The State University College at Oneonta rose eight spots to tie for 49th among top-tier schools in the ``universities master's _ north'' listing of ``America's Best Colleges,'' according to U.S. News & World Report.
SUNY campuses at Delhi and Cobleskill were among 47 listed in the third tier of baccalaureate universities in the north region, and Hartwick College in Oneonta was in the third tier among best liberal arts colleges as ranked by the magazine.
U.S. News Media Group announced the 2009 edition of America's Best Colleges on Friday. The rankings are based on 15 indicators of academic excellence. U.S. News collected data from its survey of 1,476 colleges and universities and ranked the schools in categories created by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
The category of "universities master's _ north," includes all colleges located in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and the New England states that grant master's degrees.
Other categories include national universities; liberal arts colleges; baccalaureate universities, which focus on undergraduate education but grant fewer than half their degrees in liberal arts disciplines; unranked schools; and schools in a fourth tier. Regions also are a designation.
The rankings are published in the magazine's Sept. 1 issue, on newsstands since Monday.
To focus on the highest-ranking schools, U.S. News publishes the numbered rank of about the top 50 percent of schools in each category. The remaining schools are placed in tiers or broad groups, based on overall score in their category, and then are listed alphabetically.
Francis Borrego, spokesman for Hartwick College, said a prospective student should focus on learning about programs and other factors offered by a college because finding the ``right fit'' is critical to success in higher education.
"While the U.S. News and World Report rankings may provide colleges with greater visibility, a student's search for the right college can't be reduced to numbers and rankings,'' Borrego said. ``Every school has its own identity and character.''
Hartwick enrolls about 1,480 students.
Last year, SUCO was 57th in the top tier of the U.S. News rankings, and two years ago, it was 83rd. SUCO President Nancy Kleniewski said the rise in the rankings is one indication of the campus-wide dedication to providing an exceptional educational experience for students.
SUCO, which enrolls about 5,800 students, has been working to become a ``college of first choice.'' For the fall 2008 semester, the college accepted 37.9 percent of more than 12,5000 freshman applications, officials said.
"We are proud to be honored by this elite college guide for the second consecutive year," Candace S. Vancko, president of the State University College of Technology at Delhi, said in a media release. "We are also pleased that the rankings show that SUNY Delhi ranks very high among its peers when you look at key indicators of academic quality such as freshman retention rates, SAT requirements and selectivity."
SUNY Delhi expects a record enrollment of more than 2,825 students this fall term, officials said, which is tied to a surge in applications. The college offers baccalaureate programs in hospitality management, professional golf management, golf course management, veterinary technology management, information technology, and architectural design and building.
The State University College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill projects enrollment of 2,592.
