SUNY Cortland climbs in U.S. News & World Report rankings

09/23/2026

SUNY Cortland was named one of the top public schools among regional universities in the north, rising in multiple categories of the recently released U.S. News & World Report rankings.

The university climbed in two main rankings among its peers:

• No. 9 in Top Public Schools, up four places from last year
• No. 25 in Regional Universities North, an improvement of eight spots from last year

In both rankings, SUNY Cortland was second among similar SUNY university colleges.

"Moving up in these rankings reflects the continued progress of SUNY Cortland and the extraordinary education that our students discover here," said President Erik J. Bitterbaum. "Now more than ever, students want value in their college experience. They discover it at SUNY Cortland through an emphasis on high-impact practices, a culture of belonging and an education that lays the foundation for success in their careers and in their personal lives."

U.S. News rankings are based on student reviews, graduation outcomes, faculty resources, financial aid and data from the National Science Foundation and Department of Education.

This past year, SUNY Cortland received 18,789 first-year applications for an incoming class totaling approximately 1,420 first-year students and 420 transfers. The university's most recent first-year retention rate was 84.2%, which ranked second among SUNY university college peers.

Among other recent highlights, the university joined the SUNY system's Advancing Completion through Engagement initiative, the Cortland College Foundation funded a record number of summer undergraduate research fellowships and the Educational Opportunity Program welcomed one of the largest classes in its recent history.

Learn more online about SUNY Cortland's most recent institutional accolades and achievements.