Molloy Climbs, Webb Institute Returns in New U.S. News College Rankings

U.S. News & World Report's new college rankings, released Tuesday under a revised methodology, moved several Long Island schools up and down the lists.

Molloy University in Rockville Centre climbed 27 spots to a tie for No. 39 among Northern regional universities. The Webb Institute in Glen Cove, which specializes in naval architecture and marine engineering, tied Manhattan's Cooper Union for No. 3 among Northern regional colleges. Webb said it had been left out of the overall rankings for years because its enrollment of just over 100 undergraduates fell short of U.S. News' minimum survey thresholds.

St. Joseph's University, which has a Patchogue campus, fell six spots to No. 56 among Northern regional universities. Farmingdale State College ranked No. 13 among Northern regional colleges, down from a tie for No. 7 last year. The United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point came in at No. 5 in the same category.

Among national universities, Adelphi University in Garden City and Hofstra University in Hempstead tied at No. 191. Adelphi rose seven spots; Hofstra fell eight.

Stony Brook University held at No. 59 among national universities, in a 10-way tie, and moved up to No. 24 among public universities from No. 26, the university said. Stony Brook said it ranked as the top public university in New York for the fifth year in a row.

In a separate announcement, Stony Brook reported record fall enrollment of more than 27,700 students and its largest first-year class, more than 4,150. The university said it received more than 73,000 undergraduate applications, up 3% from last year, including more than 66,000 from first-year applicants.

This year U.S. News replaced its graduate-debt measure with an "Earnings by Major" metric that tracks earnings four years after graduation for employed federal-aid recipients, according to Long Island Business News.