Campus Life
Athletics
Do you love the action and camaraderie of team sports? Our NCAA Division III Wildcat athletics program includes six men’s, six women’s varsity sports, and one mixed team sport: golf. Wildcat athletics offers student-athletes the opportunity to build skills like teamwork and perseverance that will stay with you well beyond your college years.
Top of Our Game
SUNY Poly is a proud member of the North Atlantic Conference (NAC). In the 2022-23 season, nine of the Wildcats’ 13 varsity teams competed in conference postseason events. Women’s softball hosted the 2023 NAC Softball Championship Tournament. 55 student-athletes were named to the NAC All-American teams last season (3.5 GPA or higher). 22 student-athletes were inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma, the student-athlete National Honor society. Two student-athletes received NAC-wide recognition for NAC Men’s Soccer Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year. One student-athlete was recognized as the NCAA Division III Statistical Champion for Double-Doubles for the Women’s Basketball season.
Our student athletes excel on and off the field. One of the 2023 recipients of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence was senior student-athlete Wakeley Banker, who graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in mathematics. He was captain of the men’s soccer team, a teacher’s assistant, and conducted undergraduate research. SUNY Poly provides dedicated staff to support the academic achievement of our student-athletes.
A Place to Play
The Wildcat Field House is the home for athletics, campus intramural, and recreation programs. The facility has a state-of-the-art fitness center, two full-sized basketball courts and four volleyball courts, indoor practice facilities for all Wildcat teams, a running track, an expansive training room, team rooms, and offices for the athletics department’s administrative staff and coaches.
State-of-the-Art Outdoor Facilities
Next to the Wildcat Field House is an outdoor field complex that includes an artificial turf field with lights, and updated natural grass baseball and softball fields.
Clubs + Organizations
Academics come first, but there’s more to college than the classroom and homework. SUNY Poly offers you a dynamic campus life with a variety of activities satisfying a range of interests—from relaxation nights to semi-formals, guest-speakers to networking classes, and much more.
Join a Club or Start One
With more than forty student clubs and organizations, there’s an option for everyone. But starting your own club is easy too! Find a group of students who share your interests and submit your idea to the student government association.
Student Government at Utica (SGU)
The SUNY Poly Student Government acts as a liaison between the student body and the administration. The Student Government advocates for SUNY Poly students to voice concerns and ensure a high quality of student life.
Intramural
If you’d like to play a team sport, socialize, and stay in shape without the commitment of intercollegiate athletics, then our 12+ intramurals sports teams are perfect for you! Indoor soccer, 3×3 basketball, and billiards tournaments are just a few of your available options.
Center for Student Involvement
The Center for Student Involvement at SUNY Poly helps create and support positive out-of-the-classroom experiences and interactions. We create and interpret campus policies for the campus community. In addition, we play a supportive role in the management of student and campus-wide events.
Career Services
From assisting with choosing a major and discovering internship opportunities to professional development and job exploration, the Office of Career Services assists students as soon as their first day on campus.
Career Exploration
Career Services at SUNY Poly provides the resources and strategies to students and alumni for choosing a college major and developing a career plan, workshops, creating a resume, finding internships and full-time jobs, and making a successful career transition. Discover the exciting career paths that our students have taken after graduating from SUNY Poly. Visit our Majors to Careers webpage and explore the possibilities!
Internship Opportunities
Internships complement a student’s academic experience, give real life exposure to fields of interest and allow students to start building a network of professional contacts, often leading to full-time employment after graduation. The Office of Career Services also helps student explore and secure internship opportunities in their areas of interest.
Residential Life + Housing
Students love living here in our single and double rooms! Oriskany Hall features spacious two-story living areas joined by spiral staircases. Adirondack and Mohawk Halls feature suite-style living areas. Hilltop Hall features a hotel-style living space with adjacent lounges and study rooms.
Comforts
Living on campus is easy. All students have access to high-speed wireless Internet, cable TV, study rooms, rec rooms, lounge space and other comforts of home. Save time and energy: CSC GO, our laundry partner, will notify you when your cycle is complete.
Lifelong Friendships
The friendships you make in college will last a lifetime. SUNY Poly’s residential complexes give you the opportunity to meet and socialize with students from different backgrounds. Our staff offer a variety of fun, informative programs to help encourage a community vibe. A safe, healthy and attractive living environment is just one of many reasons SUNY Poly is a great place to live — and learn.
A Step Away
You can bring a bike, skateboard and rollerblades, but on-campus living is close to everything. A short walk from the residence halls will bring you to the Campus Center dining hall and gym, the Student Center food court, and the Wildcat Field House fitness center and track. Classrooms, labs, and the Cayan Library are nearby.
Hilltop Hall
Our newest residence hall, Hilltop, is a zero-net carbon building—the first-ever on a SUNY campus—designed around sustainability and energy efficiency. The new residence hall on the Utica campus will include hotel-style student rooms with adjacent lounges, kitchens, study and laundry areas, and many outdoor green spaces.
Student Services
Commitment to Service
Having access to the latest tools, resources, and services is part of the SUNY Poly experience. We’ll support you while you’re here and after you graduate.
Learning Center
Academic support is at your fingertips. The Learning Center provides one-on-one peer and small group tutoring, writing assistance, study skills support, English as a Second Language tutoring, and assistance with various academic disciplines.
Health + Wellness
Besides helping to combat the common cold, the Wellness Center will provide you with a range of services from sick and injury care to vaccines, dietary counseling, referrals, and more. SUNY Poly Counseling Services, a vital part of the Wellness Center, offers a safe, confidential and comfortable environment for students to address all of life’s challenges.
Diversity + Inclusion
The development of a campus culture and academic programs that embrace diversity is essential to SUNY Poly’s mission. SUNY Poly provides a hands-on environment with small class sizes, low student-to-faculty ratios, and a welcoming atmosphere where students from diverse backgrounds have the opportunity for this kind of educational experience.
Enabling Dreams Through EOP
SUNY Poly provides opportunities for all students who have the talent and drive to succeed to ensure they are not excluded from higher education through the grant-funded Education Opportunity Program (EOP).
Services to Empower People with Disabilities
SUNY Poly’s Student Accessibility Services Office provides students with academic accommodations to help them succeed.
Benefits for Those Who Have Served
For those students who served in the armed forces – SUNY Poly aims to do its part by serving you and providing the assistance that you or your family may need as you pursue academic goals.
Commuter Life
At SUNY Poly, we work to ensure that our commuter students feel engaged in campus life, including our residential programming. Commuters have a large, sunny lounge located in a prominent location at the Student Center, right within the food court area. The Commuter Lounge is a great place to hang out, study, or even grab a nap! Our Center for Student Involvement and partnering departments offer programs relevant to commuter students in the lounge and beyond throughout the year. Previous events include: Commuter Appreciation Week, Guessing for Gas Cards, commuting/driving safety education, and more!
The Commuter Student Association
SUNY Poly’s Commuter Student Association is one of our newest student clubs and an exciting group to join. The Commuter Student Association was developed to create a community for the commuter student population, to talk about issues and concerns relevant to commuter students, and to work on solutions to help commuter students have the best possible experience at SUNY Poly.