U.S. News places Canisius in top tier on ‘best colleges’ ranking

Canisius College placed No. 21 in the top tier of U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 rankings for America’s Best Colleges, Regional Universities – North. Canisius was recognized for student success, first-year student retention rate, average graduation rate, student-faculty ratio, faculty resources and average alumni giving rate. 

Canisius also ranked No. 4 on the Best Value Schools list among all 75 regional colleges and universities in the North. The Best Value Schools ranking takes into account a school’s academic quality (based on U.S. News’ Best Colleges ranking) and the net cost of attendance for a student who received the average level of need-based financial aid. The higher quality and the lower the cost of the program, the better the deal. The average discounted cost of a Canisius education is $14,528, which represents an approximate 53 percent discount from the total cost of tuition. 

Canisius was similarly included among the top tier of Best Colleges for Veterans ranking No. 8 in the North, up one spot from last year.  To be considered for this ranking, schools must participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program, be certified for the GI Bill and have 20 or more enrolled undergraduate veterans or active service members. Qualifying schools also had to be in the top half of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges and Universities rankings. 

Based on peer rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked the Canisius College Richard J. Wehle School of Business as the No. 1 private business program in Western New York. 

Canisius received additional accolades on the list of “Best Undergraduate Accounting Programs:” 

• No. 1 in Western New York
• No. 4 in New York State
• Among the top 8 percent nationwide 

Canisius earned similarly commendable rankings on thelist of”Best Undergraduate Finance Programs:”

• No. 1 in Western New York
• No. 5 in New York State
• Among the top 6 percent nationwide

To be considered for the U.S. News & World Report list of Best Undergraduate Business Programs, colleges and universities must be accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

These same peer rankings placed Canisius No. 1 on the list of “Top Performers on Social Mobility” among private schools in Western New York. This ranking speaks to Canisius’ success in offering a world-class education to low income and first-generation students. Specifically, the methodology measures how well U.S. colleges and universities graduated students who received federal Pell Grants, which are typically awarded to students who come from households that earn less than $50,000 annually.