Update: Syracuse University (NY)

This past spring Syracuse University announced that it has suffered a slight drop in enrollment in its freshman class. However, I have felt that the university has played fair in explaining the situation to the media as well as the students. Jefferey Selingo, a widely respected writer on higher education, lists Syracuse among his 75 Dream Schools. So, I felt it was time to write an update. I would also like to thank my friend, Stephanie Bartling, an independent college admissions advisor who lives in the Syracuse area, for her insights about the university and community. They’ve helped to make this story more informative.

I have made a Pinterest page for Syracuse. I also invite you to see a special page from when I attended a previous Rutgers-Syracuse football game at the JMA Wireless Dome, then known as the Carrier Dome.  These might give you an idea of life at this school.

The sky is not falling at Syracuse.

Syracuse ‘s financial picture for 2026 has an A+ rating from Forbes . To the university’s credit, its administration has been more transparent than most about its enrollment and financial picture; it’s not at all different than other large, well-endowed private universities.

Syracuse announced cuts to reduce the numbers of academic programs and offer early retirement packages to 175 faculty. This hit the news, but this was not the full story.

Syracuse has an endowment in excess of $2 billion. In fiscal year 2025, according to the National Association of College and University Business Officers. The endowment ranked 78th among colleges and universities. It was about the same as Rutgers, which is a much larger university system. It isn’t going to disappear from the educational landscape. Syracuse also benefits from a loyal and substantial alumni community, with more than 40,000 alumni in the New York City metro area alone registered in Linkedin.com as well as over 14,000 in California. I doubt that Syracuse fans in major East Coast cities will have problems finding a watch party.

Syracuse does not publish its Common Data Sets as other schools do. So, I needed an AI tool to help me find an enrollment trend.

Interesting to me:

• From 2020 to 2025, Syracuse’s acceptance rate dropped from 68 to 46 percent.
• The number of applicants rose from 39,000 in 2023 to more than 44,000 in 2025
• Syracuse’s Class of 2029 had just over 3,800 freshman.

The university has not yet released total enrollment for the Class of 2030. However,it’s fair to state that the incoming class will be smaller due to the recent news about cutbacks. However, future first-year enrollments should rebound to around 3,700 to 3,800 students.

A major economic growth opportunity is on the horizon for Syracuse.

One major boost for the regional economy is Central New York is Micron’s announcement about a $100 billion investment into semiconductor development and manufacturing that projects to create 9,000 direct jobs and 40,000 indirect ones.  According to the Empire State Development Corporation, one in four US made chips will be made in or around Central New York. This will mean many employment and internship opportunities for students in engineering and computer science. It has already meant upgrades to facilities and programs at the university.  Housing prices are already rising in the city and region, partly as the result of the impacts of this investment.

Applicants for the Class of 2031 will have the option to apply Early Action.

Previously, the only options were Early Decision and Regular Decision. I found that a third of the Class of 2028, the last year that I could find available data, were admitted through Early Decision.

While Syracuse does not publish admissions data by school, some programs and schools within the university are difficult to get into, and thus more likely choices for Early Decision..

• Architecture is a small program compared to others at the university, so admissions will be more difficult. A portfolio is also required to be considered for admission. Many other BArch programs do not require one.
• Newhouse gets cross-shopped against Northwestern for aspiring journalists, among other aspiring communications professionals. Interested in sports broadcasting? Newhouse has produced many alumni, several who sports fans will recognize.
• The sport management and sports analytics programs at the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics are more competitive than comparable programs at other public and private universities.
• The high-quality programs in the visual and performing arts require auditions.

Syracuse has more academic programs than many other universities.

The university eliminated, aka sun-setted,  25 programs with low enrollments, but still offers over 150 majors. That’s more than Binghamton University in the SUNY system, which is not far from campus and has about the same number of undergraduates.. It’s also more than you’ll find at Rutgers-New Brunswick, which has over twice the undergraduate student body. However, given that Syracuse’s offerings are as, if not more, comprehensive than many larger universities, there are several similar options within different academic disciplines. One example is computer science.

Syracuse is unique in offering multiple options to study computer science through the School of Information Sciences & Technology, aka the “iSchool”, as well as the College of Engineering.

The iSchool will host a new major in Integrative Artificial Intelligence . The engineering school will host a new major in AI Science. The university will continue to offer majors in Computer Science and Computer Engineering. Since the university encourages students to have a second-choice major in a second school, it’s possible that most applicants who are interested in computer science will have an opportunity to study the field. The iSchool is going to be a more prominent choice over time given its academic offerings.

Syracuse also announced the formation of a new school: The Center for the Creator Economy. 

This is a joint venture between the SI Newhouse School of Communications and the Whitman School of Management though it will partner with other schools on projects. It also launched a new minor that combines entrepreneurship and digital strategy.

The university is more accommodating to students who enter with sizable numbers of AP or IB credits than more selective schools.

