University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

University at Buffalo (UB) is the flagship higher education institution of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. UB is a premier research intensive public university with a total enrollment of over 28,900 students (19,500 undergraduate and 9,400 graduate students in 2012). UB was founded in 1846 by Millard Fillmore, the 13th President of the United States, who also served as the first Chancellor of the university during his lifetime. The university was initially built as a private medical university, and expanded later on to provide greater offerings in its degree programs. In 1962 UB was incorporated into the SUNY system. Since then, the university had grown further and is now the largest institution within the system. UB is also a member the Association of American Universities, a prestigious organization which consists of leading research universities in the United States.

UB is located in Buffalo, Western New York. It has three different campus locations: North Campus, South Campus and the Downtown Medical Campus. UB’s North Campus is the university’s main academic and administrative complex and is located only 15 minutes away from the famous Niagara Falls, 20 minutes from the Canadian borders (Ontario State), and about 2 hours drive away from Toronto, Canada.

UB has an outstanding global profile. The university is ranked 19th in terms of international student enrollment, making it a top choice for international scholars (including Indonesian scholars, particularly Fulbrighters). Currently, there are over 5,000 international students, from 70 countries who are attending the university. UB also has strategic partnerships with 40 higher education institutions around the world in providing student and faculty exchange programs. Moreover, UB has a campus in Singapore, known as the UB-SIM Program at the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM). The UB-SIM program offers seven comprehensive undergraduate programs, and is currently attended by around 1,500 students.

DEGREE PROGRAMS

UB offers more than 100 bachelors, 250 masters, and 84 doctorate degree majors in various areas of expertise. Top programs include business administration, computer science and engineering, geography, health and medical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences and library sciences. Since UB’s degree programs are highly diverse, please see each major’s department website when looking for more information. Additionally, the US News & World Report offer insights for undergraduate and graduate program rankings as well. For Ph.D. or doctoral level programs, the National Science Council report provides useful rankings and statistics.

PROGRAM COSTS

The New York State funding allows UB’s tuition costs to be relatively low when compared to other public universities in the United States. The following table shows UB’s tuition fees and living costs when compared to other public universities.

Source: University websites; annual costs of attendance for international students
*Costs reflects 2012-2013 academic years
**Living cost includes room, board, international student insurance (mandatory in the U.S), meal, transportation, and misc. expenses

STUDENT LIFE AT UB

Student life at UB has been interesting, fun and unique for many. Check out what our Indonesian friends from various degree levels has to say about studying and living at UB.

Adinda Anggriadipta | Communication ‘13 : “My college life at UB started when I moved to Singapore to attend the UB-SIM Program. It was a great experience as I was introduced to the U.S. education system with great U.S. professors not too far away from home in Jakarta. After two years at the UB-SIM Program, I decided to continue my education at UB’s main campus in Buffalo, New York (an option that you can choose if you study at UB’s Singapore Program). I could not be more thankful with the decision! UB is definitely one of the most diverse education institutions in the context of student backgrounds and academic offerings. I receive the opportunity to develop friendships with students of various cultural backgrounds from all around the world. The course selection in UB is huge too. I am majoring in communication right now, but I am also able to take other non-major courses such as law, athletics and even pilates for my graduation requirement. UB gives the opportunity for students to explore and decide what is best for oneself. I experience an awesome college life at UB, which I believe can only happen once in a lifetime!”

Kevan Darmawan | Mechanical Engineering ‘16 : “At University at Buffalo I enjoy being involved with the Indonesian Student Association or PERMIAS (Persatuan Mahasiswa Indonesia di Amerika Serikat). UB strongly support student organizations, so I liked the idea that we can organize events with students from other nationalities and build strong international networks of friends. PERMIAS Buffalo has also earned its reputation at the university because it has managed to place Indonesia under the spotlight by winning numerous university wide competitions such as the UB International Soccer Tournament (1st Prize, 2011), and UB’s Iron Chef Competition (1st Prize, 2011). Recently, our student organization have attained 1st prize too at the PERMIAS Congress 2013’s “Indonesia 2050 Paper Competition” in Washington DC. Additionally, the organization also participates in various other cultural, community service and charity events” – Kevan is the Secretary of PERMIAS Buffalo.

