Rankings & Ratings
When the editors of America's best known college guides rank your college among the finest, it's something to be proud of. When you offer some of today's "hottest" rated careers, that's pretty cool too. When the work of your faculty members is recognized by their peers, it's wonderful. But the recognition we are happiest with at ESF comes when our students tell us they are having a great college experience, and our alumni share their success stories.
We're happy to share some of ESF's latest rankings and ratings with you here, but we really hope that you'll visit our campus, talk to our faculty, staff and students, and give us your own college rating.
ESF among America’s Best Colleges
ESF has, for the seventh year in a row, earned a place among the top universities in America, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report. ESF is ranked 38th in the list of the top 50 public national universities, and 85th in the list of best national universities, which includes both public and private institutions.
In the “Great Schools, Great Prices” category for national universities, ESF is ranked 33rd and is the only SUNY institution listed in this category. Last year the College was ranked 43rd. The formula used balances a school’s academic quality with the cost of attendance to achieve a “value” rating.
ESF also was ranked highly in the category of colleges and universities with the highest proportion of classes with fewer than 20 students. The College was tied for third place in the nation, at 76 percent.
College gets "Best Buy" designation from Barron’s
ESF is listed in the ninth edition of Barron’s Best Buys in College Education. ESF is one of 247 colleges and universities listed, and one of only five SUNY institutions in the book.
“For students who not only love the environment but are committed to learning how to preserve it through highly specialized and challenging curricula with plenty of hands-on experience, the answer may be SUNY-ESF,” the book states.
Barron's surveys current students and asks them about the quality of each college and not just the cost. As a part of the State University system, ESF is affordable, but also strong academically, and that is what provides the real value to students and their families.
ESF earns strong Faculty Scholarly Productivity
Index ranking
ESF has been ranked among the nation’s top colleges and universities for scholarly work.
The ranking system, called the Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index, lists ESF fifth among colleges and universities in the category of “Specialized Research Universities — Applied Sciences.” ESF is also ranked eighth in the subcategory of “Fisheries Science and Management.” The scholarly productivity index is produced by Academic Analytics, a forprofit company.
The index rates faculty members' scholarly output at nearly 7,300 doctoral programs around the country. It examines the number of books and journal articles published by each program's faculty, as well as journal citations, awards, honors, and grants received.
Department of Landscape Architecture achieves national ranking
ESF’s Department of Landscape Architecture has, for the second year in a row, been ranked among the nation’s top programs in that discipline. In rankings compiled by DesignIntelligence magazine, the undergraduate program at ESF was ranked 12th in the United States. The graduate program was ranked ninth.
When the survey results were broken down by region, the ESF undergraduate program did even better, with employers ranking the College second in the East, in a tie with Cornell University. The study ranks programs accredited by the Landscape Architecture Review Board, based on a survey of leading landscape architecture firms and public practitioners.
Kaplan calls ESF a “Cutting-Edge School”
ESF is listed among 25 “Cutting-Edge Schools” in the 2008 edition of “You Are Here,” a college guide produced by Kaplan Publishing. The cutting-edge schools are tied to what the book describes as “50 of today’s hottest careers.” Those careers include several ESF specialties: chemistry, environmental engineering, environmental science and hydrology, and landscape architecture.
According to Kaplan, “The typical ESF student is — no surprise here— outdoorsy and committed to environmental responsibility.” “ESF students forego football in favor of their nationally ranked Woodsmen’s Team — we said it’s outdoorsy — and soccer, golf and hockey clubs.” Kaplan produces more than 150 titles annually on topics such as test preparation, college and graduate school admissions, and finance and investing.
ESF on 2007 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll
ESF was recognized for its exemplary student community service and service-learning programs by being named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for 2007.
The Honor Roll is a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, and is sponsored by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation, the USA Freedom Corps, and the U.S. Departments of Education, and Housing and Urban Development.
This is the second time the college was placed on the honor roll, as the college was listed in 2006.
Making a Difference Colleges guide—ESF is "...a leader
in the discovery of new knowledge and tools to deal with environmental
challenges."
SUNY-ESF has been included as one of 71 distinctive colleges chosen for the 2007 edition of the Making a Difference Colleges guide. Published as "the definitive guide for today's caring students," the tenth edition of this publication features colleges that actively support social and environmental responsibility. SUNY-ESF was selected based upon the college's strong environmental focus, as well as its variety of service learning and field study options, interdisciplinary programs, and other factors.
According to the guide, "Students at ESF share an interest in the environment and in the science, design and engineering required to conserve resources and to improve their world. The college is a leader in the discovery of new knowledge and tools to deal with environmental challenges, and the latest faculty research is aimed at bioprocessing willow trees to produce ethanol. ... Student involvement with societal issues is enhanced through a very active community service program and more than 60 service learning courses. Each program features internships, field study, research projects or cooperative education to provide students with career-related experience."
