State University of New York at Cortland
PRE-3: Institutional Characteristics

The State University of New York College at Cortland was founded in 1868, as the Cortland Normal School, which included among its earliest students, inventor and industrialist, Elmer A. Sperry of Sperry-Rand Corporation fame. Over the decades, the Campus expanded, and in 1941, by an act of the Legislature and Board of Regents, the Institution officially became a four-year college providing courses leading to a baccalaureate degree. In 1948, Cortland was a founding member of the State University of New York.

During the fall of 2017, approximately 6,900 students were pursuing degrees within the College’s three academic divisions – Arts and Sciences, Education, and Professional Studies. Twenty-eight departments, with over 600 faculty, offer the SUNY Cortland student body 60 majors and 38 minors from which to choose.

The College’s main campus covers 191 acres and includes 38 major traditional and modern buildings. Sixteen of these structures are residence halls providing on-campus housing for approximately 3,200 students. SUNY Cortland also operates its Outdoor Education Center at Raquette Lake in the Adirondacks, the Hoxie Gorge Nature Preserve outside of Cortland, and the Robert C. Brauer Memorial Education Center on the Helderberg Escarpment near Albany.