Muhammad “Didit” Indraputra | B.A. Industrial Engineering/M.B.A. ‘10 : “At UB, I have met and learned from my colleagues of different cultures from which to this day, the experience and knowledge have helped in furthering my career in a multinational firm. In the M.B.A. program which I was enrolled in, every semester they would host a cultural day. The students will have a chance to present on each of their respective cultures – historical and economical background, social practices and local dishes. I find this event very enlightening as it broadens my awareness of the different nationalities. Meanwhile, Buffalo is truly an American city as it embodies the value of being the melting pot of cultures. I am a big fan of culinary delights, so I am very happy that there are cuisines from around the world available in the city. My favorite installment would be Gin-Gin Chinese restaurant. On the other hand, I also like driving north to Toronto, Canada for Sushi Buffet!” – Didit currently works at Saratoga Capital.

Kartina W. Saifuddin | M.A. Economics ‘11 : “University at Buffalo gives many chances to develop and enhance for one’s future. During the course of my study, I was fortunate to meet with people from different backgrounds, with good connections that had [somewhat] guided me to the career path that I was targeting at. When it comes to academic quality, the faculty at UB, specifically in the Department of Economics are very competent in terms of educating the students. The professors worked hard to develop our character and mindset. They also challenged us with fundamental mathematical skills (e.g. operating SAS, Mathematica, and R softwares). Having these expertise helped me transition smoothly when entering the job market. Nonetheless, when I was a student, I did not really go around Buffalo that much so I can’t really recommend restaurants or leisure places in the city for new prospective students. But one thing for sure: graduating from UB can become a significant milestone to advance one’s career and life in general.” – Kartina now works in Citi.

Alex Brian Ticoalu | Ph.D. Geography Information Systems ‘14 : “Studying and living in Buffalo can be very economical. The tuition cost in the University at Buffalo is considerably lower given to the high quality education programs it offers. The program in my department is rated top 10 in the United States. The living cost in Buffalo is also reasonably cheaper, especially when choosing to live off-campus. Our campus is located in a suburban area. We have all kinds of shopping and dining amenities which are comparable to any big cities. Moreover, there are many outdoor activities that are easily accessible. In the summer, Buffalo is great for hiking, fishing, cycling, kayaking and many others. During the winter time, skiing and snowboarding resorts are located only within an hour’s drive away. Buffalo provides students with favorable and encouraging studying environment, especially when it comes to creating a good balance between academic and social life.”

THE INDONESIAN CONNECTION

One well maintained tradition at UB is the ‘Indonesian connection’, a term coined by the UB Alumni Association in the 1990s. Due to the small size of the UB Indonesian community, there is a strong established relationship between current students and alumni. This impacts positively towards mentoring, job search and also long lasting friendships. Many UB alumni have reached great heights in their careers, becoming leaders in Indonesia and overseas. Indonesian UB graduates career placements include Accenture, Citi, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, J.P. Morgan Chase, IBM, Mitsui, PriceWaterHouse Coopers, Saratoga Capital, Republic of Indonesia’s Ministry of Trade, Universitas Indonesia and many more. Two notable Indonesian alumni members are Tanri Abeng, the former Indonesian Minister of State Enterprise and Dr. Irid Agoes, Indonesia’s leading education figure who co-founded the AFS Asia-Pacific Initiative, and also served as Partner Director of AFS Indonesia for 10 years (She was a former Director of the International Education (IIE) in Indonesia, and Director of Indonesian International Education Foundation (IIEF) as well). Being Indonesians at UB, we truly value these networks.

LINKS TO UB WEBSITES

For more information about admissions to UB, please view the following sites:

• University at Buffalo Official Site
• International Student Admission
• University at Buffalo, Singapore Institute of Management Campus (UB-SIM)
• Visit UB Campus!
• Indonesian S.A. “PERMIAS” Buffalo

Each year, representatives from University at Buffalo also visit Indonesia for its annual recruitment tour. Please visit www.buffalo.edu/intadmit/fairs.htm for more information.

*Photo Credit University at Buffalo 2013