Accolades - SUNY Cortland
Source: http://www2.cortland.edu/about/accolades.dot
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:17
Accolades - SUNY Cortland
Skip to main content
Accolades
Our campus community members know that SUNY Cortland is one of the best, all-around educational institutions in the nation. But don’t take their word for it.
Below are the university’s most recent accolades and awards from a variety of organizations and publications.
Overall excellence
#13
13th
in Top Public Universities in the North and
33rd
overall for Regional Universities in the North according to the
U.S. News
.
(
US News & World Report,
2025
)
Top 10%
In the top
10
% of the nation’s best colleges
a
nd #25 in NY State
according to
2025
College Factual
rankings
–
positioning SUNY Cortland as the
#1
of our peer
SUNY comprehensive
colleges
.
(
College Factual National, 2025
)
(
College Factual State, 2025
) (
Cortland News
top 10
)
#27
Ranked 27th nationally for Best Colleges for Veterans by US New in 2022.
(
Cortland News
best for Veterans
)
#45
Washington Monthly
rated Cortland as 45th overall on its national 2023 Master’s University Rankings and at 75th on its 2023 Best Bang for the Buck: Northeast list.
(
Cortland News
article about Washington Monthly rating
)
84.2%
First-year retention rate for Fall 2024 — second-highest among SUNY peers.
Teacher Education
SUNY Cortland is the largest teacher education program among public universities in New York state.
#3
No. 3 in the U.S. on the list of “Best Bachelor’s in Special Education Degree Programs.”
(
Best Accredited Colleges
) (
Cortland News
Special Education
)
#4
No. 4 in both the
Top Online M.Ed. Programs in New York
and the
Most Affordable Online M.Ed. Programs in New York
according to TeacherCertificationDegrees.com, a peer-reviewed education resource. (
Cortland News
Online Education
)
3.2%
(No. 12) Top 3.2% nationally ranked bachelor’s degree in subject specific education, #1 SUNY.
(
College Factual, 2025
Education Majors
) (
Cortland News
Education Majors
)
3%
(No. 16) Top 3% nationally ranked Health & Physical Education degree.
(
College Factual, 2025
Health and Physical Education Majors
) (
Cortland News
Health and Physical Education Majors
)
4.5%
(No. 30) Top 4.5% nationally ranked bachelor’s degree in education, #1 SUNY.
(
College Factual, 2025
Education Bachelor's Degree
) (
Cortland News
Education Bachelor's Degree
)
All Academics
#4
No.
4
on the list of “Best Criminology Schools in New York according to College Factual. (
Cortland News
Best Criminology Schools
)
#14
No. 14 ranked online university in New York based on cost, student success and reputation, according to Intelligent.com. (
Cortland News
Cost Student Success and Reputation
)
3.5%
(No. 18) Top 3.5% nationally ranked Parks, Recreation, & Leisure degree.
(
College Factual, 2025 Parks,
Recreation, and Leisure Degree
)
5%
(No. 23) Top 5% nationally for our sport management program.
(
Niche, 2025
) (
Cortland News
Sport Management Program
)
28.6%
28.6% Best nationally ranked Business, Management & Marketing Bachelor’s Degree Schools.
(
College Factual, 2025
Business Management and Marketing
)
35%
Top 35% Best nationally ranked biological & biomedical sciences bachelor’s degree schools.
(College Factual, 2025
Biological and Biomedical Sciences Degree
)
Community and Student Life
Nature lovers
Outdoors.com named Cortland among the best college and university choices for outdoor and nature lovers. (
Cortland News
Nature Lovers
)
Healthy living
Named one of the nation’s healthiest campuses by Partnership for a Healthier America for initiatives ranging from nutritional options to academic offerings. (
Cortland News
Healthy Living
)
Student Life Center
Cortland’s comprehensive 148,800-square-foot student life center is recognized as the nation’s most outstanding recreation facility by the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association. (
Cortland News
Student Life Center
)
College Town
Top 5 college town in New York state, ranked No. 5 by BestColleges.com. (
Cortland News
College Town
)
Affordable
#1 national ranking among "affordable small towns where you’d actually like to live,” according to Realtor.com. (
Cortland News
Affordable
)
Disability Friendly
No. 42 on a national list of disability-friendly colleges, one of only three New York state institutions recognized by Intelligent.com. (
Cortland News
Disability Friendly
)
Athletics
National and Individual champions
The university’s Athletics Department boasts 26 national championships across 11 sports as well as 108 individual national titles.
