Use our summary of outside opinions and develop your own college search criteria to choose a college that is right for you. Remember, some of the best aspects of a college experience are measured by fit and feel, not by numbers and rankings. We’ve gathered past and present perspectives to highlight the diversity of SUNY campuses and their surrounding communities. Here are a few that caught our eye . . .
For more details about SUNY campus ratings and rankings, visit individual campus websites.
100 Best Values Among Public Universities/In-State, Out-of-State or both, 2012-2016:
Campuses...
Albany, Binghamton, Brockport, University at Buffalo, Cortland, Fredonia, Geneseo, New Paltz, Oneonta, Oswego, Plattsburgh, Purchase, Stony Brook
Less...
Best College Value Under $30,000, 2015:
Geneseo (#1)
Best Value in Nation for Out-of-State Students, 2014:
Geneseo (#3)
Best Value in Nation for Out-of-State Students, 2013:
Binghamton (#3)
Lowest Debt at Graduation Among Public Colleges, 2013:
University at Buffalo (#5)
Best 381 Colleges/Best Northeastern Schools/Colleges That Pay You Back/Most Engaged in Community Service/Top 75 Best Value Colleges – Public, 2012-2017:
Campuses...
Albany, Binghamton, Brockport, University at Buffalo, Cortland, ESF, Fredonia, Geneseo, Maritime, New Paltz, Oneonta, Oswego, Potsdam, Purchase, Stony Brook
Less...
Best Career Placement, 2017: Maritime (#7)
Best College Theater, 2017: Purchase (#4)
Best College Dorms, 2017: ESF (#9)
Top 50 Green Colleges, 2017: Stony Brook (#4)
College That Creates Futures, 2017: Binghamton
Top Internship Opportunities, 2016: Maritime (#21)
Best 296 Business Schools, 2015: Oswego
Most Diverse Population, 2012-2016:
University at Buffalo, Stony Brook
A+ Schools for B+ Students/America's Best Colleges/Best Buy Colleges/Best National Public Schools/Best National Universities/Best Online Bachelor's Programs/Best Online MBA – Graduate Business – Education – Engineering – Nursing Programs/Best Public Colleges and Universities for Veterans/Great Schools, Great Prices/Regional Colleges and Universities (North), 2014 - 2018
Campuses...
Albany, Alfred State, Binghamton, Brockport, University at Buffalo, Buffalo State, Canton, Cobleskill, Cortland, Delhi, ESF, Farmingdale State, Fredonia, Geneseo, Maritime, Morrisville, New Paltz, Old Westbury, Oneonta, Oswego, Plattsburgh, Potsdam, Purchase, Stony Brook, SUNY Poly
Less...
Undergraduate Teaching (Regional Universities North), 2017:
Geneseo (#1)
Best Value School (National), 2017:
ESF (#40)
Top Undergraduate Engineering Programs, 2017:
SUNY Poly (#25)
Best Online Graduate Nursing Program, 2016:
Stony Brook (#10)
Best Online Graduate Education Program, 2016:
Albany (#14)
Best Online MBA Program, 2016:
Oswego (#20)
Military-Friendly Colleges, 2012 - 2016:
Campuses...
Adirondack, Albany, Alfred State, Binghamton, Brockport, Broome, Buffalo State, University at Buffalo, Canton, Clinton, Cobleskill, Columbia-Greene, Corning, Delhi, Empire State, Erie, Farmingdale State, Fredonia, Hudson Valley, Jamestown, Jefferson, Maritime, Mohawk Valley, Monroe, Nassau, Niagara County, North Country, Old Westbury, Oneonta, Onondaga, Oswego, Orange, Plattsburgh, Potsdam, Rockland, Schenectady, Stony Brook, SUNY Poly, Tompkins-Cortland, Ulster, Westchester
Less...
