University at Buffalo
University at Buffalo at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
University at Buffalo Featured Rankings
- #2 College Majors with Accelerated Programs
- #3 Online Master’s in Counseling
- #5 Most Affordable Colleges in New York 2026
- #5 Best Online Master's of Music Education
- #5 Most Affordable Online DSW and PhD in Social Work Doctorate Programs 2026
- #5 Best Public Colleges in New York 2026
- #7 Most Affordable Online Sociology Doctorate Degree Programs (PhDs)
- #7 New York's Best Online Master's Degrees
- #7 15 Most Affordable Online Economics Doctorate Degree Programs (PhDs) 2026
- #8 Most Affordable Accredited Online Schools
- #10 Best Research Universities in New York 2026
- #11 Best Grad Schools in New York 2026
- #12 Best Online PhD of Nursing (DNP) Degree Programs
- #12 Best Colleges in New York 2026
- #12 Online Master’s in Engineering
- #12 Fastest Online Bachelor's Degrees
- #14 Online Master’s in Social Work-MSW
- #27 Best Online Master's Programs
- #40 Best Public Grad Schools
About University at Buffalo
The University at Buffalo (officially, State University of New York at Buffalo) was founded in 1846 as a private medical college, with Millard Fillmore, later the 13th President of the US, as its first chancellor. Commonly known as UB, the university joined the SUNY system in 1962.
Today, UB is the largest public university in the state of New York, with a student population of about 31,503. The university comprises 13 colleges and three campuses, two in Buffalo proper and one in the suburb of Amherst.
UB offers undergraduates some 100 areas of study, as well as 205 master’s, 84 doctoral, and 10 professional degree programs. A wide variety of online courses are available for both matriculated UB students and non-matriculated individuals.
UB, the largest and most-comprehensive campus in the 64-campus SUNY system, is a premier, research-intensive, public university with a strong emphasis on academic excellence.
UB is associated with five Nobel laureates:
- Chemistry—Herbert A. Hauptman
- Physiology or Medicine—Carl Ferdinand Cori and John C. Eccles
- Economics—Ronald H. Coase
- Literature—J.M. Coetzee
Other notable UB faculty and alumni include:
- Physicist, Alexander Vilenkin
- Philosophers, Wilfrid Sellars, Jorge J.E. Gracia, Barry Smith, Stewart Shapiro, and Paul Kurtz
- Novelists, John Barth and Charles Baxter
- Composer, Morton Feldman
- Historian, Richard Hofstadter
- Journalist-columnists, Michelle Goldberg and Jason Riley
- Actor, Ron Silver
- Hollywood producer, Harvey Weinstein
- Television personalities, Wolf Blitzer, Terry Gross, and Ira Flatow
UB is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).
According to Wikipedia, The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. The university was founded in 1846 as a private medical college and merged with the State University of New York system in 1962. It is one of the two flagship institutions of the SUNY system. As of fall 2020, the university enrolled 32,347 students in 13 schools and colleges, making it the largest public university in the state of New York.
University at Buffalo's Online Degrees
Advanced Certificate in College Teaching
- Required Credits: 12
- Completion Time: 1 year or less
- Format: Fully online
Advanced Certificate in Music Learning Theory
- Required Credits: 15
- Completion Time: 1 year or less
- Format: Fully online
MEd in English Studies
- Required Credits: 33
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MEd in English
Degree Concentrations
- Adolescence and Professional
- Required Credits: 33
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MEd in Literacy
- Required Credits: 30
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MEd in Mathematics
Degree Concentrations
- Adolescence
- Professional
- Required Credits: 33
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MEd in Music
Degree Concentrations
- Professional
- Required Credits: 33
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MEd in Science and the Public
- Required Credits: 33
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MS in School Librarianship
- Required Credits: 39
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
Advanced Certificate in Library and Information Science
- Required Credits: 18
- Completion Time: 1 year or less
- Format: Fully online
MS in Information and Library Science
- Required Credits: 36
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
MSW in Social Work
- Required Credits: 60
- Completion Time: 3.5-4.5 years
- Format: Fully online
Advanced Certificate in Public Health
- Required Credits: 16
- Completion Time: 1 year or less
- Format: Fully online
BSN in Nursing
Degree Concentrations
- Degree Completion
- Required Credits: 120
- Completion Time: 4-5 years
- Format: Fully online
MPH in Public Health
- Required Credits: 43
- Completion Time: 2.5-3.5 years
- Format: Fully online
Advanced Certificate in Mental Health Counseling
- Required Credits: 24
- Completion Time: 1 year or less
- Format: Fully online
Advanced Certificate in Rehabilitation Counseling
- Required Credits: 18
- Completion Time: 1 year or less
- Format: Fully online
MS in Rehabilitation Counseling
- Required Credits: 48
- Completion Time: 2.5-3.5 years
- Format: Fully online
Advanced Certificate in Bridge Engineering
- Required Credits: 12
- Completion Time: 1 year or less
- Format: Fully online
MS in Industrial Engineering
- Required Credits: 30
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
University at Buffalo Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score | Median ACT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38,210 | 74% | 85% | 73% | 1295 | 29 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does University at Buffalo Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $11,036 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $15,725 |
| 30K - 48K | $17,036 |
| 48K - 75K | $21,440 |
| 75K - 110K | $24,611 |
| 110K+ | $28,968 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do University at Buffalo Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former University at Buffalo students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $75,679 a year, and 94% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
University at Buffalo's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 35,427 | 22,843 | 12,584 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is University at Buffalo?
