Six schools in Upstate New York made U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 list of the 100 best colleges in America.
Princeton University again ranked No. 1 overall in the new rankings, released Monday. Columbia University, Harvard University and MIT tied for second place, with Yale University rounding out the top five — the same top five as last year.
Cornell University was the top-ranked school in Upstate New York. The Ithaca school tied Rice University in Houston for No. 17 in the overall national rankings; Cornell also ranked No. 8 for business programs, No. 21 for most innovative schools, and No. 22 for best value.
Five other Upstate NY schools ranked in the top 100 nationally, including two SUNY schools. The University of Rochester was named No. 34 overall, followed by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy at No. 55, Syracuse University at No. 59, Binghamton University at No. 83, and the University at Buffalo at No. 93.
Binghamton and UB also ranked among the top 40 public schools in the nation.
Syracuse received recognition for its study abroad programs, ranking 10th in the country with notable programs in Madrid, Spain; Strasbourg, France; and Florence, Italy. SU is also 18th for learning communities and 29th among the best colleges for veterans.
Ithaca College ranked 10th best overall among Regional Universities North schools. Le Moyne College and Siena College tied for 13th overall in the same category.
SUNY College of Technology at Alfred, Elmira College, SUNY College of Technology at Canton, Cazenovia College, and SUNY College of Technology-Delhi all ranked in the top 15 among Regional Colleges North schools. Cazenovia also ranked No. 2 best value and No. 2 for social mobility in the region.
Other schools with notable rankings include Hamilton College (No. 13 in National Liberal Arts Colleges), Colgate University (No. 17 in National Liberal Arts Colleges), Skidmore College (No. 38 in National Liberal Arts Colleges), Union College (No. 50 in National Liberal Arts Colleges), and St. Lawrence University (No. 57 in National Liberal Arts Colleges).
U.S. News’ annual college rankings are based on a variety of factors, including student-faculty ratio, tuition, campus life, financial aid, application requirements and post-graduate earning data at more than 1,400 schools nationwide.
“Students and faculty continue to feel the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, whether it’s through remote learning, mask-wearing or vaccine requirements,” said Kim Castro, editor and chief content officer of U.S. News. “As communities work through these challenges, U.S. News is committed to providing information on the academic quality of institutions across the country, so prospective students and their families can make informed decisions throughout their college search.”
Note: An earlier version of this story included Stony Brook University as an “Upstate New York” school. Stony Brook is located downstate in Suffolk County on Long Island.
Best Upstate New York colleges, ranked nationally by U.S. News & World Report for 2022:
No. 17: Cornell University - Ithaca, N.Y.
No. 34: University of Rochester - Rochester, N.Y.
No. 55: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - Troy, N.Y.
No. 59: Syracuse University - Syracuse, N.Y.
No. 83: Binghamton University / SUNY - Binghamton, N.Y.
No. 93: University at Buffalo / SUNY - Buffalo, N.Y.
No. 117 (tie): Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) - Rochester, N.Y.
No. 117 (tie): SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) - Syracuse, N.Y.
No. 127: Clarkson University - Potsdam, N.Y.
No. 172: University at Albany / SUNY - Albany, N.Y.
No. 187: St. John Fisher College - Rochester, N.Y.
No. 227: Russell Sage College - Troy, N.Y.
No. 299-391: D’Youville College - Buffalo, N.Y.
No. 299-391: Daemen College - Amherst, N.Y.