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.
We analyzed 136 colleges and universities across New York to determine which 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:
Our analysis found Cornell University to be the best school for overall quality in New York in this year’s ranking.
The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 89%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $104,043 during the early years of their career..
A rank of #2 on our Best Colleges in New York list means Columbia University in the City of New York is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 6 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Columbia go into careers with an average salary of $102,491 during the early years of their career.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend New York University. It ranked #3 on our 2025 Best Colleges in New York list.
The student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $82,509 during the early years of their career..
A rank of #4 on our Best Colleges in New York list means Fashion Institute of Technology is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. During the early years of their career, graduates from FIT SUNY make an average of $62,696 a year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Syracuse University. The school came in at #5 in New York on this year’s overall quality ranking.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. During the early years of their career, graduates from Syracuse make an average of $79,164 a year.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranked #6 on this year’s Best Colleges in New York list.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from RPI go into careers with an average salary of $102,051 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #7, Fordham University did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in New York list.
The 4-year grad rate at the school is 79%. 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 $85,569 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #8, University of Rochester did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in New York list.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 9 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 $79,042 during the early years of their career..
Barnard College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in New York ranking.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $80,516 during the early years of their career..
Molloy College landed the #10 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in New York ranking.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $77,789 during the early years of their career..
Colgate University did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in New York ranking, coming in at #11.
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. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Colgate is $85,139 during the early years of their career.
Hamilton College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in New York ranking.
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. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Hamilton go into careers with an average salary of $78,411 during the early years of their career.
Rochester Institute of Technology landed the #13 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in New York ranking.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from RIT make an average of $76,571 per year during the early years of their career.
Stony Brook University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Colleges in New York list.
With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $74,502 during the early years of their career..
Binghamton University landed the #15 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in New York ranking.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Binghamton University make an average of $80,596 a year.
SUNY Westchester Community College did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in New York ranking, coming in at #16.
During the early years of their career, graduates from SUNY Westchester Community College make an average of $46,822 a year.
With a ranking of #17, John Jay College of Criminal Justice did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in New York list.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $56,195 during the early years of their career..
With a ranking of #18, University at Buffalo did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in New York list.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $70,814 during the early years of their career..
Marist College landed the #19 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in New York ranking.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. During the early years of their career, graduates from Marist make an average of $77,819 a year.
Adelphi University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Colleges in New York list.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Adelphi is $75,482 during the early years of their career.
Wagner College landed the #21 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in New York ranking.
Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Wagner make an average of $74,360 per year during the early years of their career.
The New School came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in New York ranking.
During the early years of their career, graduates from New School University make an average of $52,901 a year.
Ithaca College did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in New York ranking, coming in at #23.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $63,548 during the early years of their career..
LIU Post ranked #24 on this year’s Best Colleges in New York list.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $59,950 during the early years of their career..
SUNY Cortland came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in New York ranking.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Cortland go into careers with an average salary of $60,236 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 | Baruch College | New York, NY |
| 27 | University at Albany | Albany, NY |
| 28 | Hofstra University | Hempstead, NY |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.