Location aside, the academic standout programs are quite similar. When it comes to the arts and communications these schools get shopped against each other. Both schools also share a great football tradition: a long lineage of running backs who had successes in the pros. Syracuse has historically been more of a basketball school for the men. USC has been the better basketball school for the women. However, the Syracuse women have had their successes. The Orange have made 10 appearances in the NCAA Tournament since 2010, reaching the championship game in 2016.

Also, like the University of Southern California, Syracuse allows students in virtually any major to minor in virtually any business or information sciences program. This makes it easy for liberal arts majors to build a skill set to complement their interests. Syracuse students in the College of Engineering and Computer Science can also join entrepreneurial teams, study abroad or carry a minor. The university, like most others, offers an extensive choice of study abroad programs. However, Syracuse also offers several study-away programs, including options in New York City, Los Angeles or Washington DC.

Syracuse has a nice hilltop campus–with some reminders of USC.

The campus is urban with a nice, eclectic mix of old and new buildings. Syracuse built on a hill at first and developed its newest buildings further down. Like USC, the football stadium is closer to the heart of the community, only the JMA Wireless Dome has fewer than half of the seats in the Los Angeles Coliseum. Not to mention that Syracuse plays basketball in the same facility.

Greek life is also important at both schools, attracting 25% to 30% of the undergraduate student body at both schools. Visiting Syracuse, I saw a true fraternity row on my bus ride from the Skytop apartments parking lot to the Dome. One major advantage of going Greek at Syracuse. By living on the Greek row: you can have a car and live closer to campus. Downtown parking is really tight.  Marshall Street is a social center with college-focused shopping and dining. But it does not offer as many dining, shopping and entertainment options as I have found in college towns such as Chapel Hill or Charlottesville, even Newark, Delaware. However, Destiny USA, the largest shaping mall in New York State, is less than five miles from campus.

Syracuse is more “spirit and sports” oriented than any private university in the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic states. 

It is the only private university in America that has won national championships in football, men’s basketball and men’s lacrosse, the latter being the most dominant sport, with 15 national titles and 10 NCAA championships.  Syracuse has also produced seven players and one owner/coach (Al Davis) who have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But today the Orange are one of the less formidable teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Orange has played in nine bowl games since 2000 winning seven. Two of those wins came in Yankee Stadium in New York in the Pinstripe Bowl. Like Rutgers, my alma mater, Syracuse is oft touted as the “New York area’s team” after a good season and a Pinstripe Bowl win.

The Orange men’s basketball program ranks sixth in wins and seventh in winning percentage among all programs in NCAA Division I play.  Most recently, the Orange ranked sixth in home attendance despite a losing season. Their new head coach, Gerry McNamara, helped the Orange win their first National Championship in 2003 as a freshman. McNamara, who hails from Scranton, just over an hour from Syracuse, might be the only player in college basketball history, who had a hometown fan section to honor him throughout his college career  The fan section was called McNamara’s Band.

In addition to sports, the Dome also hosts musical acts that you’ll pay a lot more to see at Madison Square Garden. Billy Joel has performed there as have U2, Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones, among many others.

Syracuse University still has three serious downsides.

Costs.

The estimated total cost of attendance is approximately $96,000 for the coming academic year, over $98,000 if the student needs to purchase health insurance from the university. Average student loan debt for 2024 grads who took out loans was nearly $36,000. The average merit-based award for freshmen who entered in 2024 was just over $18,000. However, this school does a good job at helping its neediest students cover their costs. On average the university met 96% of need for students who entered in 2024.

Weather.

It can be a huge drag if you’re not used to the cold and snow. You’ll be glad for the Dome during the later part of the football season. Syracuse, the city, is a consistent winner of the Golden Snowball Award for snowfall in New York State. however, those who enjoy outdoor winter recreation will love this area.

The surrounding city

Public roads leading to and through campus on my previous trip to campus were some of the worst that my car has ever traveled on a college visit. Rough winter conditions, including snow storms, cause some of the problem. However, the roads through neighboring towns and residential neighborhoods, especially around neighboring LeMoyne College, were much cleaner and safer. The I-81 Viaduct Project, one of the largest highway investments in the Empire State’s history, will improve circulation.

The city also received a $10 million state grant towards downtown revitalization five years ago.  I was able to find some data on downtown development to share. It’s possible that Micron’s investment in the region will have positive spin off effects into the city. The university’s recent and planned investments downtown, including housing, will also help.

Conclusions

Syracuse has a blend of academics, spirit and sports that appeals to many students from many places as long as they can deal with the downsides, though those will minimize as the community’s economy grows once more. The education and experience is much like going to USC. Only the weather is much colder and basketball will be the more dominant sport.

Report Card: Syracuse University

• Four-Year/Six-Year Graduation Rates: A/A
• Freshman Retention: A
• Costs: C+
• Curriculum: A
• Community: B+
• Comforts: B+
• Connections: A

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