‘Business First’ Ranks UAlbany Among Top U.S. Public Colleges in 2019

The University at Albany is in the upper echelon of U.S. public colleges, according to new rankings by Business First.

UAlbany landed at No. 54 in this year’s version of the report, putting it among the top 15 percent of 505 public colleges in the nation. The University also earned the fifth-highest rating of public colleges in New York and ranked 14th when compared to East colleges.

In an article published last week, Business First states its annual report is based on “a wide range of data, using a 22-part formula to generate its rankings… The highest scores go to schools with highly selective admissions processes, strong retention and graduation rates, impressive earnings by alumni, generous resources, affordable tuitions and housing costs, diverse faculties and student bodies, and economically robust communities.”

Rankings are aimed at prospective students who have decided to focus on public colleges. Seventy-eight percent of America’s college students attend public institutions, according to the latest estimates from the National Center for Education Statistics. There are 13.14 million students in publicly operated colleges, compared to 3.73 million in private schools.

The report’s top 100 colleges, including UAlbany, were given a ranking profile, which includes general information and number of data points from test scores and graduation rates to future earnings, library holdings and gender and racial breakdowns.

UAlbany is also ranked among the top universities in Forbes’ “America’s Best Public Colleges,” and U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks many of the University’s graduate programs among the top 50 in the nation.