Fiske Guide to Colleges 2025: “Unique Within the SUNY System”
Purchase noted for academics, sense of community, engaged professors, and raw energy.
Purchase College is among more than 300 of the “best and most interesting colleges in the U.S., Canada, and U.K.” in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2025.
The guide commends Purchase for its “academic environment that provides a strong sense of community yet celebrates individuals for their unique talents and contributions.”
Singled out are the college’s many strong programs in the arts, liberal arts, and sciences including environmental studies, dance, biology, film, new media, playwriting and screenwriting, and arts management.
Serious Students and Accessible Professors
“There’s a raw energy that exists on campus—in the students and professors—that I don’t think many other colleges have.”
That’s how one student describes Purchase, while the guide notes that “Purchase students tend to be serious about their own personal achievements.”
“The professors are engaged, extremely qualified, and very interested in our education,” says one student.
The professors earn the reputation as “accessible and friendly” due in large part to “74% of classes enrolling fewer that 20 students.”
Life On and Off Campus
The campus’ location near New York City draws attention for the academic, professional, and social opportunities it affords, yet also praised is campus life, which features “funky traditions and an active music scene.” With roughly 50 active clubs on campus, the Stood offers plenty of things to do right on campus. “Most excitement takes place on campus, so you never have to leave, but being so close to the city is a huge benefit!”
“Purchase is a very judgement-free zone, and we are proud of that,” a student says.
The guide confirms the blend of academics, location, opportunity, and campus culture render Purchase unlike others.
“Indeed, the opportunity that Purchase offers for a personalized, diverse education is unique within the SUNY system.”
The Fiske Guide to Colleges, which has been published for 41 years, provides a subjective and systematic look at colleges, giving readers the real personality of the institutions based on a wide range of subjects. Research, accompanied by testimonials from students, offers helpful and honest information about academic climates and courses.
Homepage: Arts Management majors Malcolm Viner-Alexander and Michael Doebbler (Photo: Valerie Caviness)