Ithaca College placed first for undergraduate teaching and second for innovation among regional universities in the North in the 2027 U.S. News rankings, the college announced Tuesday.
The Tompkins County school moved up from second in teaching and eighth in innovation in last year's rankings. It also rose two places to 11th overall among regional universities in the North, according to the college.
Ithaca College placed eighth among private colleges in the region, a category the college said is new this year. Those placements are rankings within specific comparison groups, not nationwide positions for every U.S. college.
President La Jerne Terry Cornish attributed the teaching recognition to faculty mentorship and opportunities for students to apply what they learn. She cited graduates working in health care, research, the arts, business and journalism as examples of the paths students take after college.
Provost Melanie Stein linked the innovation placement to the college's work on new programs, partnerships and learning spaces. The announcement describes opportunities for students to combine fields and gain experience in classrooms, labs, studios, clinics and performance settings, but it does not tie a particular program to the ranking change.
The college also pointed to recent placements by other publications: The Hollywood Reporter put its film school 17th on a list of 25, while The Princeton Review included Ithaca College in its 2027 Best 392 Colleges guide and ranked its student newspaper eighth, theater 13th and radio station 23rd in their respective categories.
Ithaca College said the Middle States Commission on Higher Education recently reaffirmed its accreditation. The college directed readers to U.S. News for the ranking details and methodology; its announcement did not explain how the teaching and innovation scores were calculated.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.