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.
Penn State Harrisburg
- Public 4 Year
- Middletown, PA
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Penn State Harrisburg is a public university campus known for undergraduate business, engineering, and public affairs. The suburban Middletown campus sits near Pennsylvania's state capital.
- SAT Range 1120-1310
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.48
- Acceptance Rate 98%
- Net Price $23,788
CUNY Lehman College
- Public 4 Year
- Bronx, NY
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Lehman is a public CUNY college known for undergraduate nursing, teacher education, and health sciences. Students attend a tree-lined campus in the northwest Bronx.
- SAT Range 850-1150
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.2
- Acceptance Rate 57%
- Net Price $3,961
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
- Public 4 Year
- New York, NY
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5.0 | 1 reviews
John Jay is a public CUNY college known for undergraduate criminal justice, forensic science, and public administration. The urban Midtown Manhattan campus sits near Lincoln Center.
- SAT Range 930-1220
- Avg GPA 3.24
- Acceptance Rate 57%
- Net Price $4,082
Stockton University
- Public 4 Year
- Galloway, NJ
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5.0 | 1 reviews
- Sep 1 application deadline
Stockton is a public university known for undergraduate environmental science and marine science. The wooded campus sits in New Jersey's Pinelands near Atlantic City.
- SAT Range 1030-1230
- Avg GPA 3.54
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $20,761
William Paterson University of New Jersey
- Public 4 Year
- Wayne, NJ
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- Jun 1 application deadline
William Paterson is a public university known for undergraduate education, nursing, and music. The suburban Wayne campus sits in northern New Jersey within reach of New York City.
- SAT Range 990-1345
- Avg GPA 2.97
- Acceptance Rate 90%
- Net Price $13,509
Westfield State University
- Public 4 Year
- Westfield, MA
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- Mar 1 application deadline
Westfield State is a public university known for undergraduate education and criminal justice. The campus sits in the small city of Westfield in western Massachusetts.
- SAT Range 980-1190
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 81%
- Net Price $17,406
Penn State Altoona
- Public 4 Year
- Altoona, PA
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Penn State Altoona is a public campus of Penn State known for undergraduate rail transportation engineering, nursing, and business. The residential campus sits in the city of Altoona in central Pennsylvania.
- SAT Range 1070-1290
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.4
- Acceptance Rate 98%
- Net Price $21,618
College of Staten Island CUNY
- Public 4 Year
- Staten Island, NY
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College of Staten Island is a public CUNY college known for undergraduate nursing, teacher education, and business. Its large Staten Island campus is one of New York City's most spacious college grounds.
- SAT Range 890-1250
- Avg GPA 3.0
- Acceptance Rate 92%
- Net Price $6,525
SUNY College of Technology at Delhi
- Public 4 Year
- Delhi, NY
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SUNY Delhi is a public college of technology known for undergraduate veterinary science technology, hospitality management, and architectural technology. The residential campus sits in a small village in New York's Catskill Mountains region.
- SAT Range 910-1160
- Avg GPA 3.0
- Acceptance Rate 89%
- Net Price $16,371
Montclair State University
- Public 4 Year
- Montclair, NJ
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4.0 | 1 reviews
Montclair State is a large public university known for undergraduate education and the performing arts. The suburban campus sits in northern New Jersey near New York City.
- SAT Range 910-1210
- Avg GPA 3.3
- Acceptance Rate 88%
- Net Price $17,669
University of Pittsburgh Greensburg
- Public 4 Year
- Greensburg, PA
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Pitt-Greensburg is a regional public campus of the University of Pittsburgh known for undergraduate biology, psychology, and business management. The residential campus sits in suburban Greensburg east of Pittsburgh.
- SAT Range 1055-1253
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 95%
- Net Price $18,365
Western Connecticut State University
- Public 4 Year
- Danbury, CT
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Western Connecticut State is a public university known for undergraduate education, nursing, and the visual and performing arts. Students take classes across Midtown and Westside campuses in Danbury.
- SAT Range 1040-1170
- Avg GPA 3.38
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $17,185
University of Southern Maine
- Public 4 Year
- Portland, ME
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USM is a public university known for undergraduate nursing, education, and business. Students split time between an urban Portland campus and a residential campus in nearby Gorham.
- SAT Range 990-1250
- Avg GPA 3.33
- Acceptance Rate 79%
- Net Price $14,028
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
- Public 4 Year
- Slippery Rock, PA
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Slippery Rock is a public university known for undergraduate education, physical therapy, and exercise science. The residential campus sits in a small college town in western Pennsylvania.
- SAT Range 980-1190
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 71%
- Net Price $18,252
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
- Public 4 Year
- Shippensburg, PA
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| 0 reviews
Shippensburg is a public university known for undergraduate education, business, and criminal justice. The residential campus sits in a small college town in south-central Pennsylvania's Cumberland Valley.
- SAT Range 990-1210
- Avg GPA 3.23
- Acceptance Rate 87%
- Net Price $23,772
Penn State Berks
- Public 4 Year
- Reading, PA
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4.0 | 1 reviews
Penn State Berks is a small public campus of Penn State known for undergraduate business, engineering, and information sciences. The suburban campus is located just outside Reading.
- SAT Range 1090-1275
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.39
- Acceptance Rate 99%
- Net Price $23,721
SUNY Old Westbury
- Public 4 Year
- Old Westbury, NY
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SUNY Old Westbury is a public university known for undergraduate business, teacher education, and the biological sciences. The suburban Long Island campus occupies wooded grounds of a former estate in Nassau County.
- SAT Range 1010-1206
- Avg GPA 3.1
- Acceptance Rate 84%
- Net Price $10,944
Millersville University of Pennsylvania
- Public 4 Year
- Millersville, PA
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Millersville is a public university known for undergraduate education and meteorology. The campus sits in a small college town near Lancaster in southeastern Pennsylvania.
- SAT Range 1020-1210
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.21
- Acceptance Rate 86%
- Net Price $20,551