SUNY New Paltz rose to No. 337 among all U.S. colleges and universities in the latest edition of the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings, a new and innovative measure of college value and student satisfaction with a unique focus on what real students are actually saying.
New Paltz improved by 81 places on the 2020 list, and moved up nearly 30 spots to No. 127 on the northeast regional list, driven by strong performances in areas including student success after graduation and the diversity and inclusion of the learning environment.
The Wall Street Journal rankings are a survey-driven measure of value in higher education that emphasizes student engagement, outcomes and campus climate.
It is an exclusive ranking, with only about 800 colleges and universities meeting the criteria for inclusion on the list. SUNY New Paltz’s position at No. 337 not only places it in the top half of qualifying institutions, but also above thousands more that were not eligible.
Working with the U.K.-based publication Times Higher Education, the Journal evaluates U.S. colleges and universities across four broad categories – Resources, Engagement, Outcomes and Environment – based in large part on data gathered in a survey of more than 170,000 currently enrolled students.
New Paltz performed best relative to other ranked universities in the Environment category, and also scored above the median in the Outcomes and Engagement categories.
On Environment, the College earned high marks for student and faculty diversity, opportunities for international students and overall campus inclusion.
A top 300 ranking in the Outcomes category reflects New Paltz’s strong performance on such metrics as graduation rate, graduate salary and debt after graduation.
The high Engagement score indicates New Paltz’s excellence providing opportunities for research collaboration between students and faculty and applied learning experiences, as well as students’ positive responses to survey questions about whether they would recommend the College to a friend or family member.
Use this link to read more about the 2020 Wall Street Journal / Times Higher Education College Rankings, and visit their methodology page for more details about how they build the list.
SUNY New Paltz in College and University Rankings
SUNY New Paltz is consistently ranked among the nation’s top public colleges by a variety of highly regarded publications. Most recently, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance named SUNY New Paltz the No. 3 Best College Value in the SUNY system; the Social Mobility Index placed New Paltz in the top 5 percent nationwide in its measurement of students’ success climbing the socioeconomic ladder; the U.S. News & World Report rated New Paltz in the top 10 among all public universities in its North region; and the College was named a Military Friendly® School with an additional Gold distinction.
