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SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Syracuse, NY · City · 1,839 students
WebsiteCommon AppForbes rankingScorecard
Application deadlines: Check the admissions site
$18,952
Average net priceYour net price
In-state · 2023-24
<30
30–48
48–75
75–110
110+
By household income — tap a bar
68%
Graduation rate
Entered fall 2017 & 2018
70% typical
$55,763
Earnings 10 years on
Measured 2020 & 2021
$63,395 typical
63%
Acceptance rate
Applied for fall 2024
73% typical · not scored
Accredited by Middle States Commission on Higher Education
About

As the nation’s oldest institution focused entirely on the natural and built environment, the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF) is best known for top-tier programs in environmental biology, landscape architecture, and environmental resources engineering. Student culture is passionate, eco-conscious, and close-knit, with a strong emphasis on sustainability, hands-on conservation work, and outdoor recreation. A unique partnership with adjacent Syracuse University allows ESF students to enjoy the specialized focus of a smaller state college while gaining full access to SU's campus facilities, clubs, and NCAA Division I athletics. Additionally, ESF operates over 25,000 acres of regional properties, including extensive field stations in the Adirondack Park, offering prospective students unmatched opportunities for real-world research.

Wikipedia:The State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is a public research university in Syracuse, New York, United States focused on the environment and natural resources. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. ESF is immediately adjacent to Syracuse University, within which it was founded, and with which it maintains a special relationship - students take classes at other SU colleges, graduate together, share common student life, and until 2011 lived exclusively in SU housing. ESF is classified as a "Mixed Baccalaureate" institution, with an "R2: High Research Spending and Doctorate Production" designation. ESF operates education and research facilities also in the Adirondack Park, the Thousand Islands, elsewhere in Central New York, and Costa Rica. The college's curricula focus on the understanding, management, and sustainability of the environment and natural resources.

Location
Syracuse, NY, 13210 · City campus
✈
Nearest airport from college
SYR · Syracuse
6 mi away
Open in Google Maps
Cost & aid
Cost of attendance
These figures are federal data and may be out of date.
In-stateOut-of-state
Tuition & fees$9,303$22,263
Housing & food (on campus)$18,080$18,080
Books & supplies$1,260$1,260
Cost of attendance$28,133$41,093 est.
Average net price$18,952Not published
Out-of-state prices
Tuition & fees$22,263
In-state: $9,303
Housing & food (on campus)$18,080
Books & supplies$1,260
Cost of attendance$41,093 est.
In-state: $28,133
Average net priceNot published
In-state: $18,952
est. = the in-state cost of attendance with out-of-state tuition swapped in; no out-of-state figure is published.
Net price by family income · in-state students, 2023-24
$0–30k
$9,473
$30–48k
$11,635
$48–75k
$18,870
$75–110k
$20,953
$110k+
$24,014
Merit aid · 2025-26
Awarded without financial need. Students with financial need can get merit awards too; they're counted as need-based aid.
Average award$2,854
Share of first-years who get one32%
Source: SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry's Common Data Set — the school's own yearly report of its admissions and aid figures (PDF).
Outcomes
Completion
Within 6 yrs
68%
Entered 2017–18
Within 4 yrs
56%
Back for yr 2
87%
Transferred
25%
8 yrs after starting · first-time, full-time students
75% graduated · 20% transferred · 5% left or unknown · none still enrolled
Earnings · measured 2020 & 2021
6 yrs after entry$48,327
10 yrs after entry$55,763
Debt
Median at graduation$11,000
Monthly payment$117
Middle 50% owe$7.5k–$25.5k
90th percentile$29,743
Admissions
Getting in · applied for fall 2024
Admit rate
63%
Test policy
Not required
Per College Scorecard

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Essay prompts

If SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry asks for supplemental essays, the prompts are in the Common App.

The personal essay is separate: see the Common App essay prompts.

Student Body
Gender
Men 47%Women 53%
Who enrolls
Faculty ratio
14 : 1
Pell grant
20%
First-gen
20%
Family income
$68,412
Independent
12%
Age at entry
20.0
Part-time
5%
Race & ethnicity
White
75%
Hispanic
11%
Black
3%
Asian
3%
Two or more
5%
Non-resident
2%
Unknown
2%
Varsity sports
USCAA · EADA 2024-25
  • Basketball
    Men's
  • Cross Country
    Men's · Women's
  • Golf
    Men's
  • Other Sports
    Men's · Women's · Co-ed
  • Soccer
    Men's · Women's
  • Track and Field (Indoor)
    Men's · Women's
  • Track and Field (Outdoor)
    Men's · Women's
Programs & Earnings
Bachelor's degrees by annual completions · 4yr national median earnings
Median earnings, all programs · measured 2020 & 2021
After 6 yrs
$48,327
After 10 yrs
$55,763
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology93
Natural Resources Conservation and Research52
Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy46
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering34
Zoology/Animal Biology33
Forestry22
Biomedical/Medical Engineering19
Landscape Architecture13
Construction Management13
Biotechnology11
Sustainability Studies10
Paper Science and Engineering8
Chemistry7
Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other4
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology3
Type your major above to highlight and detail relevant programs.
Institutional
Resources
Endowment
$48M
Full-time faculty
79%
Faculty salary
$9,954/mo
Teaching spend
$25,510
per student
Federal loans
31%
Classification
Carnegie type
Doctoral University
Research activity
R2 — high research
$39M research spending · 27 research doctorates a year
Undergraduate profile
Four-year, more selective admissions

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