Affordability, Access, Quality

The University at Buffalo consistently ranks among the nation’s best public and national universities, as measured by U.S. News and World Report’s annual “Best Colleges” rankings.

UB is rated among the “top 50” public universities in the nation, coming in at No. 34 in the 2021 edition of the U.S. News rankings, and ranks 88th among Best National Universities, public and private...

Earning high praise from students for value and its learning environment, UB is No. 31 among the nation’s top public universities in the 2021 Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings, where UB is also rated the top public university in New York State.

A UB education is an excellent value. As a public university, our tuition is only a fraction of the cost of attending a private college or university of comparable quality and opportunity.

“Our exceptional rise in the rankings of the best public and national universities reflects the profound impact that UB is having – through our scholarship, our research and our creative activity – on the region, the nation and the world,” said UB President Satish K. Tripathi.

“While these rankings speak volumes about the robust culture of academic excellence that we foster, they also underscore our unwavering commitment to the greater good.” said Tripathi.  

U.S. News based its rankings on an assessment of more than 1,900 of the country’s four-year colleges and universities, in addition to data reported to the U.S. Department of Education.

The WSJ/THE rankings methodology incorporates student success and learning by including the results of the THE US Student Survey. The survey examines a range of key issues, including students’ engagement with their studies, their interaction with their teachers and their satisfaction with their experience.

UB is among a number of Association of American Universities (AAU) member institutions ranked by U.S. News. These include University of California, Berkeley; Michigan; The Ohio State University; Iowa; Indiana; Michigan State; Penn State; University of Wisconsin, Madison; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Purdue; and Rutgers.