Most Selective New York Colleges
New York has 27 four-year colleges that accept 50% or fewer of applicants, ranked from most to least selective.
Columbia University in the City of New York is the hardest to get into in New York, accepting just 4% of 60,115 applicants. Also highly selective: Barnard College, Cornell University and The Juilliard School.
Selectivity does not always equal academic difficulty. Some schools admit a small share of applicants because demand exceeds capacity, not because admission standards are extreme. If you need safety schools, see our highest acceptance rate colleges in New York. For academically demanding options, explore colleges with the highest SAT, highest ACT, and highest GPA averages.
Columbia University in the City of New York
- Private 4 Year
- New York, NY
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| 0 reviews
- 4% acceptance rate
- Jan 1 application deadline
Columbia is an Ivy League university known for its undergraduate Core Curriculum, political science, and economics. The urban campus sits in Morningside Heights in Manhattan.
- SAT Range 1510-1580
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.91
- Net Price $22,520
Barnard College
- Private 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 9% acceptance rate
- Jan 4 application deadline
Barnard is a highly selective private women's liberal arts college known for undergraduate English, political science, and psychology. The urban Morningside Heights campus sits beside Columbia University, where students can cross-register for courses.
- SAT Range 1470-1560
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.85
- Net Price $26,407
Cornell University
- Private 4 Year
- Ithaca, NY
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4.0 | 4 reviews
- 9% acceptance rate
- Jan 2 application deadline
Cornell is an Ivy League university known for undergraduate engineering, hotel administration, and agriculture and life sciences. The hillside campus overlooks Cayuga Lake in the college town of Ithaca.
- SAT Range 1500-1570
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.9
- Net Price $26,361
The Juilliard School
- Private 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
4.0 | 4 reviews
- 9% acceptance rate
- Dec 1 application deadline
Juilliard is a highly selective private conservatory known for undergraduate music, dance, and drama. The urban campus sits at Lincoln Center in Manhattan.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $45,099
New York University
- Private 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 9% acceptance rate
NYU is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate business, film, and the performing arts. The urban campus is centered in Manhattan's Greenwich Village.
- SAT Range 1480-1560
- Avg GPA 3.79
- Net Price $30,325
United States Military Academy
- Public 4 Year
- West Point, New York
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| 0 reviews
- 12% acceptance rate
- Jan 31 application deadline
West Point is a highly selective federal service academy known for undergraduate engineering and leadership training. Cadets live under a structured military regimen on the historic campus overlooking the Hudson River.
- SAT Range 1200-1430
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Net Price -
Colgate University
- Private 4 Year
- Hamilton, NY
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- 14% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Colgate is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate economics, political science, and the sciences. The hillside campus overlooks the small college town of Hamilton in upstate New York.
- SAT Range 1430-1540
- Avg GPA 3.77
- Net Price $28,736
Hamilton College
- Private 4 Year
- Clinton, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 14% acceptance rate
- Jan 5 application deadline
Hamilton is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate writing, economics, and government. The hilltop campus sits in the small village of Clinton in upstate New York.
- SAT Range 1450-1550
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.87
- Net Price $28,719
Webb Institute
- Private 4 Year
- Glen Cove, NY
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| 0 reviews
- 14% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Webb Institute is a highly selective private college known for undergraduate naval architecture and marine engineering. The waterfront campus overlooks Long Island Sound.
- SAT Range 1430-1530
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Net Price $21,966
Vassar College
- Private 4 Year
- Poughkeepsie, NY
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- 19% acceptance rate
- Jan 1 application deadline
Vassar is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate English, art history, and the sciences. Most students live on the historic residential campus in New York's Hudson Valley.
- SAT Range 1450-1550
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.86
- Net Price $29,981
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
- Private 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- 21% acceptance rate
- Jan 8 application deadline
Cooper Union is a highly selective private college known for undergraduate architecture, fine arts, and engineering. The urban campus is centered in Manhattan's East Village.
- SAT Range 1295-1501
- Avg GPA 3.75
- Net Price $26,283
Skidmore College
- Private 4 Year
- Saratoga Springs, NY
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- 21% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Skidmore is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate studio art, performing arts, and business. The residential campus sits in the historic spa town of Saratoga Springs.
- SAT Range 1340-1480
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.75
- Net Price $31,187
American Musical and Dramatic Academy
- Private 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- 24% acceptance rate
AMDA is a private performing arts college known for undergraduate musical theatre, acting, and dance. The urban campus sits on Manhattan's Upper West Side.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $48,524
Yeshivath Zichron Moshe
- Private 4 Year
- South Fallsburg, NY
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| 0 reviews
- 30% acceptance rate
- Sep 16 application deadline
Yeshivath Zichron Moshe is a private Orthodox Jewish yeshiva known for undergraduate Talmudic studies and Jewish law. The residential campus is in the Catskills village of South Fallsburg.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $9,662
United States Merchant Marine Academy
- Public 4 Year
- Kings Point, NY
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| 0 reviews
- 34% acceptance rate
- Mar 1 application deadline
USMMA is a highly selective federal service academy known for undergraduate marine engineering and maritime transportation. Midshipmen train on a waterfront campus on Long Island Sound and complete a required Sea Year at sea.
- SAT Range 1110-1300
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Net Price $4,101
Yeshiva D'monsey Rabbinical College
- Private 4 Year
- Monsey, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- 37% acceptance rate
Yeshiva D'monsey is a private rabbinical college focused on undergraduate Talmudic studies and Jewish law. Students study within Monsey's large Orthodox Jewish community in Rockland County.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $8,750
Yeshiva Shaarei Torah of Rockland
- Private 4 Year
- Suffern, NY
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| 0 reviews
- 37% acceptance rate
A private Orthodox Jewish yeshiva known for undergraduate Talmud and Torah studies. The campus is in suburban Suffern in Rockland County.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $15,255
Bais Medrash Elyon
- Private 4 Year
- Monsey, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- 38% acceptance rate
Bais Medrash Elyon is a private Orthodox Jewish yeshiva known for undergraduate Talmudic and Torah studies. The Monsey campus is set within a large Orthodox Jewish community in the New York suburbs.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA NA
- Net Price $14,121