Binghamton University

In the past seven decades, this New York public university has grown from a small regional school to a research university with a variety of nationally recognized programs. It shines at getting students to graduate on time, with nearly three-quarters of freshmen earning a degree within four years – well above the average for public universities. One of SUNY Binghamton's specialties is international education. The university has robust study-abroad offerings, and its student population includes 1,800 people from nearly 100 other countries. Binghamton also offers a dual-degree program with Turkish universities and a Languages Across Curriculum program, in which languages other than English are used in a variety of academic courses with the translation assistance of international graduate students. Overall, Binghamton offers more than 130 programs for undergrads, including Arabic studies, cinema and Hebrew. Freshmen interested in engineering participate in the Engineering Design Division, a hands-on introduction to different engineering fields to help them discover which specialty most interests them. Binghamton also has a ton of opportunities for students outside the classroom, including the Paws and Effect club, which helps local shelter animals, and several dance associations including ballroom and Bhangra.