COLLEGES · 30-YEAR ROI · BUFFALO, NY

Is University at Buffalo worth the money?

Yes — at resident pricing. A University at Buffalo degree clears +$776K in 30-year projected net value over skipping college and investing the difference.

A public four-year school in Buffalo, New York, priced as a New York resident — earnings rolled up from 42 FREOPP-reported programs.

IPEDS 2023 cost · FREOPP 2021 earnings · BEA 2023 cost-of-living · same model as /worth-it · this school clears positive net value.

University at Buffalo · Buffalo, NY

30-year net value · resident pricing
+$776K
30-year net value · non-resident
+$102K
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$54,799
Breaks even by age
—
Annual tuition · New York resident
$10,782
Annual tuition · out-of-state
$30,572
Total cost of attendance (4 years, sticker)
$110,144
Total cost of attendance · out-of-state
$189,304
FREOPP program coverage
42 programs

The out-of-state tax in New York, ranked

How this is computed (and what it isn’t)

University at Buffalo runs through the /worth-it model at its resident tuition rate, with the standard loan assumptions, a 30-year horizon, and New York’s own cost-of-living on the skip-college path. The “30-year net value” is the projected accumulated value of going vs. skipping and investing the difference, in real dollars.

What it isn’t: a verdict on every major. The school-level number averages across 42 FREOPP-reported programs — the field you pick swings it by over a million dollars on its own. We only publish school pages that clear positive net value at resident pricing; earnings roll up from at least three FREOPP programs (ADR-0032), so a single high-earning major can’t fake the number.

Questions

Is University at Buffalo worth the money?
At resident pricing, yes: University at Buffalo clears +$776K in 30-year projected net value versus skipping college and investing the difference. That is computed from a total cost of attendance of $110,144 and median earnings of $54,799 ten years after entry (IPEDS 2023 cost, FREOPP 2021 earnings, BEA 2023 cost-of-living — the same model as the LE TEEN calculator).
How much is tuition at University at Buffalo?
University at Buffalo's annual sticker tuition is $10,782 for New York residents and $30,572 for out-of-state students, before financial aid. Total cost of attendance over 4 years — tuition plus fees, housing, and living costs — is $110,144 (IPEDS 2023).
What is the total cost of University at Buffalo?
Over 4 years, University at Buffalo's sticker cost of attendance is $110,144 at resident pricing, or $189,304 out-of-state — tuition, fees, housing, and living costs at New York prices, before financial aid. Median earnings ten years after entry are $54,799.
What is out-of-state tuition at University at Buffalo?
Non-resident annual sticker tuition at University at Buffalo is $30,572, versus $10,782 for New York residents — a premium of $19,790 a year. Even at the non-resident rate, University at Buffalo clears positive 30-year net value.
How long until a University at Buffalo degree pays for itself?
Under our defaults the degree path finishes +$776K ahead at the 30-year horizon; the year-by-year crossover depends on your loan share and time horizon — run your own assumptions on the calculator.
What could change the number for University at Buffalo?
Two levers dominate. Residency: this page prices University at Buffalo as a New York resident; at non-resident tuition it still clears +$102K, but the gap is real money (see the out-of-state tax in New York). And the major: the field you pick swings lifetime ROI by over a million dollars on its own (see the majors pages).

Keep going

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Is University at Buffalo worth the money? 30-year ROI.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/colleges/university-at-buffalo