Best Colleges in New York (2026)

How this list is ranked

The strongest colleges and universities in New York, ranked by graduation rate and selectivity, with verified acceptance rates, net price, and test scores for this admissions cycle.

Schools on this list 40

Source Federal data, same records as every school page

Admit rate, net price, and SAT in the table are for context. Rank order follows the method above, not those columns.

Rank	School	Admit	Net price	SAT
1	Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY	4.0%	$21,590	1510-1580	See record
2	Cornell University Ithaca, NY	8.8%	$28,690	1500-1570	See record
3	Hamilton College Clinton, NY	13.6%	$28,985	1450-1550	See record
4	New York University New York, NY	9.2%	$37,050	1480-1560	See record
5	Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing New York, NY	-	-	-	See record
6	Barnard College New York, NY	8.8%	$28,800	1470-1560	See record
7	The Juilliard School New York, NY	9.2%	$43,571	-	See record
8	Colgate University Hamilton, NY	13.9%	$28,786	1430-1540	See record
9	Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY	18.6%	$39,343	1450-1550	See record
10	Jewish Theological Seminary of America New York, NY	49%	$43,195	1440-1580	See record
11	Yeshiva of the Telshe Alumni Riverdale, NY	100%	-	-	See record
12	Webb Institute Glen Cove, NY	14.0%	$73,043	1430-1530	See record
13	United States Military Academy West Point, NY	12.4%	-	1200-1430	See record
14	University of Rochester Rochester, NY	40%	$29,278	1410-1540	See record
15	Syracuse University Syracuse, NY	46%	$38,793	1270-1440	See record
16	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY	63%	$36,228	1375-1510	See record
17	Yeshiva University New York, NY	56%	$49,965	1340-1510	See record
18	Rabbinical College Bobover Yeshiva Bnei Zion Brooklyn, NY	-	$9,136	-	See record
19	Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY	21%	$32,297	1340-1480	See record
20	United States Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point, NY	34%	$6,174	1110-1300	See record
21	Fordham University Bronx, NY	59%	$44,338	1320-1480	See record
22	Binghamton University Vestal, NY	39%	$21,620	1340-1500	See record
23	The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art New York, NY	21%	$13,269	1295-1501	See record
24	Fashion Institute of Technology New York, NY	60%	$19,095	-	See record
25	Yeshivas Novominsk Brooklyn, NY	90%	$7,032	-	See record
26	Boricua College New York, NY	-	$15,245	-	See record
27	Union College Schenectady, NY	44%	$34,561	1310-1480	See record
28	Yeshiva Kollel Tifereth Elizer Brooklyn, NY	74%	-	-	See record
29	Yeshiva Derech Chaim Brooklyn, NY	88%	$12,072	-	See record
30	Marist University Poughkeepsie, NY	57%	$41,544	1190-1340	See record
31	St Lawrence University Canton, NY	54%	$28,651	1255-1420	See record
32	Manhattan School of Music New York, NY	41%	$51,754	-	See record
33	Associated Beth Rivkah Schools Brooklyn, NY	84%	$22,709	-	See record
34	Hobart William Smith Colleges Geneva, NY	64%	$31,563	1190-1385	See record
35	Ithaca College Ithaca, NY	69%	$33,926	1230-1390	See record
36	Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY	49%	$18,784	1330-1500	See record
37	School of Visual Arts New York, NY	93%	$57,914	1188-1490	See record
38	University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY	74%	$20,995	1210-1380	See record
39	Clarkson University Potsdam, NY	77%	$30,305	1200-1390	See record
40	Siena College Loudonville, NY	69%	$33,733	1110-1360	See record