ALFRED, NY – Princeton Review’s annual college guide was released this week and Alfred University is once again rated among the best in the nation. “The Best 385 Colleges: 2020 Edition” puts Alfred University among the top 15 percent of colleges and universities in the United States.
Among colleges and universities located in the eight-county Western New York region, only Alfred University and St. Bonaventure made the list.
“We are pleased to be recognized by the Princeton Review as one of the top colleges and universities in the nation,” said Mark Zupan, Alfred University president. “It is affirmation of the efforts of our faculty, staff, administration, and Board of Trustees to provide our students with a high-quality education and rewarding campus experience.”
According to the guide, which bases its assessments on input from student surveys, Alfred’s academic programs, extracurricular activities, and a warm and inviting atmosphere on campus and in the local community, are among the University’s greatest draws.
Alfred University is known for its “excellent art program,” particularly its ceramics and glass art majors, as well as for its engineering, business and psychology programs, the guide states. While some students at Alfred focus only on their majors, students happily report that there are a “variety of academic opportunities” and that it’s “easy to take subjects outside your major.”
Indeed, Alfred University touts its students’ ability to “mix and match” top-ranked programs in order to chart their unique academic course, which is reflected in students’ comments. An art student said, Alfred offers “other majors versus a traditional art [school] setting. If I had decided to change majors, Alfred has almost every opportunity.”
The guide said students point approvingly to the University’s friendly, congenial atmosphere.
Students are “friendly, outgoing, and involved,” and many do community service work and are active in one of Alfred’s many clubs or organizations,” the guide related. “You can’t go down the street without receiving a smile.”
Alfred’s “beautiful,” “small” campus and its “somewhat rural location” are big draws for students looking for a quieter academic experience with a strong “sense of community.” Extracurricular activities – from intercollegiate athletic teams to a host of clubs and organizations – keep students busy and engaged.
“There is always something to do on weekends and week days,” for distraction, such as “student club productions...and fundraisers and an excellent selection of movies shown on campus,” one student commented. On top of that, “there are so many clubs and options that you can find something to do,” and “every sports team is supported, with superfans are at every event.”
