2026 Best Value Critical Care Nursing Schools in New York

[Critical Care Nursing](/majors/health-care-professions/nursing/critical-care-nursing/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong critical care nursing education at a price that pays off.
College Factual analyzed 6 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best value critical care nursing schools.
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2026 Best Value Critical Care Nursing Schools in New York
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the critical care nursing degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Critical Care Nursing Schools
Leading the list is Stony Brook University, our #1 best value for critical care nursing in New York. Located in the suburb of Stony Brook, Stony Brook University is a very large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $10,931, while out-of-state students pay about $32,741. Critical Care Nursing graduates carry a median of $23,000 in student loans. Early-career critical care nursing graduates make about $117,350. That is a strong return on a $23,000 median debt. The acceptance rate is 49%.
A rank of #2 makes University At Buffalo one of the best values for critical care nursing. Located in the suburb of Buffalo, University At Buffalo is a very large public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $10,936, compared with $31,536 for out-of-state students. Critical Care Nursing graduates carry a median of $26,117 in student loans. Early-career critical care nursing graduates make about $52,403. That is a strong return on a $26,117 median debt. University At Buffalo admits about 74% of applicants.
Molloy College is a great value for students pursuing a degree in critical care nursing, landing the #3 spot this year. Set in the suburb of Rockville Centre, Molloy College is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $39,790. Students borrow a median of $31,000 to complete the critical care nursing program here. Early-career critical care nursing graduates make about $137,197. Set against $31,000 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Molloy College admits about 82% of applicants.
A rank of #4 makes University Of Rochester one of the best values for critical care nursing. University Of Rochester is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Rochester. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $67,080. Typical student debt for critical care nursing graduates is $31,000. Early-career critical care nursing graduates make about $89,788. That is a strong return on a $31,000 median debt. Roughly 40% of applicants are accepted.
Students looking for strong value in critical care nursing will find it at New York University, which ranked #5. Located in the city of New York, New York University is a very large private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $62,796. Typical student debt for critical care nursing graduates is $25,500. Soon after graduation, critical care nursing degree recipients from New York University generally make around $138,833. Set against $25,500 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. New York University admits about 9% of applicants.
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Notes and References
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 6 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.