Aerial view of campus

Fast Facts

Honors Rankings & Points of Pride

We’re proud to have been named to prestigious lists from U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review, and others, as well as highly ranked on college and student life websites such as Niche.com.

#54 
National Liberal Arts School (U.S. News & World Report, 2020)

#27 
Best Small College (Money magazine, 2020)

Top 20
Best-Run Colleges (Princeton Review, 2021)

Top 10%
of schools in the U.S. (CollegeFactual)

Top 10 
Best Small Colleges of New York (Niche.com, 2020)

Top 10
Best Liberal Arts Colleges in New York (Niche.com, 2020

#16
College in New York (CollegeFactual)

#3
Alumni Network (Princeton Review, 2021)

#1
top-producing small school of Peace Corps. Volunteers (2020)

Top 10
Best Schools for Internships (Princeton Review, 2021)

Top 20
Career Services in the U.S. (Princeton Review, 2021)

Top 10%
Highest paid graduates majoring in Communications & Journalism and History (CollegeFactual)

Top 15
Best Science Lab Facilities (Princeton Review, 2021)

Top 15
Most Popular Study Abroad Programs (Princeton Review, 2020)

Top 15 
Program in New York for Communications, Business, Economics, and History (Niche.com, 2020)

Top 15 
Most Active Student Government (Princeton Review, 2021)

Top 20
Schools for Making an Impact (Princeton Review, 2021)

Top 20
Best Greek Life Colleges in New York (Niche.com, 2020)

Top 20
Best College Dorms in New York (Niche.com, 2020)

Top 20
Best College Food in New York (Niche.com, 2020)

Top 20 
Best School for Athletes in New York (Niche.com, 2020)

  • A+ School for B Students (U.S. News & World Report, 2020)
  • Princeton Review Green College, 2021
  • Princeton Review Best Value College 2021
  • Princeton Review Best Northeastern College 2021
  • Princeton Review Colleges That Create Futures, 2021
  • Wall Street Journal/TimesHigherEducation Best Colleges 2021
  • Wall Street Journal/TimesHigherEducation Best Colleges in New York 2021
  • Forbes Top College 2019
  • Forbes Top Private College 2019
  • Forbes Top Liberal Arts College 2019
  • Irving Bacheller, founded modern newspaper syndication
  • Dan Buckley, publisher of Marvel Comics
  • Kirk Douglas, actor
  • (James) Kim Gannon, wrote “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” AND our alma mater
  • Maurice Kenny, Mohawk poet
  • Joseph Lekuton, Kenyan parliament
  • Martha MacCallum Gregory, Fox News anchor and executive editor of "The Story with Martha McCallum"
  • Lorrie Moore, author
  • Viggo Mortensen, actor (best known for portraying Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy)
  • Derrick Pitts, chief astronomer at Franklin Institute
  • Grace Potter, singer/songwriter
  • Robert Montgomery, transplant surgeon
  • Elinor Tatum, publisher of New York Amsterdam News, the older and largest Black newspaper in New York City
  • Judi Wakhungu, Kenyan ambassador to France
  • Owen D. Young, created the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and Time’s Man of the Year in 1929

Our University

Founded in 1856

We’re the oldest continuously coeducational institution of higher learning in New York State

20

miles from the Canadian Border, the St. Lawrence River, and the Adirondack Park

Location

Canton, New York

Scarlet & Brown

school colors

35

varsity athletics teams

Saints

Team Mascot

2,145

students from 39 states and 78 countries

Our Programs and Faculty

11:1

Student to Faculty Ratio

18

Average Class Size

75

Majors

42

Minors

178

Full-time faculty members

99%

Of faculty hold highest degree in their field

19%

Faculty members of color

31

Off-campus study programs in more than 22 countries

Our Students

98%

live on campus

77%

study more than one discipline

46%

double or triple major

61%

study off campus

82%

volunteer

82%

conduct research

73%

complete an internship

31%

involved with athletic activities

19%

first-generation college students

Our Campus

1,000

acres

1:1

student-to-tree ratio

94

buildings

6

dining locations

16

residence halls

17

theme houses

6

Greek chapters

170

teams, clubs and organizations

2nd

oldest outing club in the U.S.

180+

pub cookies baked daily

511

seats in Gulick Theater

Our Town and Region

Canton, N.Y., encompasses the Town of Canton, the villages of Canton and Rensselaer Falls, and the hamlets of Morley and Pyrites.

~11,000

population of Canton

20 miles

from the Adirondack Park, the largest protected area in the contiguous (lower 48) United States

5,344

highest peak in the Adirondacks (Mount Marcy)

30

minutes from Canada

17

miles to the closest waterfall

56

miles to the closest ski resort

77F

average temperature on the first day of the fall semester

79.6

average inches of snow in a year

Our Alumni Successes

94%

of the Class of 2019 found employment or continued their education within a year

42%

of alumni pursue a graduate degree with five years

#1

Volunteer-producing University

Peace Corps 2019, 2020