Binghamton University made it onto the list of the top 50 public schools.

BU came in at No. 32 on the U.S. News and World Report rankings. That's five spots higher than last year.

School officials credit graduation and retention rates, and the number of pell eligible students. But BU's president believes the attitudes of his students play a big role.

"I think they come with a certain amount of grittiness at Binghamton,” said Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger. “You see that look on their face, the freshman when they come they've got this attitude, we're going to be successful we're going to make something out of our lives after we graduate from Binghamton. I think that's the special part, is the students."

More than 17,000 students attend Binghamton University.