With over 5,000 colleges and universities to choose from in the United States, today’s students need to know what makes each campus unique and what each school offers so they can make one of the most important decisions of their lives thus far. One mode of data that students and their families frequently reference when searching for the perfect school is college rankings. More specifically, many college-bound individuals hold the U.S. News & World Report’s Best College Rankings lists in high regard when researching schools.
The publication recently released its 2019 rankings, and a number of SUNY schools are featured on the various lists. This year, U.S. News has made substantial changes to its Best Colleges rankings methodology by placing the highest value on student outcomes from 30% last year to now 35%. In addition, the 2019 methodology includes new social mobility markets to measure how well schools succeed at enrolling and graduating students from low-income families.
Other new or updated ranking criterion includes Pell Grant graduation rates; specialty programs in undergraduate business, engineering, and more; and changes to how graduation and retention rate numerical rankings are calculated. Moreover, acceptance rate was removed as a ranking indicator, and the weight of expert opinions, SAT/ACT scores, and high school class standing was reduced.
SUNY’s presence on the numerous lists is reflective of the high quality, individualized education that our 64 campuses provide to our nearly 1.4 million students.
SUNY Chancellor Kristina Johnson showed pride in the number of SUNY schools placed on these lists, saying “To see a number of our schools represented in the ‘U.S. News & World Report’ college rankings is a source of pride for SUNY, as it shows that our system is a leader in higher education and that our students receive a high quality education at our colleges. Through educational and research opportunities, extracurricular activities, and hands on learning experiences, every campus within our system provides our 1.4 million students with the experiences and skills they need to thrive”
See how SUNY schools were placed on a variety of lists in this year’s US News & World Report Best College Rankings below.
National Universities
Best National Universities
Best Value Schools (national universities)
- SUNY ESF
- Binghamton University
- University at Albany
- University at Buffalo
- Stony Brook University
Top Public Schools (national universities)
- Binghamton University
- Stony Brook University
- University at Buffalo
- SUNY ESF
- University at Albany
Best National Liberal Arts Colleges
Regional Colleges
Best Regional Colleges – North
- College of Technology – Alfred State
- SUNY Cobleskill
- SUNY Delhi
- Farmingdale State College
- SUNY Canton
- SUNY Morrisville
Top Public Schools (regional colleges north)
- College of Technology – Alfred State
- SUNY Cobleskill
- SUNY Delhi
- Farmingdale State College
- SUNY Canton
- SUNY Morrisville
Best Colleges for Veterans (regional colleges north)
- College of Technology – Alfred State
- SUNY Cobleskill
- SUNY Delhi
- Farmingdale State College
Regional Universities
Best Regional Universities – North
- SUNY Geneseo
- SUNY Polytechnic Institute
- SUNY New Paltz
- SUNY Oswego
- SUNY Fredonia
- SUNY Oneonta
- SUNY Cortland
- SUNY Maritime College
- SUNY Potsdam
- SUNY Plattsburgh
- College at Brockport
- SUNY Buffalo State College
- SUNY Old Westbury – 142-187
Best Value Schools (regional universities north)
- SUNY Oswego
- SUNY Polytechnic Institute
- SUNY Geneseo
- SUNY Plattsburgh
- SUNY New Paltz
- SUNY Fredonia
- SUNY Potsdam
- College at Brockport
- SUNY Maritime College
Top Public Schools (regional universities north)
- SUNY Geneseo – 2
- SUNY Polytechnic Institute – 3
- SUNY New Paltz – 10
- SUNY Oswego -11
- SUNY Fredonia -12
- SUNY Oneonta -14
- SUNY Cortland – 17
- SUNY Maritime College -19
- SUNY Potsdam -22
- SUNY Plattsburgh -22
- College at Brockport -25
- SUNY Buffalo State College – 29
Best Colleges for Veterans (regional universities north)
- SUNY Polytechnic Institute
- SUNY New Paltz
- SUNY Oswego
- SUNY Cortland
- SUNY Maritime
- SUNY Potsdam
- SUNY Plattsburgh
- College at Brockport