Top Rated East Public Colleges
These are the top ranked public four-year colleges in the East as ranked by CollegeSimply. Leading the rankings for 2027 as the best public college in the East is University at Buffalo. Learn how the Best Colleges rankings are calculated on our ranking methodology page.
Rowan University
- Public 4 Year
- Glassboro, NJ
-
2.7 | 6 reviews
Rowan is a public university known for undergraduate engineering and education. Glassboro is a South Jersey college town built around the campus.
- SAT Range 1110-1310
- Avg GPA 3.44
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $23,761
State University of New York at New Paltz
- Public 4 Year
- New Paltz, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- Apr 1 application deadline
SUNY New Paltz is a public university known for undergraduate fine arts, graphic design, and education. The campus sits in a Hudson Valley college town near the Shawangunk Mountains.
- SAT Range 1170-1340
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 62%
- Net Price $18,051
CUNY Hunter College
- Public 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
| 0 reviews
Hunter College is a public CUNY college known for undergraduate nursing, education, and psychology. The urban campus is on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
- SAT Range 1100-1420
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 54%
- Net Price $4,431
CUNY City College
- Public 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
CCNY is a public college in the CUNY system known for undergraduate engineering, architecture, and the sciences. The urban campus is located in Harlem in northern Manhattan.
- SAT Range 1070-1430
- Avg GPA 3.2
- Acceptance Rate 60%
- Net Price $4,664
SUNY Oneonta
- Public 4 Year
- Oneonta, NY
-
3.0 | 2 reviews
SUNY Oneonta is a public university known for undergraduate education, environmental science, and music. The residential campus sits in a college town in New York's Catskill region.
- SAT Range 1120-1310
- Avg GPA 3.45
- Acceptance Rate 70%
- Net Price $18,669
CUNY Brooklyn College
- Public 4 Year
- Brooklyn, NY
-
1.0 | 1 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Brooklyn College is a public CUNY college known for undergraduate education, the liberal arts, and performing arts. The Georgian-style campus sits on a tree-lined quadrangle in Brooklyn's Midwood neighborhood.
- SAT Range 950-1340
- Avg GPA 3.42
- Acceptance Rate 58%
- Net Price $4,512
SUNY Polytechnic Institute
- Public 4 Year
- Utica, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- Aug 1 application deadline
SUNY Poly is a public polytechnic institute known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and cybersecurity. The Utica-area campus sits in Central New York.
- SAT Range 1025-1370
- Avg GPA 3.7
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $14,782
SUNY at Fredonia
- Public 4 Year
- Fredonia, NY
-
| 0 reviews
Fredonia is a public university known for undergraduate music, performing arts, and education. The residential campus sits in a small college town in western New York near Lake Erie.
- SAT Range 1160-1370
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 78%
- Net Price $16,023
Massachusetts Maritime Academy
- Public 4 Year
- Buzzards Bay, MA
-
| 0 reviews
- Apr 15 application deadline
Mass Maritime is a public maritime academy known for undergraduate marine transportation, marine engineering, and maritime business. Most students join a regiment of cadets on a campus along the Cape Cod Canal in Buzzards Bay.
- SAT Range 1030-1185
- Avg GPA 3.25
- Acceptance Rate 95%
- Net Price $13,546
CUNY Queens College
- Public 4 Year
- Queens, NY
-
4.0 | 1 reviews
Queens College is a public CUNY college known for undergraduate music through the Aaron Copland School of Music and for education. The tree-lined campus is in Flushing, Queens.
- SAT Range 1010-1290
- Avg GPA 3.0
- Acceptance Rate 64%
- Net Price $5,728
SUNY at Purchase College
- Public 4 Year
- Purchase, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jul 1 application deadline
Purchase is a public college known for undergraduate performing arts, visual arts, and film. The suburban Westchester campus sits near New York City.
- SAT Range 1185-1380
- Avg GPA 3.37
- Acceptance Rate 74%
- Net Price $18,211
University of Massachusetts Lowell
- Public 4 Year
- Lowell, MA
-
3.5 | 2 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
UMass Lowell is a public university known for undergraduate engineering, nursing, and sciences. The urban campus sits along the Merrimack River in Lowell.
- SAT Range 1180-1370
- Avg GPA 3.67
- Acceptance Rate 83%
- Net Price $16,530
SUNY Maritime College
- Public 4 Year
- Throggs Neck, NY
-
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
University of New Hampshire Main Campus
- Public 4 Year
- Durham, NH
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
UNH is a large public university known for undergraduate marine science, environmental studies, and business. Durham is a classic New England college town built around the campus near the seacoast.
- SAT Range 1090-1330
- Avg GPA 3.58
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $24,999
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
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
University of Rhode Island
- Public 4 Year
- Kingston, RI
-
4.0 | 5 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
URI is a public university known for undergraduate oceanography, marine science, and pharmacy. The main campus sits in the college town of Kingston in southern Rhode Island.
- SAT Range 1020-1280
- Avg GPA 3.58
- Acceptance Rate 72%
- Net Price $24,118
University of Massachusetts Boston
- Public 4 Year
- Boston, MA
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 15 application deadline
UMass Boston is a large public university known for undergraduate nursing, business, and environmental science. The urban waterfront campus sits on Columbia Point along Boston Harbor.
- SAT Range 1070-1290
- Avg GPA 3.35
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $17,768