For the second time in a year, Canisius University has earned national recognition for providing students with a high-quality, affordable education that delivers strong outcomes after graduation. The latest honor comes from Money magazine, which named Canisius to its 2025 list of Best Colleges in America.
Money evaluated more than 2,400 four-year colleges and universities nationwide. Of those, only about 720 institutions – roughly 30% – met the publication’s rigorous criteria, which considered acceptance rates, graduation rates, net price after aid, and early career earnings. Canisius University stood out for its combination of strong academics and financial accessibility.
In Money’s evaluation, Canisius excelled across several key academic quality measures. The university demonstrated particularly strong performance in graduation rates and value-added outcomes, which measure student completion rates and whether the university exceeds expectations for student success based on incoming student profiles.
Canisius also earned high marks for instructor accessibility, a reflection of the university’s low student-to-faculty ratio, which enables the close mentoring relationships that are hallmarks of a Canisius education.
In addition to academic quality, Canisius distinguished itself in the affordability measures that Money evaluated. The rankings show that the university’s estimated net price for the 2025-26 academic year is the lowest among private institutions in the region due to a combination of merit scholarships, need-based grants and individualized financial aid counseling. Money also highlighted Canisius for its strong early career earnings, which show that graduates are entering the workforce well-prepared and earning salaries that reflect the value of their education.
Canisius’ inclusion on Money’s 2025 list of Best Colleges in America comes amid growing national recognition for the university’s value and impact. In fall 2024, U.S. News & World Report ranked Canisius among the top 40 Best Colleges in the North. The ranking assesses academic quality and measures such factors as first-year retention rates, graduation rates and post-graduate outcomes.
U.S. News also ranked Canisius at No. 4 among Best Value Schools, a category that considers academic quality, the net cost of attendance for students who receive the average level of need-based financial aid, and the proportion of students who receive grants or scholarships. It also factors in the average discount from the school’s total sticker price for full-time undergraduates.
The Office of Alumni & Constituent Engagement cordially invites you to attend the 2025 Distinguished Alumni and Emerging Leader Award Ceremony and Dinner.
Canisius University has conferred more than 220 Distinguished Alumni Awards since the recognition was established in 1975. Introduced this year, the Emerging Leader award recognizes an alumna/us who is 40 years of age or younger and has demonstrated exceptional achievement early in their career.
Friday, September 26, 2025 | 6 p.m.
Montante Cultural Center
Canisius University
2001 Main St.
Buffalo, NY 14208
Tickets are $100 each, which includes a salad, plated dual entree dinner, dessert, and an open bar. Register here!
Family, friends, and colleagues of honorees are welcome to attend.
Our 2025 recipients include:
Thomas Barnett ’79 Owner and Founder, Tom Barnett New York
Mark Johnson ’94 Senior Vice President & Community Development Manager, Commonwealth of Virginia/Truist
Carla Sacco MSED ‘09 Vice President, Music Mentor Productions
Demario Strickland ’06, MS ’18, EdD Inaugural Emerging Leader recipient Superintendent of Schools, Mount Vernon City School District
Thomas White ’80, MD Internal Medicine, Buffalo Medical Group & Medical Staff, Buffalo Bills
For questions, please contact Lauren Orlowski, Director of Alumni and Constituent Engagement at orlowskl@canisius.edu
Submitted by: Lauren Orlowski, Director of Alumni and Constituent Engagement
Buffalo News columnist Dan Higgins featured Art History Professor Yvonne Widenor in his July 13 column about modern art at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum. Widenor served as a tour guide and expert interpreter, as she walked Higgins through contemporary art exhibits and explained how pieces like Tony Oursler’s “Junk” video installation and Jackson Pollack’s “Convergence” ask viewers to engage with deeper questions about meaning and interpretation. Click here to read the column.
Danielle Ianni, PhD and Kevin Smith co-authored an article for the July 8 edition of Academic Leader titled “Bridging the Trust Gap Caused by FAFSA Delays.” In the article, Iannia, vice president for enrollment management and Smith, assistant vice president for student records and financial services, provide a four-step framework for higher education institutions to navigate FAFSA disruptions. That framework includes adjusting enrollment strategies, improving communication, strengthening financial planning and reinforcing student support services. Click here to read the article.
The Buffalo News Editorial Board praised Canisius’ role in local workforce development initiatives, highlighting the university’s receipt of more than $1 million in state grant funds over five years to support underrepresented students in STEM and health-related fields. The CSTEP grant will assistant an estimated 90 Canisius students annually through 2030. The July 11 editorial referred to this diversity initiative as “a win for New York State.” Click here to read the article.
Western New York Catholic reported on the pilot year of the Buffalo Promise Scholarship and how it surpassed the university’s expectations. The initiative drew more than 1,000 applications from the 142- ZIP code. More than 325 students have been awarded to students who have completed the financial aid process and 128 have committed to Canisius for fall 2025. Click here to read the full story.
Canisius University is taking faculty and staff ‘out to the ballgame’ on Wednesday, August 20, when the Buffalo Bisons take on the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. The Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day kicks off at 1:00 p.m. at Sahlen Field.
On June 25, The Clean Mobility Project held a press conference at Viridi to speak about their project on the East Side of Buffalo and Viridi’s commitment to providing public transportation and biking options to their employees. Canisius University is an anchor institution with this project and had a representative at the press conference who has been developing projects for your campus to offer greener and more sustainable transportation choices for our students, faculty, staff, and neighbors. Watch here!
Submitted by: Yvonne K. Widenor, Assistant Professor, Art History, MLLC, Director, ArtsCanisius