Commissioner's Cup
Cortland has earned the SUNYAC Commissioner’s Cup for overall sports excellence 19 times — most in the conference.
In 2025, 17 of 22 teams won their championship titles, breaking the SUNYAC Record for the most championships earned in one year.
Record-breaking fans
Cortland set the all-time single game Division III attendance record in the 2019 Cortaca Jug game, the university’s annual football rivalry with Ithaca College, with 45,161 fans attending the game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Division III Top program
Ranked among the top 28 all-around Division III athletic programs 25 of the last 28 years.
Sustainability
Recognized as one of the most sustainable campuses in the U.S. on the Princeton Review’s “Guide to Green Colleges.” (
Cortland News
Sustainable Princeton Review
)
The first university in the 64-campus SUNY system to operate all of its facilities using 100% renewable electrical energy. (
Cortland News
100% Renewable
)
Home to New York’s first campus residence hall to earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum designation. (
Cortland News
LEAD Platinum
)
Regularly recognized as one of the nation’s greenest university campuses on the Sierra Club’s annual list of “Cool Schools.” (
Cortland News
Sierra Club
)
Recipient of a bronze award in the Waste Reduction category of the 2024 National Association of College and University Food Services Sustainability Award. (
Cortland News
Food Services Sustainability
)
One of 33 colleges and universities nationally to be named a Bicycle Friendly University by the League of American Bicyclists and Bicycle Friendly America. (
Cortland News
Bicycle Friendly
)
Recognized as a Tree Campus USA by the Arbor Day Foundation for efforts to establish and sustain a vibrant, urban forest. (
Cortland News
Tree Campus USA
)
One of 34 Bee Campus USA sites according to Bee City USA, a national organization dedicated to raising awareness about natural pollinators like bees. (
Cortland News
Bee Campus USA
)
Cookie Consent
We use cookies and similar technologies to improve your website experience and help us understand how you navigate our website. By using this site, you agree to our
Privacy Policy
.
Skip to main content
Accolades
Our campus community members know that SUNY Cortland is one of the best, all-around educational institutions in the nation. But don’t take their word for it.
Below are the university’s most recent accolades and awards from a variety of organizations and publications.
Overall excellence
#13
13th
in Top Public Universities in the North and
33rd
overall for Regional Universities in the North according to the
U.S. News
.
(
US News & World Report,
2025
)
Top 10%
In the top
10
% of the nation’s best colleges
a
nd #25 in NY State
according to
2025
College Factual
rankings
–
positioning SUNY Cortland as the
#1
of our peer
SUNY comprehensive
colleges
.
(
College Factual National, 2025
)
(
College Factual State, 2025
) (
Cortland News
top 10
)
#27
Ranked 27th nationally for Best Colleges for Veterans by US New in 2022.
(
Cortland News
best for Veterans
)
#45
Washington Monthly
rated Cortland as 45th overall on its national 2023 Master’s University Rankings and at 75th on its 2023 Best Bang for the Buck: Northeast list.
(
Cortland News
article about Washington Monthly rating
)
84.2%
First-year retention rate for Fall 2024 — second-highest among SUNY peers.
Teacher Education
SUNY Cortland is the largest teacher education program among public universities in New York state.
#3
No. 3 in the U.S. on the list of “Best Bachelor’s in Special Education Degree Programs.”
(
Best Accredited Colleges
) (
Cortland News
Special Education
)
#4
No. 4 in both the
Top Online M.Ed. Programs in New York
and the
Most Affordable Online M.Ed. Programs in New York
according to TeacherCertificationDegrees.com, a peer-reviewed education resource. (
Cortland News
Online Education
)
3.2%
(No. 12) Top 3.2% nationally ranked bachelor’s degree in subject specific education, #1 SUNY.
(
College Factual, 2025
Education Majors
) (
Cortland News
Education Majors
)
3%
(No. 16) Top 3% nationally ranked Health & Physical Education degree.
