Best New York Colleges
New York has 94 ranked four-year colleges, part of our national best colleges ranking. Rankings weigh admission scores, graduation rates, and selectivity using statistical data, not editorial picks.
Leading our 2027 rankings is Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, topping our list in New York. The top rated public university is University at Buffalo. Also highly ranked: Columbia University in the City of New York, Hamilton College and Colgate University.
Compare tuition, acceptance rates, and enrollment across the colleges below. See how rankings are calculated on our methodology page. Sort by tuition, acceptance rate, or enrollment to find the school that fits you.
Touro University
- Private 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
3.0 | 1 reviews
Touro is a private Jewish-sponsored university known for undergraduate health sciences and education. The university operates multiple urban campuses across New York City.
- SAT Range 1218-1453
- Avg GPA 3.17
- Acceptance Rate 61%
- Net Price $29,179
Hobart William Smith Colleges
- Private 4 Year
- Geneva, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Hobart and William Smith is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate environmental studies and political science. The residential campus overlooks Seneca Lake in New York's Finger Lakes region.
- SAT Range 1190-1385
- Avg GPA 3.55
- Acceptance Rate 64%
- Net Price $34,170
Syracuse University
- Private 4 Year
- Syracuse, NY
-
4.0 | 3 reviews
- 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
- Acceptance Rate 46%
- Net Price $48,215
Ithaca College
- Private 4 Year
- Ithaca, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Ithaca College is a private college known for undergraduate communications, journalism, and music. The hillside campus overlooks Cayuga Lake in the college town of Ithaca.
- SAT Range 1230-1390
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 69%
- Net Price $35,253
The New School
- Private 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
3.3 | 3 reviews
The New School is a private university known for undergraduate fashion, design, and the performing arts. Students attend classes on an urban campus in Manhattan's Greenwich Village.
- SAT Range 1140-1360
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.59
- Acceptance Rate 63%
- Net Price $67,224
Nazareth University
- Private 4 Year
- Rochester, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Nazareth is a private university known for undergraduate education, nursing, and music. The suburban campus sits in Pittsford just outside Rochester.
- SAT Range 1070-1320
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 75%
- Net Price $30,785
Rochester Institute of Technology
- Private 4 Year
- Rochester, NY
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
RIT is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, computing, and photography. The suburban campus near Rochester includes the National Technical Institute for the Deaf.
- SAT Range 1300-1460
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 67%
- Net Price $39,534
Marist University
- Private 4 Year
- Poughkeepsie, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
Marist is a private university known for undergraduate communications, media studies, and fashion. The campus sits along the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie.
- SAT Range 1190-1340
- Avg GPA 3.56
- Acceptance Rate 57%
- Net Price $42,508
Adelphi University
- Private 4 Year
- Garden City, NY
-
3.0 | 3 reviews
Adelphi is a private university known for undergraduate nursing, psychology, and the performing arts. The suburban Garden City campus sits on Long Island outside New York City.
- SAT Range 1120-1340
- Avg GPA 3.69
- Acceptance Rate 66%
- Net Price $31,303
Bard College
- Private 4 Year
- Annandale-On-Hudson, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Bard is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate arts, music, and literature. The campus overlooks the Hudson River in New York's Hudson Valley.
- SAT Range 1270-1450
- Avg GPA NA
- Acceptance Rate 52%
- Net Price $29,320
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
- Public 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- 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
- Acceptance Rate 48%
- Net Price $4,326
Clarkson University
- Private 4 Year
- Potsdam, NY
-
5.0 | 3 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Clarkson is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, business, and the sciences. The residential campus is in the small college town of Potsdam in northern New York.
- SAT Range 1200-1390
- Avg GPA 3.8
- Acceptance Rate 77%
- Net Price $32,406
Hofstra University
- Private 4 Year
- Hempstead, NY
-
4.0 | 3 reviews
Hofstra is a private university known for undergraduate communications, journalism, and business. The suburban Long Island campus sits in Hempstead near New York City.
- SAT Range 1230-1400
- Avg GPA 3.74
- Acceptance Rate 68%
- Net Price $35,792
SUNY College at Geneseo
- Public 4 Year
- Geneseo, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Geneseo is a public liberal arts college known for undergraduate education and the sciences. The residential campus sits in a small college town in western New York's Genesee Valley.
- SAT Range 1190-1340
- Avg GPA 3.72
- Acceptance Rate 66%
- Net Price $19,115
St. John Fisher University
- Private 4 Year
- Rochester, NY
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
St. John Fisher is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate pharmacy, nursing, and business. The suburban campus sits in the Rochester area of western New York.
- SAT Range 1120-1300
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Acceptance Rate 66%
- Net Price $30,540
University at Albany
- Public 4 Year
- Albany, NY
-
4.5 | 2 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
University at Albany is a large public university known for undergraduate criminal justice, public policy, and atmospheric science. The campus is in New York's capital, with many programs oriented toward state government.
- SAT Range 1120-1320
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 69%
- Net Price $17,949
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
- Public 4 Year
- Syracuse, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
ESF is a specialized public college known for undergraduate environmental science, forestry, and landscape architecture. The campus adjoins Syracuse University in Syracuse.
- SAT Range 1130-1300
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 63%
- Net Price $19,814
New York Institute of Technology
- Private 4 Year
- Old Westbury, NY
-
3.0 | 2 reviews
NYIT is a private university known for undergraduate architecture, engineering, and computer science. The suburban Old Westbury campus sits on Long Island.
- SAT Range 1190-1420
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $24,688