CANTON -- SUNY Canton’s online courses and degree programs are among the best in the nation according to recently released rankings by U.S. News and World Report.

SUNY Canton was the highest ranked college or university in New York State in Student Services and Technology in the publications’ first ever Top Online Education Program Rankings, announced Tuesday.

“We have stayed ahead of the curve when it comes to online learning for several years and we are proud to see our time and energy recognized when compared to colleges from across the country,” said SUNY Canton President Joseph L. Kennedy.

Kennedy said the consistent growth, year after year, of SUNY Canton’s online offerings and of enrollment in them “has shown us that people trust SUNY Canton when it comes to an affordable and easily accessible online education and this honor reaffirms the reasons for that trust.”

Out of 969 institutions with online academic programs responding to the U.S. News survey, SUNY Canton ranked 34th nationally in Student Services and Technology, finishing ahead of all other schools in New York including Marist College, SUNY Delhi, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Utica College. The category ranked online offerings on criteria such as whether or not the services include career placement, live tutoring, live streaming video, and a smartphone app.

The college was also ranked 114th in the nation in Student Engagement and Assessment. Criteria there included how soon an instructor could be expected to respond to an inquiry, instructor office hours, tracking student logins, and maximum class size.

SUNY Canton’s online course offerings have become increasingly popular over the last several years. Eleven years ago, the college offered four online classes and had 99 enrollments. Now there are close to 200 classes and more than 4,000 students are expected to be enrolled in at least one course this year.

Director of Information Services and Online Learning Kyle Brown said, “Online courses provide students with the flexibility and accessibility to educational opportunities they might not have otherwise been able to do.”

The college’s reputation in online learning is aided by the faculty’s experience in providing a sophisticated online education, Brown said.

“The faculty members embrace online education and value the flexibility of learning online,” Brown said. “Teaching online courses isn’t for everyone. We select our faculty based on their ability to engage students in the online learning environment. They do incredible work.”

More information on the rankings is available at www.usnews.com/online-education.