University at Buffalo is located at 12 Capen Hall, Buffalo, NY 14260-1660.
How Safe is University at Buffalo?
Relative to its enrollment, University at Buffalo has a violent crime rate of 0.02% and a property crime rate of 0.09%. Buffalo has a violent crime rate of 0.77% and a property crime rate of 4.00%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is University at Buffalo Known For?
University at Buffalo is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Computer Science
- Philosophy
- Social Work
- Economics
- Earth Sciences
- Mathematics
- Medical
- Chemistry
- Engineering
- Communications
- Literature
- Nursing
- Anthropology
- Psychology
- Sociology
- History
- Education
- Law
- Biology
- Physics
- Business
- Political Science
- Religious Studies
University at Buffalo's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much University at Buffalo's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
University at Buffalo ranks #62 in the U.S. and #172 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesUniversity at Buffalo ranks #64 in the U.S. and #217 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesUniversity at Buffalo ranks #74 in the U.S. and #131 worldwide for influence in Social Work.
social-work DegreesUniversity at Buffalo ranks #79 in the U.S. and #298 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesUniversity at Buffalo ranks #80 in the U.S. and #311 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesUniversity at Buffalo ranks #83 in the U.S. and #311 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesUniversity at Buffalo ranks #90 in the U.S. and #257 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesUniversity at Buffalo ranks #90 in the U.S. and #406 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesUniversity at Buffalo ranks #93 in the U.S. and #354 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesUniversity at Buffalo ranks #95 in the U.S. and #298 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesUniversity at Buffalo ranks #95 in the U.S. and #240 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesUniversity at Buffalo ranks #96 in the U.S. and #207 worldwide for influence in Nursing.
nursing DegreesUniversity at Buffalo ranks #97 in the U.S. and #256 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesUniversity at Buffalo ranks #104 in the U.S. and #217 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesUniversity at Buffalo ranks #106 in the U.S. and #333 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesUniversity at Buffalo ranks #121 in the U.S. and #319 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesUniversity at Buffalo ranks #126 in the U.S. and #441 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesUniversity at Buffalo ranks #126 in the U.S. and #370 worldwide for influence in Law.
University at Buffalo ranks #128 in the U.S. and #432 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesUniversity at Buffalo ranks #130 in the U.S. and #515 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesUniversity at Buffalo ranks #131 in the U.S. and #378 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesUniversity at Buffalo ranks #143 in the U.S. and #565 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesUniversity at Buffalo ranks #331 in the U.S. and #1457 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesWho Are University at Buffalo's Most Influential Alumni?
University at Buffalo's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Social Work, Computer Science, and Anthropology. Here are some of University at Buffalo's most famous alumni:
- Wilfrid Sellars
- An American philosopher .
- Richard Hofstadter
- An American historian and public intellectual .
- Terry Gross
- An American journalist. Terry Gross is host and producer of "Fresh Air" a Peabody Award-winning radio program.
- Leslie White
- An American anthropologist .
- Warren Bennis
- An American leadership expert.
- William Lawvere
- An American mathematician.
- C. L. Max Nikias
- An American electrical engineer.
- Alan Soble
- An American philosopher.
- Tin Kam Ho
- A Computer scientist.
- Robert Hass
- An American poet.
- Silvia Federici
- An Italian American scholar, teacher, and feminist activist.
- Robert J. Sampson
- An American sociologist.
Who Are University at Buffalo's Most Influential Faculty?
University at Buffalo's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Social Work, Computer Science, and Anthropology. Here are some of University at Buffalo's most famous faculty:
- Siddhartha Mukherjee
- An Indian-American physician and writer .
- Leonard Talmy
- An American linguist.
- Roman Yampolskiy
- A Russian computer scientist.
- Elad Levy
- An American Neurosurgeon.
- Ram Samudrala
- An American scientist and philosopher.
- Elaine Howard Ecklund
- An Autrey Professor of Sociology at Rice University.
- Robert Arp
- A Philosopher/ontologist/technical writer.
- Alexander Halavais
- An American academic.
- Nnedi Okorafor
- A Nigerian-American writer of fantasy, science fiction, and comics.
- Peter J. H. Scott
- A British chemist.
- Kui Ren
- An Engineer.
- Keith Hughes
- A YouTuber and educator.
