New Paltz rises in U.S. News & World Report 2012 college rankings

The State University of New York at New Paltz rose again in the U.S. News & World Report’s College rankings.

New Paltz ranked 6th among best public regional universities in the North with both bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, up from 7th place last year. In this year’s U.S.News & World Report’s 2012 America’s Best Colleges guidebook, which will be published in the magazine’s Sept. 20 issue, New Paltz also ranked 30th– up from 33rd in the 2011 list – among public and private regional universities in the North with bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.

New Paltz climbed in three critical categories used in the rankings – six-year graduation rates, the percentage of full-time faculty and the evaluation by peer institutions. New Paltz’s six-year graduation rate is 68 percent, up from 64 percent in the 2011 rankings and 52 percent in 2005. The percentage of full-time faculty rose to 75, up from 74 in 2011 and 69 in 2005.

L. David Eaton, vice president of enrollment management at New Paltz, said, “Graduation rates are among the top indicators of institutional success. Our high and increasing graduation rates, which well exceed national averages, reflect the caliber of our students and the effectiveness of our educational programs and student services. The high peer assessment reflects our growing reputation as a well-regarded public university in the Northeast.”

The annual rankings, in which U.S. News categorizes schools based on criteria created by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, provide a resource for parents and students contemplating entering the competitive world of higher education.

The guide looks at how schools stack up based on 15 widely accepted indicators of excellence, including quality of the incoming class, student/faculty ratio, retention rates and graduation rates.

This year New Paltz made a strong showing in several categories including freshman retention rate (86), percentage of freshmen in the top 25% of their high school class (66) and SAT/ACT scores of 1050-1220.

For the 22nd consecutive year, New Paltz has led all SUNY university colleges in total applications received, total freshmen applications and total transfer applications. With an acceptance rate of 37 percent for first-year students, New Paltz remains one of the most selective universities in the Northeast.