Best Colleges in New York 2026

New York has 305 colleges and universities in our database; 252 report the graduation-rate data our ranking requires. The top 25 are ranked below by a fixed four-factor formula: 6-year graduation rate (30%), median earnings 10 years after entry (30%), admission selectivity (20%), and in-state tuition affordability (20%).

Schools Ranked

$83,360

Avg. Earnings

80.5%

Avg. Graduation Rate

Top 25 Schools

College rankings
#	School	Graduation Rate	Median Earnings	Acceptance Rate	In-State Tuition
1	United States Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point, New York	80.6%	$90,610	27.4%	$945
2	St. Joseph's College of Nursing Syracuse, New York	100.0%	$81,908	22.2%	$23,206
3	Columbia University in the City of New York New York, New York	95.0%	$102,491	4.0%	$69,045
4	Cornell University Ithaca, New York	95.1%	$104,043	7.5%	$66,014
5	Binghamton University Vestal, New York	83.6%	$80,596	41.8%	$10,363
6	Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Albany, New York	68.8%	$131,426	66.3%	$40,375
7	Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing New York, New York	100.0%	$96,980
8	SUNY Maritime College Throggs Neck, New York	74.9%	$95,951	80.3%	$8,540
9	Stony Brook University Stony Brook, New York	77.8%	$74,502	49.1%	$10,560
10	CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, New York	72.1%	$75,971	49.5%	$7,464
11	Fashion Institute of Technology New York, New York	83.3%	$62,696	52.8%	$6,170
12	Barnard College New York, New York	92.9%	$80,516	8.8%	$66,246
13	Colgate University Hamilton, New York	90.5%	$85,139	12.4%	$67,024
14	The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art New York, New York	80.3%	$83,847	22.5%	$46,820
15	Pomeroy College of Nursing at Crouse Hospital East Syracuse, New York	69.2%	$83,972	52.9%	$19,228
16	New York University New York, New York	88.5%	$82,509	12.5%	$60,438
17	Hamilton College Clinton, New York	91.3%	$78,411	11.8%	$65,740
18	St Paul's School of Nursing-Queens Rego Park, New York	41.5%	$104,403		$17,556
19	University at Buffalo Buffalo, New York	73.4%	$70,814	67.7%	$10,782
20	Island Drafting and Technical Institute Amityville, New York	76.9%	$62,379		$19,200
21	CUNY Hunter College New York, New York	61.0%	$63,163	47.9%	$7,382
22	Vassar College Poughkeepsie, New York	89.1%	$71,366	18.7%	$67,805
23	SUNY College at Geneseo Geneseo, New York	72.1%	$67,316	74.9%	$8,966
24	Jewish Theological Seminary of America New York, New York	86.8%	$92,751	50.8%	$65,545
25	State University of New York at Cortland Cortland, New York	68.2%	$60,236	59.8%	$8,815