The positive role SUNY Old Westbury plays in improving the social and economic mobility of its students was again recognized by U.S. News & World report when it released its 2026 “America’s Best Colleges” rankings.
SUNY Old Westbury ranked 9th in social mobility successes in the publication's annual review, which included more than 170 universities in the Northeast.
Being an institution that empowers people to improve their economic station is incredibly important."
-- Timothy E. Sams, president
"In a time when equity and inequality are issues of common debate, being an institution that empowers people to improve their economic station is incredibly important,” said SUNY Old Westbury President Timothy E. Sams. "We are proud to be recognized as a place offering accessible transformative education and experiences that are accessible and that provide the value our graduates need not only to find their way in the world, but to make the change they believe are needed.
Introduced in 2019 as part of the U.S. News Best Colleges rankings, the social mobility category considers the degree to which an institution elevates its low-income graduates to a higher standard of living. As rankings leaders such as U.S. News have adjusted their formulas in the past few years, they increasingly consider social mobility among the leading measures of higher education success.
In addition to being identified for fueling the social mobility of its graduates, SUNY Old Westbury improved its rank to the 33rd Top Public Colleges among Regional Universities in the North, up from 37th last year, and 98th overall among Top Regional Universities in the North, up from 101st last year.
Since its founding 60 years ago, Old Westbury has focused its mission to provide access and opportunity to students from every social category. Recognized as a Minority Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education, the University is widely recognized among the most diverse institutions in the nation with more than 70 percent of its student body made up of Black, Hispanic, Indigenous and people of color. More than 50 percent of its student body was Pell Grant eligible in 2023-2024, the latest year for which complete figures are available.
U.S. News & World Report reviewed more than 1,700 1,500 U.S. four-year bachelor's degree-granting institutions on as many as 17 measures for its 42nd rankings edition. Ranks are based on methodology used by the publication that includes graduation and retention rank; peer assessment rank; faculty resources rank; financial resources rank; and a graduation rate performance rank.