SUNY New Paltz is once again being called one of the nations “Best Value” schools and is ranked among the top 75 public four-year institutions of higher education in the United States, according to the “Princeton Review.”
“This designation puts us in very prestigious company with some of the very top institutions in the country,” Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Cheryl Torsney said.
The “Best Value” list features 150 public and private schools in 37 states and the District of Columbia.
Their selection of schools is based on student opinion surveys collected from 650 colleges and universities as well as institutional data: admission requirements, SAT scores, entering GPA’s first and second-year retention rates and graduation rates.
“We are who we are and we do a terrific job,” Torsney said.
This is the third recognition SUNY New Paltz has received this school year. New Paltz was recently ranked by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine as one of the top 100 best values schools in the nation. New Paltz was also ranked by the U.S News and World
Report as one of the best public regional universities in the North.
“I think it’s nice to have third party confirmation that we are as good as we think we are,” Vice President of Enrollment Management David Eaton said.
Though SUNY New Paltz has been ranked on various lists, people have differing opinions on whether or not the rankings actually affects admission rates.
Torsney believes these rankings help increase admission rates due to the vast number of people looking at these guides.
“The ‘Princeton Review’ is one of the guides that have been around the longest and people believe what it says,” Torsney said.
Eaton however, believes these rankings play a role when students choose which schools to apply to yet they do not play a role when students make a decision to attend a certain school.
“All these lists, U.S News World Report, ‘Princeton Review,’ Kiplinger’s and others they kind of represent Americans passion for ranking,” Eaton said. “That being said, being on these lists is far better than not being on these lists.”
The “Princeton Review” commended SUNY New Paltz on its strong internship programs, the various opportunities for life-long learning and the schools ability provide students with a “comprehensive education while not digging deeply into students’ pockets.”
Eaton said the ranking gives faculty, staff and students who are already at SUNY New Paltz bragging rights, “making us feel even better about the institution we spend all of our waking hours at.”
The profile of these schools including SUNY New Paltz is in the book “The Best Value Colleges, 2012 Edition: The 150 Best-Buy Colleges and What It takes to get in.”