State University of New York - Binghamton University (BU)

At Binghamton University, State University of New York (SUNY), students are driven — driven to learn, to question the status quo, to explore, create and innovate. Binghamton is the #1 public university in New York and #52 in the U.S., (Forbes, 2024) and the #4 best value college in the nation (U.S. News & World Report, 2025). For a quarter of a century, Binghamton has been ranked a Top 50 public university by U.S. News & World Report.

With 18,000+ graduate and undergraduate students, six schools and 130+ academic programs, Binghamton makes it possible to set your aspirations in motion through powerful academics, innovative opportunities and engaged students. Binghamton combines the atmosphere of a mid-sized institution with the resources of a large research university. There are several exclusive honors programs as well as research opportunities for students in every major.

Binghamton is located in upstate New York on a campus nestled in picturesque rolling hills yet just a few hours from major urban centers such as New York City, Boston and Toronto. Downtown Binghamton is minutes away and offers a safe, friendly, suburban community to discover and explore the arts, local restaurants and professional sports. We're also a few miles away from many state and county parks, where you can enjoy outdoor activities year-round.

Our six residential communities are where you'll make friends in a supportive, strong mini-community within the larger University. Each community has its own dining hall, personality and traditions.

With 21 NCAA Division I teams, numerous club sports and intramural teams, plus 450+ student-led organizations and clubs, there's never a dull moment!

An award-winning career development center gives Binghamton graduates a significant advantage in their future endeavors. More than 1,800 employers recruit Binghamton students every year including Microsoft, Google, IBM, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Disney, Tata, Samsung and many others.

We go above and beyond… together. Psychologist or economist, biologist or engineer, you'll become everything but ordinary, and graduate prepared to meet the challenges of tomorrow and make a positive difference in the world.

Binghamton received more than 40,000 first-year applications for 3,000 spots for fall 2022. With a high-school GPA range of 93-98 (3.73.9), our students stack up among the best in the nation. Not only is the Binghamton student body high achieving, but it also contains a great diversity of life experiences, from first-generation collegegoers to international students. Beyond their talent, these classmates share a desire to shape the future through innovations in technology, insight and intellectual exploration.

Binghamton students are involved and passionate about healthy living. We have 21 NCAA Division I sports teams, 3,000 students play on at least one intramural sports team, and 450+ student-run clubs and organizations thrive on campus.

A high proportion of students are from Long Island or Westchester, but they do report "a surprising amount of diversity" on campus, and students are "happy to step outside of their comfort zones and learn about different cultures." The majority of students "worked hard to afford school and to get into a school as intense as Binghamton" and there is "a very friendly and homey atmosphere at the school." This "extremely loving and generous" group is "multi-disciplined" and "involved in many organizations, leadership roles, jobs, internships, or research."

The "excellent student board" organizes tons of events throughout the week and is "keen on getting the students...involved and [making] a difference." The university's 450+ organizations carry various roles "from community service to professionalism," and it has "almost any kind of club out there," from club sports to the hula hoop club to L.O.C.K.S. (Ladies Owning their Curls Kinks and Straights). The school's residential college system is modeled after the one at Oxford University, with students living in six different communities, each with its own personality. The living communities "really help break it up and make it feel smaller," and "there are a lot of study spaces and a lot of places to spend time." Though academics take priority, when students do leave their books, "Binghamton offers so many activities to do on campus that it is hard to ever be bored."

The town of Vestal is small and quiet, and there is a 190-acre nature preserve on campus that is frequently hiked by students. The nearby city and communities of greater Binghamton are constantly improving: "Change happens all of the time and the students are getting ready for it." People here do like to party on the weekends, and "going out into downtown Binghamton on Friday and Saturday nights to hit up the bars is popular." For those who prefer to keep it more low-key, the University Union always has "games, arts and crafts, free bowling (with free shoe rentals), ping pong (you do have to rent the paddles if you don't bring your own), billiards, and movie rentals," and there are often performances or movies shown on campus.

Binghamton University works hard to promote what it calls “The Binghamton Impact,” a bevy of experiences including research and career prep. It also puts money where its mouth is, with funding opportunities, like the $3,500 University Scholars Award that supports internships, studying abroad, and creative development: “As much experience as possible in order to prepare [us] for life after graduation.” The school’s Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development, established in 2014, remains on the cutting edge, offering students “innovative programming,” the hireBING recruiting platform, both virtual and in-person meetings with some of the more than 147,000 alumni around the world , and a digital library of vital career tools. Students find that “employers rave about the school, especially if you are applying to jobs in New York City or Long Island” and according to PayScale.com’s reporting, the median early-career salaries for Binghamton graduates, roughly 36% of whom go into STEM fields, is $65,200.