Top campuses for community service and service learning, 2012 - 2016:
Albany, Alfred State, Binghamton, Buffalo State, Cobleskill, Cortland**, Delhi, Downstate Medical Center, FIT, Fredonia**, Geneseo**, Monroe, Morrisville, Old Westbury, Oneonta, Onondaga, Oswego**, Plattsburgh, Stony Brook
**Honor Roll with distinction
Top 50 Community Colleges in Nation, 2013:
Clinton
Best Bang for the Buck, 2013:
Plattsburgh
Top 100 Master’s Universities Nationally, 2013:
Geneseo, Oswego
11th for number of alumni who serve in Peace Corps, 2012:
Geneseo
Best Free Museum, 2016:
The Museum at FIT (#9)
Ten Best Environmental Programs in Nation, 2012:
ESF
Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges, 2014:
ESF, Geneseo
School where business students go on to earn the most money in their careers, 2016-17:
Albany (#4)
Best Return on Investment, 2013:
Maritime (#5 residents | #7 nonresidents)
Top 10 BFA Programs in the Country, 2016-17:
Purchase
Theatre Design & Tech Programs (#8)
Dance (#10)
30 Most Technologically Savvy Online Schools, 2015:
Delhi
Top 50 Green Schools, 2015:
Stony Brook (#20), University at Buffalo (#34)
Top 10 Colleges for Music Education Majors in U.S., 2015:
Potsdam (#4), Fredonia (#9)
Best for Vets College:
Cobleskill (2017); Empire State (2014)
Best Practices in Military and Veteran Education, 2015:
Clinton, Potsdam
Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award, 2016:
Buffalo State
Best 25 Drama Schools, 2014:
Purchase
Exceptional and wide-ranging study abroad programs, 2015:
New Paltz
50 Great Affordable Colleges in Northeast, 2014:
Albany, Binghamton, Geneseo, New Paltz, Oneonta, Oswego, Stony Brook
Top 20 Public Fashion Design School Programs in the U.S., 2016:
FIT (#1)
Top Fashion School in the World, 2016:
FIT (#7)
America’s Best College Buys/Public Colleges, 2012-2016:
Albany, Binghamton, University at Buffalo, ESF, Farmingdale, Geneseo, New Paltz, Oneonta, Stony Brook
Overall Best Value College (Nationwide), 2016:
Binghamton (#15)
Overall Best Value College (Northeast), 2016:
Binghamton (#4)
Top Community Colleges in New York, 2016:
Herkimer (#2), Columbia-Greene (#3), Nassau (#4), Ulster (#5), Niagara County (#6), Mohawk Valley (#7), Sullivan (#8), Clinton (#9), Rockland (#10)
Most environmentally responsible “green colleges” in U.S. and Canada, 2013:
Albany, Binghamton, ESF, Geneseo, New Paltz, Oneonta, Potsdam, Stony Brook
Community Engagement Classification, 2015:
Buffalo State, Fredonia, Geneseo
Top 100 (public) Smartest Colleges in America, 2015:
Binghamton, University at Buffalo, ESF, Geneseo, New Paltz, Stony Brook
20 Best College Towns in America, 2014:
Binghamton, NY
Top 35 Music Business Program, 2014:
Crane School of Music at Potsdam
50 Best Values Bachelor's in Engineering, 2017:
Binghamton, University at Buffalo, Stony Brook
Most Amazing College Campus Theater, 2014:
Rockefeller Arts Center at Fredonia (#19)
Best Two-Year Colleges in New York, 2016:
Corning (#1), Columbia-Greene (#2), Suffolk County (#3), SUNY Broome (#5), Niagara County (#6), Dutchess (#7), Nassau (#8), Rockland (#9), Schenectady County (#10)
Best Online Programs in New York, 2016:
Alfred State (#3), Stony Brook (#5), Plattsburgh (#9)
Best Online New York State Community College, 2016-17:
Genesee (#1)
Top Colleges for Online Associate Degree Programs, 2015:
Alfred State (#23)
*SUNY campuses are consistently recognized in a variety of categories, and many campuses are regularly profiled in these annual reports. The ratings and rankings published here reflect 2012 through 2017.