Binghamton University is located in New York's scenic Southern Tier of river valleys and gentle mountains. The campus is surrounded by wooded hillsides and is just minutes away from Binghamton's downtown, as well as the neighboring communities of Vestal, Endicott and Johnson City. Binghamton is located in close proximity to New York City (4 hours), Scranton (1 hour), Syracuse (1 hour), Ithaca (1 hour) and Philadelphia (4 hours).
Binghamton has a fine regional opera company and symphony, and the University sponsors a wide variety of music, dance and theater performances. In addition, if you want to visit some of the nation's best museums and theaters, there are relatively inexpensive weekend packages (bus and hotel) to New York City.
On the edge of the state's snow belt, Binghamton experiences moderate summers, breathtakingly beautiful spring and fall seasons and cold winters. There are a wide variety of state, county and city parks for recreational activities. During the winter months, there is usually sufficient snow locally for cross country skiing. If you enjoy outdoor sports such as hiking, biking and skiing, you will find ample opportunity here. You can also enjoy watching our Division 1 Bearcats basketball teams in our Events Center, as well as Double A baseball and AHL hockey in the city of Binghamton.
Over 3,000 graduate students are currently enrolled at Binghamton University. Although there is no on-campus housing available for graduate students, the affordability and availability of off-campus housing, coupled with free bus service, provide strong incentives for graduate students to find housing in the surrounding area. Broome County Transit and Off Campus College Transport (OCCT) (the blue buses) both provide bus service through the local area. The Off Campus College Office also serves as a resource for students wishing to live off campus, maintaining a computerized listing of available rentals. OCC also provides lease reviews, weekly legal clinics and other educational programs to help students enjoy trouble-free off-campus living. The new University Plaza complex next to campus offers fully furnished apartments, Internet, all utilities and other amenities for students. For more information, contact University Plaza at 1-888-775-4615.
Some graduate students choose to relocate to the Binghamton area with their families. The Binghamton community has a wide variety of social activities, top-quality elementary and secondary schools, world-class health-care facilities and convenient shopping and services. With low crime rates and moderate economic growth and development, Binghamton is an excellent community for raising children, offering a real sense of community. Some useful links for those with families include:
