Siena College is in a new category this year on the U.S. News & World Report annual ranking of Best Colleges: tied for 16th on a list of 170 regional universities in the northern U.S.
Siena also earned the distinction of ranking 14th in the category for Best Value.
“Our position among the top 10 percent of universities in the north is a credit to our retention and graduation rates, among other factors,” said Margaret E. Madden, Ph.D., interim president of Siena. “The formula of these rankings cannot account for the intangibles that put Siena into a class by itself, but it does reflect the ongoing quality of work done by our students and employees.”
Madden offered context for both the new ranking category and Siena’s placement for 2020. In the past, Siena was included among National Liberal Arts Colleges. A year ago, Siena ranked 135th nationally when measured against other mainly private liberal arts institutions. The list of National Liberal Arts Colleges is compiled of institutions that focus almost exclusively on undergraduate education.
In January of this year, the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education released updates (which it now does every three years). Siena was assigned a Basic Carnegie Classification of Master’s Colleges and Universities: Smaller Programs. With the addition of the Siena MBA program and new graduate certificates, this classification more completely represents Siena’s current academic offerings. Because U.S. News & World Report uses Carnegie classifications for its rankings, Siena was moved from national liberal arts colleges to regional universities.
