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.
SUNY Maritime College
- Public 4 Year
- Throggs Neck, NY
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 31 application deadline
SUNY Maritime is a public maritime college known for undergraduate marine transportation, marine engineering, and naval architecture. The waterfront campus occupies historic Fort Schuyler on the Throggs Neck peninsula in the Bronx.
- SAT Range 1123-1288
- Avg GPA 3.4
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $20,312
St. John's University New York
- Private 4 Year
- Queens, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
St. John's is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate pharmacy, business, and communications. The urban campus is in Queens in New York City.
- SAT Range 1150-1340
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $29,656
Canisius University
- Private 4 Year
- Buffalo, NY
-
| 0 reviews
Canisius is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business and education. The urban campus is located in Buffalo.
- SAT Range 1050-1320
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $19,666
Alfred University
- Private 4 Year
- Alfred, NY
-
3.5 | 2 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Alfred is a private university known for undergraduate ceramics, ceramic engineering, and art. The rural campus sits in the small college village of Alfred in western New York.
- SAT Range 1095-1310
- Avg GPA 3.4
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $26,470
SUNY Brockport
- Public 4 Year
- Brockport, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
SUNY Brockport is a public university known for undergraduate teacher education, nursing, and exercise science. The residential campus sits in the college town of Brockport along the Erie Canal.
- SAT Range 1100-1280
- Avg GPA 2.79
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $15,725
Hartwick College
- Private 4 Year
- Oneonta, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
Hartwick is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate nursing and the sciences. The hillside campus overlooks the college town of Oneonta in upstate New York.
- SAT Range 1070-1290
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.36
- Acceptance Rate 70%
- Net Price $31,712
State University of New York at Cortland
- Public 4 Year
- Cortland, NY
-
| 0 reviews
SUNY Cortland is a public university known for undergraduate teacher education, physical education, and sport management. The residential campus sits in the small college town of Cortland in central New York.
- SAT Range 1090-1240
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 60%
- Net Price $19,847
Houghton University
- Private 4 Year
- Houghton, NY
-
3.5 | 2 reviews
Houghton is a private Christian liberal arts university known for undergraduate music and the liberal arts. The rural residential campus sits in a small village in western New York.
- SAT Range 1170-1375
- Avg GPA 3.25
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $21,274
State University of New York at Oswego
- Public 4 Year
- Oswego, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
SUNY Oswego is a public university known for undergraduate meteorology, broadcasting, and education. The campus sits on the southern shore of Lake Ontario.
- SAT Range 1070-1270
- Avg GPA 3.49
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $15,853
Farmingdale State College
- Public 4 Year
- Farmingdale, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- May 1 application deadline
Farmingdale State is a public college of technology known for undergraduate aviation, engineering technology, and applied sciences. The suburban campus sits on Long Island.
- SAT Range 1040-1240
- Avg GPA 3.26
- Acceptance Rate 63%
- Net Price $9,655
Iona University
- Private 4 Year
- New Rochelle, NY
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5.0 | 2 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
Iona is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate business and communications. The suburban New Rochelle campus sits a short distance north of New York City.
- SAT Range 1110-1300
- Avg GPA 3.4
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $29,978
Marymount Manhattan College
- Private 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
Marymount Manhattan is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate theater, dance, and communication arts. The urban campus sits on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
- SAT Range 1105-1323
- Avg GPA 3.45
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $38,376
SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
- Public 4 Year
- Alfred, NY
-
| 0 reviews
Alfred State is a public college of technology known for undergraduate architecture, engineering technology, and construction management. The rural campus sits in the small college town of Alfred in western New York.
- SAT Range 990-1200
- Avg GPA 3.1
- Acceptance Rate 76%
- Net Price $15,283
Manhattanville University
- Private 4 Year
- Purchase, NY
-
4.4 | 25 reviews
Manhattanville is a private university known for undergraduate education and the liberal arts. The suburban campus occupies a historic estate in Purchase.
- SAT Range 1020-1230
- Avg GPA 3.19
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $21,690
State University of New York at Plattsburgh
- Public 4 Year
- Plattsburgh, NY
-
| 0 reviews
SUNY Plattsburgh is a public university known for undergraduate education, business, and Canadian studies. The campus sits beside Lake Champlain in northern New York near the Adirondacks.
- SAT Range 1080-1250
- Avg GPA 3.11
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $15,412
Niagara University
- Private 4 Year
- Niagara University, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 30 application deadline
Niagara is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate hospitality and tourism management, education, and nursing. The suburban campus sits near Niagara Falls in western New York.
- SAT Range 1060-1235
- Avg GPA 3.53
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $16,613
Long Island University
- Private 4 Year
- Brookville, NY
-
| 0 reviews
LIU is a private university known for undergraduate business, education, and nursing. The suburban Brookville campus occupies a former Gilded Age estate on Long Island's North Shore.
- SAT Range 1110-1350
- Avg GPA 3.36
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $24,867
St Bonaventure University
- Private 4 Year
- Saint Bonaventure, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jul 30 application deadline
St. Bonaventure is a private Franciscan university known for undergraduate journalism, communication, and business. The rural campus sits in southwestern New York near Olean.
- SAT Range 1065-1290
- Avg GPA 3.48
- Acceptance Rate 82%
- Net Price $27,373