2025 College Rankings

Syracuse University is one of the stronger research universities in upstate New York, though it has institutional issues. The school has not fallen prey to every unfortunate fad in higher education, but it has not been vigilant in keeping out the rot, either.

The administration is not entirely dominated by activists, but activism nonetheless has a foothold. The school engages in too many measures that distract it from its educational focus, such as land acknowledgments and preferred pronouns. It maintains a sizable Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) bureaucracy, with more than three employees for every 1,000 undergraduates. Nearly half of all faculty job postings require a diversity statement. To its credit, Syracuse adopted institutional neutrality in 2024, pledging not to intervene in matters of public controversy outside the school’s ken.

Syracuse’s administration handled the rash of radical anti-Semitic protests that broke out on campus in spring 2024 with some hesitation. When protesters pitched tents on the school’s grounds, in violation of its policies, the administration allowed the encampment to remain for nearly a month before acting. When administrators did meet with protesters, they were firm in rejecting their demands, among them that Syracuse participate in the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

Syracuse’s support for free speech is mixed. The school has endorsed the Chicago Principles, which promote the protection of free expression on campus. Some 37 percent of students tell the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) that it is “extremely” or “very” clear that the administration protects speech on campus. Still, the school could be more explicit in its support for free speech. FIRE gives Syracuse a “yellow” speech code rating, meaning that its policies could easily be abused to suppress speech. Students are more or less balanced in their views. For every conservative student, there are nearly two liberals. The school has seen attempted de-platformings. In 2023, student activists tried to cancel a speech by conservative activist and family therapist Sara Stockton, citing her views on transgender issues. Stockton spoke successfully, but the event had to be moved to a different location because of security concerns. This degree of hostility is sometimes apparent among students. Half of students tell FIRE that they censor themselves at least once a month, for fear of earning the opprobrium of their peers.

The curriculum at Syracuse is weak. The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) gives the school a C in its What Will They Learn? ratings, which assign letter grades based on how many of seven core subjects are required in the core curriculum or general education program. The school requires its students to take DEI-focused courses to graduate but neglects courses in history or government.

Syracuse tends to serve its graduates well economically. Indeed, many alumni go on to successful careers. Median annual earnings ten years after initial enrollment overperform expectations by nearly $3,000, based on data from SAT scores and Pell Grant recipients. It takes, on average, 1.8 years to pay back the cost of a Syracuse education, slightly below our overall average of 2.3 years.