SUNY New Paltz was named the No. 6 public university in the North region in the latest installment of U.S. News & World Report’s college rankings.
New Paltz vaulted to No. 28 on the 2020 list of public and private universities in the Northeast, rising from No. 41 last year and continuing its upward trajectory in recent college rankings.
New Paltz was also one of only four SUNY schools to earn placement on lists of best undergraduate programs in both business and engineering, a testament to a breadth and quality of academic offerings that rivals larger university centers in the state system.
For the first time ever, the College was named on a list of schools with high levels of Ethnic Diversity, as the share of New Paltz students and faculty from demographic groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education continues to increase rapidly.
SUNY New Paltz additionally appeared on a new social mobility list that identifies universities with a proven track record of helping students from lower economic brackets earn degrees on time and succeed after graduation.
Relative to its place on the 2019 rankings, New Paltz moved up on lists that recognize value in higher education, exceptional service to veteran and military students, and high-quality teaching.
“I’m pleased to see SUNY New Paltz rising across the board in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings,” said L. David Eaton, vice president for enrollment management. “Our inclusion on so many different lists is a welcome and independent affirmation of the exceptional collegiate experience we provide to our academically talented and increasingly diverse student population.”
“SUNY continues to garner national recognition as an exceptional institution of higher education that successfully prepares our students to thrive in today’s complex society,” said SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson. “As the latest rankings from U.S. News and World Report and the Wall Street Journal demonstrate, SUNY has secured a reputation for delivering quality academics and research excellence, in a way that is affordable and accessible to all. These rankings serve to reinforce our commitment to delivering an individualized education experience for all students, regardless of their background and circumstances. I applaud the staff and faculty who work tirelessly to ensure SUNY’s place among our nation’s colleges and universities. And thank you to all the students who make our campuses the vibrant places they are.”
Use this link for a complete overview of U.S. News & World Report’s evaluation of SUNY New Paltz.
Rankings breakdown
The U.S. News & World Report’s college rankings formula combines 16 measures of academic quality, rooted in publically available data and qualitative surveys on indicators like first-year student retention, graduation rates and the strength of the faculty.
This comprehensive methodology allows the publication to create highly specified lists in a range of sub-categories. SUNY New Paltz was included on a number of these narrowly tailored lists:
- The College was named No. 16 in the Northeast on the Best Colleges for Veterans list (up from No. 22 in 2019), a well-earned recognition of the efforts to better serve the hundreds of military-affiliated students currently enrolled at New Paltz.
- New Paltz came in at No. 55 in the Northeast on the Best Value Schools list (up from No. 60), which compares schools’ places in academic rankings against the cost of tuition and other financial aid-related factors.
- The Top Performers in Social Mobility list, on which New Paltz appeared at No. 65 in the Northeast, derives primarily from graduation rates for students who received federal Pell Grants.
- Lists of the Best Undergraduate Business Programs, the Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs and the Best Undergraduate Teaching are based primarily on results of surveys sent to large and diverse groups of higher education professionals.
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 Wall Street Journal included New Paltz on an exclusive list of the top universities in the nation; and the College was named a Military Friendly® School with an additional Gold distinction.
