State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo

University at Buffalo (UB) or SUNY Buffalo is a research-intensive public university, the largest in New York with around 31 000 students enrolled in 13 colleges. UB was founded in 1846 as a private college but in 1962 was absorbed into the State University of New York (SUNY) system.  It belongs to the prestigious Association of American Universities and includes among its alumni astronauts, Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, Fulbright scholars and Academy Award winners.

Academic Highlights

In addition to the College of Arts and Sciences, the university houses the largest state-operated medical school, dental school, education school, business school, engineering school, and has the only state law school, architecture and urban planning school, and pharmacy school in the state of New York. UB spends more than $349 million annually on research and UB researchers have developed new ways of regenerating bones, improving the efficiency of solar power and synthesizing new chemical compounds.

Location

UB is located on three campuses across Buffalo and Amherst in New York state. Buffalo is a 30-minute drive from Niagara Falls and the Canadian border and about two hours from Toronto.

Did you know?

One of UB’s most popular traditions, Oozefest, is held every spring, bringing together more than 1,500 players, volunteers and spectators for one of the largest mud volleyball tournaments in the United States.

Handbook/Catalogue

Please refer to UB's Class Schedules (from the previous year) instead of the Course Catalog. The Course Catalog lists every course that has ever been offered by a department, but doesn't show up-to-date information on whether the course will be offered in the required semester.

Academic Restrictions

• Undergraduate students are required to study 12 credits minimum, 15 credits maximum. Note that some Faculties at Monash require students to do a full-time load of 15 US credits to count as 24 Monash credit points. You will need to confirm this with your crediting Faculty.
• Graduate students are required to study 9 credits minimum, 12 credits maximum.
• 100-400 level courses are for undergraduate students, and 500 level courses and higher are for graduate students.
• Many ART and ECO courses are not open to exchange students.
• Units taught at the Law School are not available, but you are permitted to study undergraduate legal studies courses.
• Restricted subjects for exchanges students are as follows: ART 221, ART 309, ART 320, ART 322, ART 419, ART 422, courses numbered 198 or 199, all MIS courses, all MGA 300 & 400 level courses, MGG 303, MGG 433, MGO 403, MGQ 408, and MGT 403.
• There are some academic departments where SUNY are unable to do advance registration on behalf of exchange students. Those departments include: Economics, Political Science, Romance Languages & Literatures, and Medical Technology

Full-time Credit Load Equivalents

Amended October 2019.

Academic Calendar

UB Spring Semester (Monash semester 1): late January – mid-May
UB Fall Semester (Monash semester 2): late August – late December

UB Academic Calendar

Note

• The listed disciplines are not necessarily exhaustive and other fields of study might also be available at the institution.
• Approval to study particular subjects at any institution is always at the discretion of the departmental/discipline and faculty advisers in your managing faculty(ies) and subject to available places at the host.

To begin your application and study plan, click the button below.

Apply here

Have you been to State University of New York at Buffalo and want to share your experience? 
Let us know about your exchange via this survey form and your testimonial could be shown here!

Adam Hollier
Bachelor of Science/Engineering
Semester 1, 2017
Studied: Engineering units

Study Experience

The classes in Buffalo had less contact hours than Monash. There was more emphasis placed upon assignments and the self motivation that frequent tests require.

Culture

I found the clubs and societies at UB very engaging. This was because the clubs received much more funding from the university than Monash and as a result were much more active. Many of their activities were also free to attend.

Benefits of going on exchange

It allowed me to pursue electives at Buffalo that would not have been available to me as Electrical and Computer Engineering electives at Monash. These electives included classes such as Nano-communications Networks and Nanotechnology & Science.

Career Benefits

It gave me a rare insight into the subtle cultural differences between Australia and the USA. This will help me better improve my cultural awareness in future employment.

Money and Budgeting

Make sure to get the best possible exchange rate when you exchange your money as this can affect how much money you lose/gain in the long run. Also be aware of any additional costs when you get to your home university (I probably ended up paying $1000 more on service fees etc than I previously thought).

Top tips

• Be social and join as many clubs and societies as you can.
• Be aware of any differences in laws etc in your home country (for example laws involving driving, valid ID, legal drinking ages etc).
• Get used to having to affirm people's Australian stereotypes!
• Cooking your meals every week may sound like a good idea but in my case it was too troublesome and actually turned out more expensive in most cases.

Don't restrict yourself to living on campus. In my case I found cheaper accommodation off campus that was with a reputable organisation (American Campuses), offered me nicer accommodation (my own bathroom) and actually turned out cheaper. I went in Spring semester when they were desperate to get people to cover their leases so I did get a good deal.