by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which college to attend when you have so many options available. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our Top New York Colleges ranking is part of that endeavor.
Our analysis looked at 142 schools in New York to determine which ones were the best in terms of overall quality. Our ranking is based on over 20 objective factors, including post graduate earnings, freshman retention, and graduation rate. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another.
Since one ranking on its own is not enough to give you a complete understanding of your educational options, you can refine this list by location and field of study. We've also developed a number of other tools and rankings based on other factors. These other rankings highlight colleges that excel in other factors such as value or diversity as well as schools that excel in serving different groups of students such as veterans or returnings adults.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering!
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Teachers College at Columbia University tops this year’s ranking as the best school in New York for overall quality. Teachers College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 1,995 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia University in the City of New York. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Colleges in New York list. Columbia is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 13,952 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 99%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. During the early years of their career, graduates from Columbia make an average of $89,871 a year.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Cornell University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in New York. Cornell University is a large private not-for-profit school located in Ithaca, New York that handed out 7,952 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. During the early years of their career, graduates from Cornell make an average of $91,176 a year.
Out of the 142 schools in New York that were part of this year’s ranking, New York University landed the #4 spot on the list. This large private not-for-profit school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 17,605 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from NYU is $76,040 during the early years of their career.
A rank of #5 on our Best Colleges in New York list means Colgate University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Hamilton, New York, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 899 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $76,267 during the early years of their career..
With a ranking of #6, Barnard College did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in New York list. Located in New York, New York, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 676 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 84%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Barnard make an average of $71,678 per year during the early years of their career.
Fashion Institute of Technology landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in New York ranking.New York, New York is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 3,706 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from FIT SUNY go into careers with an average salary of $60,037 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #8, University of Rochester did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in New York list. University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rochester, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4,070 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from University of Rochester is $68,335 during the early years of their career.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges in New York list. This medium-sized private not-for-profit school is located in Troy, New York, and it awarded 2,179 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $93,416 during the early years of their career..
Fordham University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Colleges in New York list. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Bronx, New York, and it awarded 5,683 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The 4-year grad rate at the school is 78%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Fordham U is $74,578 during the early years of their career.
Hamilton College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in New York ranking. This small private not-for-profit school is located in Clinton, New York, and it awarded 597 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Hamilton is $74,340 during the early years of their career.
Syracuse University landed the #12 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in New York ranking. Syracuse is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Syracuse, New York. It awarded 7,630 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse is $71,470 during the early years of their career.
Vassar College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in New York ranking. Vassar is located in Poughkeepsie, New York and has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 682 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $62,332 during the early years of their career..
With a ranking of #14, The Graduate Center, CUNY did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in New York list. The Graduate Center is a medium-sized public school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 2,885 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from The Graduate Center make an average of $58,746 per year during the early years of their career.
The New School ranked #15 on this year’s Best Colleges in New York list. New School University is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2,719 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $53,981 during the early years of their career..
With a ranking of #16, John Jay College of Criminal Justice did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in New York list. John Jay is located in New York, New York and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4,351 bachelor’s degrees to qualified undergradutates.
The low student loan default rate of 4.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from John Jay go into careers with an average salary of $50,491 during the early years of their career.
Yeshiva University did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in New York ranking, coming in at #17. Yeshiva is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 2,133 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Yeshiva make an average of $64,628 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #18, Stony Brook University did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in New York list. Located in Stony Brook, New York, the large public school awarded 8,678 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $66,678 during the early years of their career..
Hunter College landed the #19 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in New York ranking. Located in New York, New York, the large public school awarded 6,010 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% During the early years of their career, graduates from Hunter make an average of $55,713 a year.
Baruch College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in New York ranking. Baruch is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 5,527 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Baruch is $67,136 during the early years of their career.
Skidmore College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in New York ranking, coming in at #21. Skidmore College is a small private not-for-profit school located in Saratoga Springs, New York that handed out 671 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 85%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Skidmore make an average of $63,726 per year during the early years of their career.
Rochester Institute of Technology landed the #22 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in New York ranking. Located in Rochester, New York, the fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 4,000 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from RIT go into careers with an average salary of $66,280 during the early years of their career.
University at Buffalo did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in New York ranking, coming in at #23.Buffalo, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 9,304 students in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 2.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from University at Buffalo make an average of $62,022 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #24, Excelsior University did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in New York list. This fairly large private not-for-profit school is located in Albany, New York, and it awarded 5,868 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Excelsior University make an average of $75,846 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #25, Clarkson University did quite well on the 2024 Best Colleges in New York list.Potsdam, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 1,225 students in 2020-2021.
The low student loan default rate of 1.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Clarkson make an average of $81,358 per year during the early years of their career.
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These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | Queens College | Queens, NY |
| 27 | Molloy College | Rockville Centre, NY |
| 28 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | Syracuse, NY |
| 29 | Binghamton University | Vestal, NY |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.
