Research.com, a leading online educational platform that provides students with resources to assist them in choosing the best schools, academic opportunities, and career paths, has released its 2026 rankings for the Best Colleges in New York State and Alfred University is included in several lists.
According to its website, Research.com provides “a wide range of comprehensive, well-researched, data-driven guides and resources prepared by a team of experts that work together to answer your questions and help (students) make informed decisions.” The educational platform “offers a detailed overview of each school and allows for a deep school discovery process based on a wide range of metrics.”
More than 200 institutions were considered in Research.com’s 2026 rankings of colleges and universities in New York State. In the state rankings, Alfred University ranks 24th in the Best Colleges category; 27th for Most Popular Colleges; 46th for Most Affordable Colleges; and 66th for Best Value Colleges.
Alfred University had previously been included in two other prominent rankings of institutions of higher education: U.S. News and World Report and The Princeton Review.
In its 2026 Best Colleges Rankings, U.S. News listed Alfred University in its regional rankings. Among regional colleges and universities in the North, Alfred ranked 61st overall and 12th in the Best Values School listing. Alfred University ranks 36th in the North in the Top Performers in Social Mobility category. Alfred improved in all three rankings from the 2025 report, when it ranked 66th, 14th, and 44th, respectively in the regional, Best Values, and Social Mobility lists.
In its most recent Graduate School rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranks Alfred University’s fine arts graduate program 10th in country and the best in New York State. Alfred’s Master of Fine Arts program in ceramics was ranked number one in the nation.
The Princeton Review listed Alfred in its 2026 Best 391 Colleges rankings. The publication selects honored institutions based on “our high opinion of their academics.” Other factors it considers include admissions, tuition and financial aid, student body, campus life, and job placement/careers. Alfred has been listed in Princeton Review’s Best Colleges rankings for 34 straight years.