(
College Factual, 2025
Health and Physical Education Majors
) (
Cortland News
Health and Physical Education Majors
)
4.5%
(No. 30) Top 4.5% nationally ranked bachelor’s degree in education, #1 SUNY.
(
College Factual, 2025
Education Bachelor's Degree
) (
Cortland News
Education Bachelor's Degree
)
All Academics
#4
No.
4
on the list of “Best Criminology Schools in New York according to College Factual. (
Cortland News
Best Criminology Schools
)
#14
No. 14 ranked online university in New York based on cost, student success and reputation, according to Intelligent.com. (
Cortland News
Cost Student Success and Reputation
)
3.5%
(No. 18) Top 3.5% nationally ranked Parks, Recreation, & Leisure degree.
(
College Factual, 2025 Parks,
Recreation, and Leisure Degree
)
5%
(No. 23) Top 5% nationally for our sport management program.
(
Niche, 2025
) (
Cortland News
Sport Management Program
)
28.6%
28.6% Best nationally ranked Business, Management & Marketing Bachelor’s Degree Schools.
(
College Factual, 2025
Business Management and Marketing
)
35%
Top 35% Best nationally ranked biological & biomedical sciences bachelor’s degree schools.
(College Factual, 2025
Biological and Biomedical Sciences Degree
)
Community and Student Life
Nature lovers
Outdoors.com named Cortland among the best college and university choices for outdoor and nature lovers. (
Cortland News
Nature Lovers
)
Healthy living
Named one of the nation’s healthiest campuses by Partnership for a Healthier America for initiatives ranging from nutritional options to academic offerings. (
Cortland News
Healthy Living
)
Student Life Center
Cortland’s comprehensive 148,800-square-foot student life center is recognized as the nation’s most outstanding recreation facility by the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association. (
Cortland News
Student Life Center
)
College Town
Top 5 college town in New York state, ranked No. 5 by BestColleges.com. (
Cortland News
College Town
)
Affordable
#1 national ranking among "affordable small towns where you’d actually like to live,” according to Realtor.com. (
Cortland News
Affordable
)
Disability Friendly
No. 42 on a national list of disability-friendly colleges, one of only three New York state institutions recognized by Intelligent.com. (
Cortland News
Disability Friendly
)
Athletics
National and Individual champions
The university’s Athletics Department boasts 26 national championships across 11 sports as well as 108 individual national titles.
Commissioner's Cup
Cortland has earned the SUNYAC Commissioner’s Cup for overall sports excellence 19 times — most in the conference.
In 2025, 17 of 22 teams won their championship titles, breaking the SUNYAC Record for the most championships earned in one year.
Record-breaking fans
Cortland set the all-time single game Division III attendance record in the 2019 Cortaca Jug game, the university’s annual football rivalry with Ithaca College, with 45,161 fans attending the game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Division III Top program
Ranked among the top 28 all-around Division III athletic programs 25 of the last 28 years.
Sustainability
Recognized as one of the most sustainable campuses in the U.S. on the Princeton Review’s “Guide to Green Colleges.” (
Cortland News
Sustainable Princeton Review
)
The first university in the 64-campus SUNY system to operate all of its facilities using 100% renewable electrical energy. (
Cortland News
100% Renewable
)
Home to New York’s first campus residence hall to earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum designation. (
Cortland News
LEAD Platinum
)
Regularly recognized as one of the nation’s greenest university campuses on the Sierra Club’s annual list of “Cool Schools.” (
Cortland News
Sierra Club
)
Recipient of a bronze award in the Waste Reduction category of the 2024 National Association of College and University Food Services Sustainability Award. (
Cortland News
Food Services Sustainability
)
One of 33 colleges and universities nationally to be named a Bicycle Friendly University by the League of American Bicyclists and Bicycle Friendly America. (
Cortland News
Bicycle Friendly
)
Recognized as a Tree Campus USA by the Arbor Day Foundation for efforts to establish and sustain a vibrant, urban forest. (
Cortland News
Tree Campus USA
)
One of 34 Bee Campus USA sites according to Bee City USA, a national organization dedicated to raising awareness about natural pollinators like bees. (
Cortland News
Bee Campus USA
)
Cookie Consent
We use cookies and similar technologies to improve your website experience and help us understand how you navigate our website. By using this site, you agree to our
Privacy Policy
.