually in internship, co-op and related practicum opportunities ranging from Fortune 500 corporations to non-profit organizations. These experiences can be done for academic credit, for pay, or done on a volunteer basis. Co-op experiences, which are exclusively paid, are growing and include their own opportunity for scholarships. Oswego offers more than 200 clubs and organizations that span a range of categories — academic, media, club sports, religious, cultural, special interest, Greek life, the arts and community service.
Quality and Value
SUNY Oswego has once again earned regional recognition (top 10) among “Best Value Schools” from U.S. News & World Report. Oswego offers competitive costs and financial aid that includes more than $7.4 million in merit scholarships for outstanding undergraduates. Over 40 percent of enrolling students receive renewable merit scholarships averaging $3,600 annually. As of 2021–22 tuition, room, full board and fees for New York residents total about $23,722 for the year.
Total cost for out-of-state residents is $9,910 more. The College offers $36,000 Destination Oswego Scholarships for qualified out-of-state and international students ($9,000 annually, for up to four years).
The pioneering Oswego Guarantee helps students manage costs, make connections with impressive alumni and encourages degree completion in four years. Students pay the same rate for room and board all four years under the Guarantee. About 89 percent of students benefit from about $80 million in financial aid, which can include grants, loans and part-time employment.
Winning Visits
When deciding among colleges, students are often won over on their visit to the Oswego campus, with its mile of stunning shoreline along Lake Ontario and 700 acres of natural woodlands and wetlands dedicated to scientific study and outdoor recreation. Prospective visitors are encouraged to check the website to register for our in-person and virtual visits (oswego .edu/visit) or call the Office of Admissions at (315) 312-2250 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Facts and Figures
7,700 students, 6,700 of them full-time undergraduates
~3,500 students live on campus in a variety of residential designs
Over 500 faculty members, more than 300 of them full-time
88 percent of faculty hold doctoral degrees or terminal degrees in their fields
24 intercollegiate NCAA Division III sports
Founded in 1861.