Binghamton University

Binghamton University has steadily solidified its standing among national institutions, climbing from 87th in 2018 to 73rd in the 2024 US News rankings, where it remained through 2027. Gaining admission is selective compared to similar institutions. In 2025, the university admitted 38.6% of applicants, an admit rate that is higher than only 13% of its peer group of public research universities. The male and female acceptance rates were closely aligned, with both turning away most hopefuls. At the same time, admitted students often weigh multiple competing options. The university recorded an enrolled yield rate of 15.9% in 2025, which is higher than 30% of peer schools in its comparison group. This modest yield demonstrates that while Binghamton maintains high academic selectivity and denies tens of thousands of applicants annually, it faces significant competition in persuading admitted students to finalize their enrollment. Applicants targeting the university should recognize that meeting the baseline profile is crucial because the institution rejects the vast majority of its candidate pool.

Enrolling at Binghamton University requires strong secondary school academic performance and competitive standardized test results. Among students matriculating in 2025, the institution reported a median composite SAT score of 1410, which was higher than 81% of peer schools in its comparison group of public research universities. Most successful test-takers scored in the upper six hundreds to mid-seven hundreds across individual SAT sections, with ACT composite scores clustering in the low thirties. Secondary school transcripts also reflect high academic standards, as most admitted students entered with high school grade point averages near the top of their classes. Furthermore, unofficial international applicant cases collected by Forward Pathway showed a median unweighted GPA of 3.79 and a median SAT score of 1335. Prospective applicants should target rigorous coursework, superior grades, and strong testing marks to align with the typical profile of successful Binghamton admits.

Degree awards at Binghamton University reveal balanced academic interests with high concentrations in life sciences and quantitative disciplines. In 2025, the top three bachelor's majors accounted for 29% of all undergraduate degrees, led by general biology with 501 graduates, followed by psychology and economics. While the largest undergraduate majors are popular liberal arts and sciences programs, Binghamton's highest national program rankings are found in specialized fields. In US News rankings, graduate industrial engineering placed 31st in 2026, while undergraduate psychology ranked 63rd in 2027. International representation varies dramatically across degree levels; foreign students represent a minimal fraction of undergraduate degrees but comprise the vast majority in technical master's programs such as computer science. Career compensation differs significantly across fields. According to 2023 earnings data measured one year after graduation, bachelor's degree recipients in registered nursing achieved median earnings of $105,020, followed closely by computer science graduates at $94,000. These outcomes demonstrate that technical and professional degrees yield immediate financial returns.

Total enrollment in 2025 stood at 18,816 students across undergraduate and graduate levels. Among incoming first-year undergraduates, Asian students represented 20.6% of the cohort, while international students comprised roughly four percent. In the continuing undergraduate community, white students formed the largest ethnic group at just over half, followed by Asian and Latino peers. The graduate division of 4,147 students presents a markedly different demographic landscape, driven by substantial global enrollment. Here, international students accounted for 35.1% of the student body, forming the second-largest segment behind white students, while domestic Asian students comprised over six percent. Across both undergraduate and graduate divisions, female students hold a slight majority. This demographic composition means that undergraduates study primarily alongside domestic peers with notable Asian representation, whereas graduate students experience a much more internationalized academic environment.

Binghamton University's student body reflects a clear division between its undergraduate and graduate populations. In 2025, undergraduates were heavily concentrated in traditional age brackets, with 44.8% of students aged 18 to 19 and 42.9% aged 20 to 21. Only a tiny fraction of undergraduates were older, indicating an undergraduate environment shaped by students entering college directly from high school. In contrast, the graduate school serves a broader range of young adults. Students aged 22 to 24 formed the largest graduate bracket at 35.6%, followed by cohorts in their mid-to-late twenties. This structure creates an energetic, full-time undergraduate residential campus alongside a focused graduate community.

International enrollment at Binghamton University follows contrasting paths depending on the degree level. Among undergraduates, the foreign student presence has declined over the past decade, reaching 4% of the undergraduate body in 2025. Despite this drop, that 4% share remains higher than 53% of peer schools in its comparison group of public research universities. At the graduate level, the international community has remained stable, representing 35.1% of all graduate students in 2025. This divide is equally visible at graduation. International students earned just over three percent of bachelor's degrees, but they accounted for nearly thirty percent of master's degrees and over thirty-five percent of doctorates. Geographically and academically, international graduate recipients are heavily clustered in advanced engineering and technology fields. For instance, international scholars made up 88.1% of master's degree recipients in computer science, alongside majorities in information technology and industrial engineering, while maintaining only minimal shares in undergraduate majors like biology and psychology.

Applicants exploring higher education options in upstate New York and the surrounding region have several distinct institutions to compare alongside Binghamton University. Located approximately 36 kilometers away, Cornell University is a private research institution ranked 14th among National Universities in the 2027 US News rankings. For students considering private liberal arts colleges, Colgate University lies roughly 55 kilometers from Binghamton and holds the 22nd position on the National Liberal Arts Colleges ranking list. Another nearby alternative is Syracuse University, situated about 66 kilometers to the north, which is ranked 72nd among National Universities. These neighboring institutions provide families with viable comparisons spanning prominent private research universities and selective liberal arts environments across regional New York.

Campus safety records at Binghamton University indicate that disciplinary enforcement accounts for the vast majority of official reports. In 2025, the school recorded a crime rate per 1,000 students of 12.9, representing a slight rise from 11.7 in 2016. Across the three-year period from 2023 to 2025, liquor law disciplinary referrals constituted by far the largest category, totaling 780 incidents. Outside of administrative substance violations, university security reports documented interpersonal offenses during those same three years, led by 216 incidents of stalking alongside smaller numbers of dating violence, sexual assault, and theft offenses. This distribution demonstrates that routine campus policing is predominantly focused on enforcing residence hall and alcohol regulations rather than addressing widespread property or violent crime. Prospective students and families can review these figures to understand the campus conduct environment, where administrative policy violations drive the overall incident statistics.