State University of New York, Albany Admission
State University of New York, Albany Undergraduate Program
State University of New York, Albany Application

The Facts

SUNY Albany is a rather large, public, state school located in the town of Albany, New York, and is home to over 10,629 undergraduate students and approximately 5,200 graduate and part-time professional students. The university is actually divided up into several smaller undergraduate colleges including schools of arts and sciences, nanoscale science and engineering, business, education, public affairs and policy, information science and policy, criminal justice, social welfare, as well as public health. The school is actually a Carnegie Research II Research University, and is part of a state program that allows students to be involved in important research projects, working very closely with respected faculty members who are often some of the top researchers in their respective fields. SUNY, Albany offers its students a wide range of mostly preprofessional, undergraduate majors in many different areas, however, some of the most popular with students include majors in the areas of psychology, business administration, English, communications, as well as sociology.

Admission to SUNY Albany is extremely competitive, and the number of in state applicants has been increasing significantly with each passing admissions cycle. Last year, more than 17,500 students applied for admission to the school, and approximately 9,700 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 2,200 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming Fall semester. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1030 to 1230, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 20 to 26. Additionally, over 55% of those admitted were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about 3.35.

SUNY, Albany has a rather large student to faculty ratio of 20:1, and while many of the introductory and general education classes are held in large lecture halls, the upper level, more specific classes tend to be held in seminar format where there are rarely more than 20 students in a class. Many of the general education classes are actually team taught by professors, and the university has no T.A. taught classes, much to the approval of students.

The Social Scene

The town of Albany might not be the most exciting urban environment, but it does offer students the usual amenities of any moderately-sized city including clubs, bars, restaurants, shops, museums, movie theaters, and art galleries. The SUNY campus itself is actually divided up into three campuses, each with their own character and focus. The campuses are all fairly nearby one another, and there is a free university bus system that shuttles students between the campuses when needed. There are a fair number of fraternities and sororities at the school, and while they aren’t the sole dictator of on campus social life, they do throw many parties that are quite popular with students.

The dating scene has many great catches to pick from, although the sheer size and sprawling nature of the school may make it quite difficult...

What’s Good

“There are many different types of dorms to choose from, and you are sure to find one that fits your living style and preferences.”

“The research opportunities are endless, and you get many chances to build your rapport with some terrific faculty members.”

“There are an overwhelming amount of student run clubs and organizations to choose from, and it’s very easy to get involved.”

What’s Bad

“The size can be pretty overwhelming, and although the classes are horrendously large, you do feel quite anonymous.”

“The three campuses are really difficult to travel between, and if you have back to back classes on opposite campuses, good luck.”

“The general education requirements are extremely mundane, and most of them feel like high school review classes.”

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