College Viability Inspection Report

University at Albany

New York · Public

University at Albany is a public institution in New York, enrolling 12,416 students as of 2024. It graduates 58% of students in four years, returns 83% of freshmen for a second year, and costs an average of $17,949 a year after grants and scholarships. Of the 9 inspection checks that could be evaluated, 1 is flagged: Enrollment. This report benchmarks University at Albany'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.

University at Albany 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.

Look Beyond the Brochure. Then Ask Your College.

Changing the Balance of Power from Colleges to Students and Families.

Every campus tour is a sales pitch. Colleges will show you the beautiful quad and the smiling Dean — not what doesn't flatter them. The right questions can reveal information that significantly impacts your experience.
College Viability
Data Summary

University at Albany — All Reported Indicators

Plain-text reference table of every metric and inspection flag for University at Albany. 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 Rate58.0%+5.5%76th
Six-Year Graduation Rate66.0%+3.1%70th
Full-Time Retention Rate83.0%0.0%69th
Pell Grant Six-Year Graduation Rate59.9%-6.7%72nd
Pell-to-Non-Pell Graduation Gap2.7pp+104.7%25th
Pell Share of Cohort41.7%+11.6%56th

Financial Health

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Revenue-to-Expense Ratio0.99×+1.6%25th
Total FTE Enrollment12,416-5.9%91st
Endowment Value$166.8M+114.9%75th
Net Assets (End of Year)$582.0M+159.1%85th

Value for Money

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Instructional Spending %26.8%-30.0%26th
Student Support Spending %5.0%-6.5%15th
Administrative Spending %9.0%-32.5%13th
Instruction+Support to Admin Ratio3.52×+8.0%68th
Average Net Price$17,949+2.6%45th
Net Price: $0-30K Income$11,112-11.0%36th
Net Price: $30K-48K Income$14,062-11.4%49th
Net Price: $48-75K Income$17,923-9.1%58th
Net Price: $75K-110K Income$20,037-4.4%48th
Net Price: $110K+ Income$24,085-2.6%45th

Inspection Flags

FlagSectionStatus
Retention Below 80%
University at Albany's retention rate stayed at or above 82% in all 5 reported years — above the 80% threshold.
Student OutcomesCleared
Four-Year Graduation Rate Below 50%
University at Albany's 4-year graduation rate stayed at or above 55% in all 5 reported years — above the 50% threshold.
Student OutcomesCleared
Pell Gap Exceeds 10 Points
University at Albany's Pell graduation gap stayed at or below 10 percentage points in all 5 eligible years.
Student OutcomesCleared
Revenue-to-Expense Below 1.0
University at Albany'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
University at Albany's total enrollment fell from 13,191 to 12,416 students between 2020 and 2024 (-5.9%) — a decline of 5% or more.
Financial HealthTriggered
Endowment Under $50M or Growth Under 15%
University at Albany's endowment is $166.8M and grew +114.9% between 2020 and 2024 — clearing both the $50 million size threshold and the 15% growth threshold.
Financial HealthCleared
High Cost, Low Completion
University at Albany costs less than the national median AND graduates students at above-median rates — neither condition for this flag is met.
Value for MoneyCleared
Spending on Students Below the National Median
University at Albany spends $3.52 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
Either net price did not rise or the graduation rate did not decline between 2020 and 2024 — flag not triggered.
Value for MoneyCleared