College Continues to Score High for Affordability, Value

11/18/2015 

SUNY Cortland continues to score highly in independent rankings that assess the value and affordability of an institution’s degree. In recent weeks, the College ranked 70th in the nation in the first-ever college rankings published by The Economist and 16th among public colleges with the lowest student loan default rates, according to BestColleges.com.

These most recent ratings come in addition to recognition received by Consumers Digest and the Educate to Career College Rankings Index earlier in the year.

“It’s always pleasing to see SUNY Cortland fare well in rankings and lists that look at value and affordability,” said College President Erik J. Bitterbaum. “Obviously, there’s much, much more to a college education than data inputs and salary predictors.

“But as more people look at a college education through the lens of a cost-benefit analysis, it’s nice to see that the College stays very competitive when these types of factors are weighed.”

The new rankings from The Economist rated four-year American colleges by the publication’s self-defined economic value, which used college scorecard data from the U.S. Department of Education to determine alumni earnings above expectation. Besides ranking 70th in the nation and fifth in New York state, SUNY Cortland was rated second among schools in the State University of New York system with a net earnings gain of nearly $6,000.

The College also was the only SUNY institution to earn a spot on a list of the top 25 public institutions with the lowest student loan default rate, based on the lowest percentages of student loan defaults. “The schools on the list are recognized for helping their students steer clear of obscenely large loans through alternative forms of financial aid, such as scholarships, grants and work-study opportunities,” according to the BestColleges.com report. “These institutions also work to ensure their students aren’t left to fend for themselves after graduation.”