State Rankings

Best Colleges in New York

Top colleges in New York ranked by national standing and graduate outcomes — updated 2026.

Colleges listed: 50

Avg grad earnings: $76,550

Public / Private: 17 / 33

Top Colleges in New York

Nationally ranked schools appear first. Remaining schools are ordered by median graduate earnings.

State #	School	Type	Grad Earnings	Admit Rate	SAT Avg	Grad Rate	Out-of-State
1	Barnard College New York#37 national	Private	$80,516	8.0%	1,500	92.9%	$66,246
2	Columbia University New York#45 national	Private	$102,491	4.2%	1,547	95.0%	$69,045
3	United States Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point#56 national	Public	$90,610	32.5%	1,226	80.6%	$945
4	Cornell University Ithaca#61 national	Private	$104,043	8.2%	1,520	95.1%	$66,014
5	The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art New York#66 national	Private	$83,847	19.1%	1,480	80.3%	$46,820
6	Binghamton University Vestal#86 national	Public	$80,596	37.7%	1,415	83.7%	$29,453
7	CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York#87 national	Public	$75,971	50.5%	1,310	72.1%	$15,414
8	Skidmore College Saratoga Springs#89 national	Private	$69,363	22.9%	1,388	81.7%	$65,030
9	Vassar College Poughkeepsie#90 national	Private	$71,366	17.7%	1,513	89.1%	$67,805
10	Colgate University Hamilton#92 national	Private	$85,139	11.9%	1,480	90.5%	$67,024
11	Syracuse University Syracuse#106 national	Private	$79,164	41.7%	1,351	81.3%	$63,061
12	Stony Brook University Stony Brook#110 national	Public	$74,502	49.0%	1,410	77.8%	$30,350
13	Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Albany#115 national	Private	$131,426	59.1%	1,280	68.8%	$40,375
14	Union College Schenectady#137 national	Private	$88,604	43.8%	1,410	85.3%	$66,456
15	Hamilton College Clinton#149 national	Private	$78,411	11.8%	1,487	91.3%	$65,740
16	RPI Troy#150 national	Private	$102,051	58.5%	1,415	83.2%	$61,884
17	Fashion Institute of Technology New York#152 national	Public	$62,696	57.6%	N/A	83.3%	$16,750
18	NYU New York#153 national	Private	$82,509	9.4%	1,527	88.5%	$60,438
19	Marist University Poughkeepsie#170 national	Private	$77,819	64.7%	1,285	79.8%	$46,140
20	SUNY Maritime College Throggs Neck#171 national	Public	$95,951	78.5%	1,199	74.9%	$18,450
21	St Lawrence University Canton#174 national	Private	$67,258	58.5%	1,343	79.7%	$63,870
22	SUNY College at Geneseo Geneseo#179 national	Public	$67,316	63.5%	1,296	72.1%	$19,206
23	United States Military Academy West Point#181 national	Public	N/A	14.0%	1,355	85.4%	N/A
24	University of Rochester Rochester#184 national	Private	$79,042	35.9%	1,480	84.5%	$64,348
25	CUNY Hunter College New York#185 national	Public	$63,163	54.0%	1,350	61.0%	$15,332
26	Hobart William Smith Colleges Geneva#191 national	Private	$68,831	57.3%	1,296	72.7%	$63,268
27	Fordham University Bronx#201 national	Private	$85,569	56.3%	1,412	80.3%	$61,992
28	Helene Fuld College of Nursing New York#202 national	Private	$111,027	23.8%	N/A	N/A	$24,648
29	Siena College Loudonville#205 national	Private	$76,079	70.6%	1,238	75.8%	$44,405
30	Molloy University Rockville Centre#212 national	Private	$77,789	75.6%	1,193	71.8%	$37,840
31	Clarkson University Potsdam#222 national	Private	$89,696	77.2%	1,307	73.6%	$57,950
32	St. John Fisher University Rochester#227 national	Private	$66,944	67.8%	1,207	74.4%	$39,666
33	Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester#235 national	Private	$76,571	71.4%	1,378	70.8%	$57,016
34	Adelphi University Garden City#250 national	Private	$75,482	77.5%	1,224	68.9%	$47,290
35	CUNY Brooklyn College Brooklyn#251 national	Public	$60,752	53.7%	1,310	56.6%	$15,402
36	CUNY Queens College Queens#254 national	Public	$62,763	68.5%	1,210	60.2%	$15,488
37	Farmingdale State College Farmingdale#271 national	Public	$69,781	69.1%	1,104	57.1%	$18,486
38	University at Buffalo Buffalo#279 national	Public	$70,814	69.3%	1,298	73.4%	$30,572
39	Manhattan University Riverdale#286 national	Private	$86,316	78.5%	1,254	66.0%	$50,850
40	Le Moyne College Syracuse#291 national	Private	$62,731	75.3%	1,260	71.0%	$38,970
41	State University of New York at New Paltz New Paltz#295 national	Public	$58,073	58.7%	1,267	68.9%	$18,434
42	Ithaca College Ithaca#304 national	Private	$63,548	69.9%	1,285	74.1%	$50,510
43	St. John's University-New York Queens#312 national	Private	$69,571	79.7%	1,215	68.5%	$50,110
44	Hofstra University Hempstead#319 national	Private	$69,039	70.6%	1,294	67.1%	$55,450
45	CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice New York#322 national	Public	$56,195	57.2%	1,140	55.5%	$15,420
46	State University of New York at Cortland Cortland#327 national	Public	$60,236	50.7%	N/A	68.3%	$18,725
47	St. Joseph's University-New York Brooklyn#329 national	Private	$63,905	71.4%	1,170	64.2%	$34,535
48	Pratt Institute-Main Brooklyn#340 national	Private	$54,295	53.2%	1,339	72.7%	$59,683
49	SUNY Oneonta Oneonta#348 national	Public	$60,386	70.2%	1,181	70.2%	$19,232
50	Canisius University Buffalo#363 national	Private	$60,681	81.8%	N/A	70.7%	$32,720

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Excludes for-profit institutions.

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