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.
Binghamton University
- Public 4 Year
- Vestal, NY
-
4.2 | 4 reviews
- 39% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Binghamton is a selective public university known for undergraduate business, accounting, and engineering. The wooded hillside campus in Vestal sits above the Susquehanna River valley in New York's Southern Tier.
- SAT Range 1340-1500
- Avg GPA 4.0
- Net Price $18,877
University of Rochester
- Private 4 Year
- Rochester, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 40% acceptance rate
- Jan 5 application deadline
Rochester is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate optics, music through the Eastman School, and engineering. Undergraduates follow a flexible curriculum built around interdisciplinary clusters rather than fixed general-education requirements.
- SAT Range 1410-1540
- Avg GPA 3.75
- Net Price $40,462
Manhattan School of Music
- Private 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- 41% acceptance rate
- Dec 1 application deadline
Manhattan School of Music is a private conservatory known for undergraduate classical performance, jazz, and composition. The urban campus is in Manhattan's Morningside Heights neighborhood.
- SAT Range -
- Avg GPA 3.55
- Net Price $51,767
Maria College of Albany
- Private 4 Year
- Albany, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- 44% acceptance rate
Maria College is a private college known for undergraduate nursing and health sciences. The Albany campus was founded by the Sisters of Mercy and retains a Catholic identity.
- SAT Range 965-1095
- Avg GPA 2.5
- Net Price $16,254
Union College
- Private 4 Year
- Schenectady, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 44% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Union is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate engineering alongside the sciences and social sciences. Most students belong to Minerva Houses that organize dining and campus social life.
- SAT Range 1310-1480
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Net Price $42,137
Syracuse University
- Private 4 Year
- Syracuse, NY
-
4.0 | 3 reviews
- 46% acceptance rate
- Jan 1 application deadline
Syracuse is a private university known for undergraduate communications, journalism, and architecture. The residential campus sits on a hill overlooking the city of Syracuse.
- SAT Range 1270-1440
- Avg GPA 3.69
- Net Price $48,215
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
- Public 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 48% acceptance rate
- Feb 1 application deadline
Baruch is a public CUNY college known for undergraduate business, finance, and accounting. The compact urban campus sits in Midtown Manhattan.
- SAT Range 1100-1400
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Net Price $4,326
Jewish Theological Seminary of America
- Private 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- 49% acceptance rate
JTS is a private Jewish institution known for undergraduate Jewish studies through dual-degree programs with Columbia and Barnard. The urban campus sits in Morningside Heights beside Columbia University.
- SAT Range 1440-1580
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Net Price $58,152
Stony Brook University
- Public 4 Year
- Stony Brook, NY
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- 49% acceptance rate
- Jan 15 application deadline
Stony Brook is a large public university known for undergraduate physics, mathematics, and marine science. The suburban campus sits on Long Island's North Shore.
- SAT Range 1330-1500
- Avg GPA 3.94
- Net Price $20,992