The academic calendar is divided into semesters. More than 85 percent of the full-time faculty hold doctorates. The college also employs numerous part-time instructors. At the undergraduate level, Staten Island awards associate and bachelor's degrees. The disciplines available for study include liberal arts and sciences, engineering technologies, engineering science, childcare, business, nursing and other health careers, computer science, area and ethnic studies, visual and performing arts, and communications. Students may also work toward teacher certification. Students interested in physical therapy enroll in a dual-degree program awarding both an undergraduate degree and a graduate degree upon completion of studies. Staten Island grants master's degrees in cinema studies, English, environmental science, liberal studies, computer science, and education. Various doctoral programs are offered in conjunction with the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York. In addition to its regular programs, the college offers numerous employee-development courses at sites throughout the city.

Enrollment consists of approximately 11,000 undergraduates and 1,200 graduate students, almost all of whom are state residents. Approximately half of the undergraduates attend part-time, and many are over the age of 25. Women outnumber men. All students commute to classes.

Extracurricular activities at Staten Island include performance groups, a campus radio station, a student-run newspaper, social clubs, and intramural sports. Varsity sports teams compete in Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The college's mascot is a dolphin, and school colors are maroon and blue.