 Business Club students on Activities Night at SUNY Fredonia. |
SUNY Fredonia is ranked as tied for 14th among the top public universities in the North in the 2013 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges.” The complete and exclusive rankings will appear in the magazine’s next issue, on newsstands beginning Sept. 18, and online now.
“We are delighted to see so many SUNY schools ranked among the nation’s “Best Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report again this year,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “In New York, Governor Cuomo and our public colleges have worked very hard to provide an education of the highest quality that is both affordable and accessible. Today’s rankings are a testament to our success and to the outstanding quality of our campuses throughout New York State.”
In the larger category of both public and private institutions in the North, SUNY Fredonia tied for 55th out of the top tier of the “Best Regional Universities,” which the magazine defines as those offering primarily bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
SUNY Fredonia once again performed especially well in the category of freshmen retention rates, with an impressive 85 percent of first-year students returning for their sophomore year. In addition, its freshmen acceptance rate remained at a very competitive 53 percent. Items such as academic assessment by administrators at peer institutions, student retention, faculty resources/class sizes and alumni giving are also factored into the process.
Overall, Fredonia saw a slight decrease from its 2012 rankings (10th in the North, tied for 46th overall) despite its consistent year-over-year performance across nearly all of its metrics.
The annual rankings represent a comprehensive look at how schools stack up based on a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence, and aims to help students evaluate and compare data compiled from 1,391 ranked colleges and universities. The publication’s “North” region includes nearly 200 four-year universities in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.
SUNY Fredonia has been ranked as a Best College every year since 1989.
The publication recognizes the study’s limitations, stating, “The host of intangibles that make up the college experience can’t simply be measured by a series of data points.” However, the authors state, when combined with college visits, interviews, and student preferences, these rankings “can be a powerful tool in your quest for the right college.”
