As @momofboiler1 said SUNY is NY states public university system. Like UC’s in California. Really great public schools that have traditionally been very in-state focused. They have been making a push the past few years to bring in more OOS students. They offer lots of merit for OOS students bringing tuition down to in-state levels.
If you are looking at Biology I’d check out SUNY-Binghamton & Stony Brook, & SUNY Geneseo. First two are more traditional research oriented. Geneseo has more of a public ivy vibe