HighSchoolOS Best Colleges in New York
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.
Explore this ranking interactively| # | School | Location | Acceptance | SAT avg | Net price | Grad rate | Undergrads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, NY | 4.0% | 1,553 | $21,590 | 96% | 8,973 |
| 2 | Cornell University | Ithaca, NY | 8.8% | 1,535 | $28,690 | 95% | 15,995 |
| 3 | Hamilton College | Clinton, NY | 13.6% | 1,506 | $28,985 | 91% | 2,030 |
| 4 | New York University | New York, NY | 9.2% | 1,520 | $37,050 | 88% | 28,663 |
| 5 | Barnard College | New York, NY | 8.8% | 1,520 | $28,800 | 93% | 3,264 |
| 6 | Colgate University | Hamilton, NY | 13.9% | 1,508 | $28,786 | 91% | 3,180 |
| 7 | Vassar College | Poughkeepsie, NY | 18.6% | 1,494 | $39,343 | 91% | 2,444 |
| 8 | Jewish Theological Seminary of America | New York, NY | 49% | 1,500 | $43,195 | 90% | 172 |
| 9 | Webb Institute | Glen Cove, NY | 14.0% | 1,496 | $73,043 | 88% | 106 |
| 10 | University of Rochester | Rochester, NY | 40% | 1,488 | $29,278 | 85% | 6,331 |
| 11 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY | 46% | 1,375 | $38,793 | 84% | 15,477 |
| 12 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Troy, NY | 63% | 1,456 | $36,228 | 84% | 5,714 |
| 13 | Skidmore College | Saratoga Springs, NY | 21% | 1,405 | $32,297 | 83% | 2,694 |
| 14 | Fordham University | Bronx, NY | 59% | 1,418 | $44,338 | 82% | 10,512 |
| 15 | Binghamton University | Vestal, NY | 39% | 1,415 | $21,620 | 82% | 14,655 |
| 16 | The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art | New York, NY | 21% | 1,410 | $13,269 | 81% | 842 |
| 17 | Union College | Schenectady, NY | 44% | 1,395 | $34,561 | 80% | 2,046 |
| 18 | Marist University | Poughkeepsie, NY | 57% | 1,295 | $41,544 | 80% | 5,182 |
| 19 | St Lawrence University | Canton, NY | 54% | 1,371 | $28,651 | 79% | 1,918 |
| 20 | Hobart William Smith Colleges | Geneva, NY | 64% | 1,319 | $31,563 | 77% | 1,786 |
| 21 | Ithaca College | Ithaca, NY | 69% | 1,312 | $33,926 | 76% | 4,242 |
| 22 | Stony Brook University | Stony Brook, NY | 49% | 1,419 | $18,784 | 76% | 18,101 |
| 23 | School of Visual Arts | New York, NY | 93% | 1,320 | $57,914 | 76% | 3,244 |
| 24 | University at Buffalo | Buffalo, NY | 74% | 1,295 | $20,995 | 75% | 20,112 |
| 25 | Clarkson University | Potsdam, NY | 77% | 1,304 | $30,305 | 75% | 2,196 |
| 26 | Niagara University | Niagara University, NY | 87% | 1,168 | $17,248 | 75% | 2,653 |
| 27 | St. John Fisher University | Rochester, NY | 66% | 1,214 | $28,945 | 74% | 2,565 |
| 28 | Pratt Institute-Main | Brooklyn, NY | 73% | 1,290 | $52,659 | 74% | 3,910 |
| 29 | Le Moyne College | Syracuse, NY | 83% | 1,255 | $22,277 | 73% | 2,439 |
| 30 | Nazareth University | Rochester, NY | 75% | 1,216 | $29,357 | 73% | 1,873 |
| 31 | Touro University | New York, NY | 61% | 1,348 | $29,627 | 72% | 4,040 |
| 32 | American Musical and Dramatic Academy | New York, NY | 24% | n/a | $41,416 | 72% | 1,438 |
| 33 | State University of New York at New Paltz | New Paltz, NY | 62% | 1,265 | $18,809 | 72% | 6,086 |
| 34 | SUNY College at Geneseo | Geneseo, NY | 66% | 1,286 | $18,211 | 71% | 3,869 |
| 35 | Sarah Lawrence College | Bronxville, NY | 62% | 1,366 | $41,437 | 71% | 1,530 |
| 36 | Rochester Institute of Technology | Rochester, NY | 67% | 1,383 | $34,906 | 70% | 13,215 |
| 37 | Molloy University | Rockville Centre, NY | 82% | 1,187 | $24,347 | 70% | 3,162 |
| 38 | The New School | New York, NY | 63% | n/a | $58,741 | 69% | 6,563 |
| 39 | SUNY Oneonta | Oneonta, NY | 70% | 1,230 | $19,158 | 69% | 4,643 |
| 40 | St. Joseph's University-New York | Brooklyn, NY | 72% | 1,190 | $19,035 | 69% | 3,144 |
Acceptance rate, net price (average cost after aid), and graduation rate are from the most recent federal data; test ranges and deadlines are verified against each school for the 2025-2026 cycle. Click any school for its full profile, deadlines, and supplemental essay prompts.