The State University of New York Upstate Medical University, often referred to as Upstate or SUNY Upstate, is a SUNY health sciences university found in the University Hill district of Syracuse, New York. It is an upper-division transfer and graduate college that offers degree programs to students within the College of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Health Professions, and the College of Graduate Studies. Its Syracuse campus includes Upstate University Hospital.
A huge part of the core clinical teaching takes place in Binghamton Hospital and 22 other hospitals scattered around central New York. In addition to those affiliations, SUNY Upstate also has partnerships such as a joint Ph.D. Program in Biomedical Engineering with Syracuse University and science enrichment programs that cater to the local youth (with the SC Hope Clinic) and SUNY-ESF. Because the institution directly generates 9,849 jobs, it serves as the largest employer of Onondaga County.
Upstate Medical University Acceptance Rate
Students planning to apply should take note of the school’s 34% acceptance rate. Most undergraduate programs, as well as a few graduate programs, offer an early admission option for high school seniors. College students are also eligible to apply for these programs through a traditional admissions process.
Required courses include the premedical sciences and at least one year of English. During the selection process, preference will be given to New York State residents. Applications are accepted from US citizens and permanent residents who have accomplished at least three years of college study or 90 semester hours in the US or Canada. Although achieving excellence in the science courses is important, Upstate believes academic work in the fields of humanities and social sciences is equally essential.
Admitted Students Profile
Latest college data show that 1,484 students have enrolled in Upstate Medical University—250 students were enrolled into undergraduate programs while 1,234 students take on graduate programs. According to gender distribution, the school has 594 male and 890 female students. By race or ethnicity, 1,019 White, 93 Black, and 151 Asian students out of total 1,484 are attending Upstate Medical University.
Tuition Figures
For the 2019-2020 school year, the undergraduate tuition and fees of Upstate Medical University amount to $7,525 for residents of New York and $17,175 for students from out of state. Graduate students, on the other hand, have tuition and fees that cost $11,725 for New York residents and $23,065 for non-New Yorkers. A total of 194 students or 77.60% of the enrolled undergraduate Upstate students have received financial aids in the form of a grant or scholarship, with an average amount of $6,652.
Location
The main campus of the university is situated in the University Hill neighborhood of Syracuse, New York that flanks Interstate 81. Included in the campus grounds are the Upstate University Hospital, the Institute for Human Performance, Setnor Academic Building, Central New York Gamma Knife Center, Jacobsen Hall, Regional Oncology Center, Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital, Weiskotten Hall, the Health Sciences Library, Silverman Hall and Geneva Tower residence hall.
In 1979, a clinical campus in Binghamton, New York was established. Upstate medical students spend their first two years of medical school in Syracuse, New York while around a quarter of their class goes on to finish their training in Binghamton.
Academics
For the first and second years of study, the curriculum includes an integration of the basic and clinical sciences with basic science courses that teaches the clinical implications of the material. Clinical experience is also offered starting in the first semester.Organ systems are used to align all courses.
During the third and fourth years, the curricula are considered a single unit. Each student needs to complete 50 weeks of clerkships and 26 weeks of electives.
Included in the third year are 42 weeks of required clerkship and six weeks of electives. For the fourth year, a student must accomplish eight vweeks of required time and 20 weeks of electives Required courses include medicine, general surgery, ophthalmology, otorhinolaryngology, radiology, anesthesiology, and orthopedic surgery, psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology, neuroscience, and preventive medicine and neurology.
The school is committed to building a student body that represents the diverse population of the state. Upstate believes research is one of the most important pillars of medical education. The four common options taken by Upstate students are MD-PhD Program, Research Electives, Summer Research, and MSRP.
Student Life
Upstate offers small class sizes and low student to faculty ratios for a more focused attention on students. The school provides an outstanding extracurricular roster with active intramural sports and more than 60 clubs and organizations. There’s also a campus housing known as Geneva Tower that offers safe and affordable living for students. Almost all students are offered employment before or upon graduation in a wide range of competitive professional fields.
Athletics
*No information found in this section.
Notable Alums
Upstate Medical University has helped create thousands of outstanding personalities in the field of medicine over the years. Here are some of the school’s most notable alumni and faculty:
- Sir Frederick Nathaniel Ballantyne, M.D., Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Elizabeth Blackwell, M.D., first woman in the United States to be awarded the degree of Medical Doctor. Founder of The New York Infirmary, now Lower Manhattan Hospital
- Sarah Loguen Fraser, M.D., the first woman to gain an M.D. from Syracuse University School of Medicine and is believed to be only the fourth African-American woman to become a licensed physician in the United States
- Marcus J. Goldman, M.D., associate professor at Tufts University School of Medicine
- David B. Levine, M.D., Director of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Hospital for Special Surgery
- Patricia Neumann, M.D., Professor Emeritus of Surgery
- James B. Preston, M.D., Professor, and Chairman of the Department of Physiology
- Thomas Szasz, M.D., Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry
- Sid Watkins, M.D., Professor of Neurosurgery, 1962–1970; later became head of the Formula One on-track medical team
- Thomas Bramwell Welch, M.D., British–American minister, and dentist
Learn more about the other SUNY colleges. Each SUNY has its own unique offerings, campus and academic requirement.
