College Viability Inspection Report

State University of New York at Cortland

New York · Public

State University of New York at Cortland is a public institution in New York, enrolling 6,158 students as of 2024. It graduates 55% of students in four years, returns 81% of freshmen for a second year, and costs an average of $19,847 a year after grants and scholarships. Of the 9 inspection checks that could be evaluated, 1 is flagged: Price vs. Outcomes. This report benchmarks State University of New York at Cortland's most recent reported year (2024) against 2,000+ U.S. colleges across three dimensions: student outcomes, financial health, and value for money. All figures are drawn from federal IPEDS filings and are reported without editorial judgment.

State University of New York at Cortland Inspection Flags

Student Outcomes
Financial Health
Value for Your Money

Inspection flags are nine independent checks across student outcomes, financial health, and cost-to-value that surface areas of a college's reported numbers worth a closer look. A triggered flag means the college's data met a specific threshold that students and families may want to ask about — for example, graduation rates slipping below a level, or tuition rising while outcomes decline. A clear flag means the threshold was not met. Flags are signals for further conversation, not verdicts.

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College Viability
Data Summary

State University of New York at Cortland — All Reported Indicators

Plain-text reference table of every metric and inspection flag for State University of New York at Cortland. Values reflect IPEDS-reported figures; percent changes reflect endpoint-to-endpoint 2020 → 2024 comparison; percentiles reflect 2024 national rank against four-year public and private nonprofit institutions. Cells marked "not reported" indicate the indicator was not present in IPEDS for this institution.

Student Outcomes

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Four-Year Graduation Rate55.0%+3.8%72nd
Six-Year Graduation Rate69.0%-2.8%75th
Full-Time Retention Rate81.0%-4.7%64th
Pell Grant Six-Year Graduation Rate62.9%+8.3%76th
Pell-to-Non-Pell Graduation Gap7.5pp-41.4%43rd
Pell Share of Cohort32.3%+13.9%37th

Financial Health

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Revenue-to-Expense Ratio1.12×+18.6%63rd
Total FTE Enrollment6,158-3.4%82nd
Endowment Value$60.1M+38.3%53rd
Net Assets (End of Year)$137.0M+121.0%59th

Value for Money

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Instructional Spending %40.3%+4.5%76th
Student Support Spending %8.5%+20.6%30th
Administrative Spending %15.7%+5.8%38th
Instruction+Support to Admin Ratio3.11×+1.1%60th
Average Net Price$19,847+11.9%53rd
Net Price: $0-30K Income$12,550+7.7%44th
Net Price: $30K-48K Income$16,453+13.3%60th
Net Price: $48-75K Income$20,102+7.5%68th
Net Price: $75K-110K Income$21,636+11.4%57th
Net Price: $110K+ Income$25,853+11.4%54th

Inspection Flags

FlagSectionStatus
Retention Below 80%
State University of New York at Cortland's retention rate stayed at or above 80% in all 5 reported years — above the 80% threshold.
Student OutcomesCleared
Four-Year Graduation Rate Below 50%
State University of New York at Cortland's 4-year graduation rate stayed at or above 51% in all 5 reported years — above the 50% threshold.
Student OutcomesCleared
Pell Gap Exceeds 10 Points
State University of New York at Cortland's Pell graduation gap exceeded 10pp in 2 of 5 eligible years — below the 3-of-5 trigger threshold.
Student OutcomesCleared
Revenue-to-Expense Below 1.0
State University of New York at Cortland's ratio fell below 1.0 in 2 of 5 reported years — below the 3-of-5 trigger threshold.
Financial HealthCleared
Enrollment Declined 5% or More
State University of New York at Cortland's total enrollment fell from 6,375 to 6,158 students between 2020 and 2024 (-3.4%) — less than the 5% decline that triggers this flag.
Financial HealthCleared
Endowment Under $50M or Growth Under 15%
State University of New York at Cortland's endowment is $60.1M and grew +38.3% between 2020 and 2024 — clearing both the $50 million size threshold and the 15% growth threshold.
Financial HealthCleared
High Cost, Low Completion
State University of New York at Cortland costs more than the national median but also graduates students at above-median rates — only one of two conditions is met.
Value for MoneyCleared
Spending on Students Below the National Median
State University of New York at Cortland spends $3.11 on instruction and student support per $1 of admin in 2024 — at or above the national median of $2.75 in every reported year.
Value for MoneyCleared
Rising Price, Falling Outcomes
Both conditions were met: State University of New York at Cortland's net price rose while the 6-year graduation rate declined between 2020 and 2024 — a prompt to ask whether tuition increases are translating into stronger student outcomes.
Value for MoneyTriggered