Paul Smith’s College earns No. 1 Most Innovative Schools distinction from U.S. News and World Report

Receives five Best Colleges awards

U.S. News and World Report released its 2020 Best Colleges rankings this week, with Paul Smith’s College receiving five distinctions including the No. 1 ranking for Most Innovative Schools, jumping one spot from last year’s No. 2 placement.

Paul Smith’s rankings, awarded in the Regional Colleges North category, are:

• No. 1 for Most Innovative Schools
• No. 2 for Best Undergraduate Teaching
• No. 10 for Best Colleges for Veterans
• No. 20 for Regional Colleges
• No. 24 for Top Performers on Social Mobility

“Seeing this year’s U.S. News rankings is just another testament to the caliber of education one receives as a Paul Smith’s College student,” said Randy Martinez, Student Government Association president and biology major at PSC. “Our college’s continued dedication to helping students master their craft on the shores of Lower St. Regis Lake is an experience unlike any. I look forward to seeing our college move up the ranks.”

This is the fifth consecutive year U.S. News has included its Most Innovative Schools ranking, measured by inventive improvements in areas such as campus life, curriculum, technology and students. “This ranking enables top college officials to pick schools that the public should be watching because of the cutting-edge changes the colleges are making on their campuses,” explain U.S. News Best Colleges methodologists.

The Top Performers on Social Mobility award, meanwhile, is a new honor for Paul Smith’s and measures an institution’s ability to not only enroll but graduate economically disadvantaged students who are less likely than others to finish college. U.S. News used six years of federal loan data and compared it to retention and graduation rates, as well as other measurements, to place the college on the list.

Best Undergraduate Teaching, Best Colleges for Veterans and Regional Colleges, meanwhile, reflect a wide variety of factors ranging from student to faculty ratio and expert surveys to alumni giving and participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program for veterans.

U.S. News and World Report is widely recognized for its collegiate rankings published annually on the internet and in print. Paul Smith’s full profile can be found here.

About Paul Smith’s College
At Paul Smith’s College, it’s about the experience. We are the only four-year institution of higher education in the Adirondacks. Our programs – in fields including hospitality, culinary arts, forestry, natural resources, entrepreneurship and the sciences – draw on industries and resources available in our own backyard while preparing students for successful careers anywhere. For more information, visit paulsmiths.edu.