Most Selective Colleges in New York
Ranked by acceptance rate (100 colleges with at least 500 undergraduates). Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, June 2026 release.
| # | College | Acceptance rate | Net price | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY · Private nonprofit | 4% | $21,590 | $102,491 |
| 2 | Cornell University Ithaca, NY · Private nonprofit | 9% | $28,690 | $104,043 |
| 3 | Barnard College New York, NY · Private nonprofit | 9% | $28,800 | $80,516 |
| 4 | New York University New York, NY · Private nonprofit | 9% | $37,050 | $82,509 |
| 5 | United States Military Academy West Point, NY · Public | 12% | — | — |
| 6 | Hamilton College Clinton, NY · Private nonprofit | 14% | $28,985 | $78,411 |
| 7 | Colgate University Hamilton, NY · Private nonprofit | 14% | $28,786 | $85,139 |
| 8 | Helene Fuld College of Nursing New York, NY · Private nonprofit | 17% | $47,181 | $111,027 |
| 9 | Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY · Private nonprofit | 19% | $39,343 | $71,366 |
| 10 | The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art New York, NY · Private nonprofit | 21% | $13,269 | $83,847 |
| 11 | Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY · Private nonprofit | 21% | $32,297 | $69,363 |
| 12 | American Musical and Dramatic Academy New York, NY · Private nonprofit | 24% | $41,416 | $26,975 |
| 13 | Plaza College Forest Hills, NY · Private for-profit | 30% | $19,860 | $31,519 |
| 14 | United States Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point, NY · Public | 34% | $6,174 | $90,610 |
| 15 | Binghamton University Vestal, NY · Public | 39% | $21,620 | $80,596 |
| 16 | University of Rochester Rochester, NY · Private nonprofit | 40% | $29,278 | $79,042 |
| 17 | Manhattan School of Music New York, NY · Private nonprofit | 41% | $51,754 | $26,878 |
| 18 | Union College Schenectady, NY · Private nonprofit | 44% | $34,561 | $88,604 |
| 19 | Maria College of Albany Albany, NY · Private nonprofit | 44% | $13,082 | $55,458 |
| 20 | Syracuse University Syracuse, NY · Private nonprofit | 46% | $38,793 | $79,164 |
| 21 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY · Public | 48% | $3,033 | $75,971 |
| 22 | Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY · Public | 49% | $18,784 | $74,502 |
| 23 | Bard College Annandale-On-Hudson, NY · Private nonprofit | 52% | $34,649 | $46,543 |
| 24 | Russell Sage College Troy, NY · Private nonprofit | 53% | $22,917 | $58,316 |
| 25 | CUNY Hunter College New York, NY · Public | 54% | $2,984 | $63,163 |
| 26 | Five Towns College Dix Hills, NY · Private for-profit | 54% | $22,992 | $35,887 |
| 27 | St Lawrence University Canton, NY · Private nonprofit | 54% | $28,651 | $67,258 |
| 28 | Yeshiva University New York, NY · Private nonprofit | 56% | $49,965 | $71,353 |
| 29 | Marist University Poughkeepsie, NY · Private nonprofit | 57% | $41,544 | $77,819 |
| 30 | CUNY Lehman College Bronx, NY · Public | 57% | $3,148 | $58,013 |
| 31 | CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice New York, NY · Public | 57% | $3,203 | $56,195 |
| 32 | CUNY Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY · Public | 58% | $3,103 | $60,752 |
| 33 | Fordham University Bronx, NY · Private nonprofit | 59% | $44,338 | $85,569 |
| 34 | State University of New York at Cortland Cortland, NY · Public | 60% | $22,345 | $60,236 |
| 35 | CUNY City College New York, NY · Public | 60% | $3,776 | $66,039 |
| 36 | Fashion Institute of Technology New York, NY · Public | 60% | $19,095 | $62,696 |
| 37 | Touro University New York, NY · Private nonprofit | 61% | $29,627 | $53,419 |
| 38 | State University of New York at New Paltz New Paltz, NY · Public | 62% | $18,809 | $58,073 |
| 39 | Sarah Lawrence College Bronxville, NY · Private nonprofit | 62% | $41,437 | $53,603 |
| 40 | SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse, NY · Public | 63% | $18,952 | $55,763 |
| 41 | Farmingdale State College Farmingdale, NY · Public | 63% | $10,867 | $69,781 |
| 42 | Dominican University New York Orangeburg, NY · Private nonprofit | 63% | $41,832 | $61,171 |
| 43 | The New School New York, NY · Private nonprofit | 63% | $58,741 | $52,901 |
| 44 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY · Private nonprofit | 63% | $36,228 | $102,051 |
| 45 | Hobart William Smith Colleges Geneva, NY · Private nonprofit | 64% | $31,563 | $68,831 |
| 46 | CUNY York College Jamaica, NY · Public | 64% | $4,456 | $56,945 |
| 47 | CUNY Queens College Queens, NY · Public | 64% | $4,195 | $62,763 |
| 48 | Adelphi University Garden City, NY · Private nonprofit | 66% | $30,783 | $75,482 |
| 49 | St. John Fisher University Rochester, NY · Private nonprofit | 66% | $28,945 | $66,944 |
| 50 | SUNY College at Geneseo Geneseo, NY · Public | 66% | $18,211 | $67,316 |
| 51 | Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY · Private nonprofit | 67% | $34,906 | $76,571 |
| 52 | Monroe University Bronx, NY · Private for-profit | 68% | $14,522 | $41,236 |
| 53 | Hofstra University Hempstead, NY · Private nonprofit | 68% | $34,176 | $69,039 |
| 54 | Keuka College Keuka Park, NY · Private nonprofit | 68% | $24,338 | $58,289 |
| 55 | Daemen University Amherst, NY · Private nonprofit | 68% | $18,693 | $61,808 |
| 56 | CUNY Graduate School and University Center New York, NY · Public | 68% | — | $65,991 |
| 57 | Ithaca College Ithaca, NY · Private nonprofit | 69% | $33,926 | $63,548 |
| 58 | Siena University Loudonville, NY · Private nonprofit | 69% | $33,733 | $76,079 |
| 59 | University at Albany Albany, NY · Public | 69% | $17,167 | $67,979 |
| 60 | Hartwick College Oneonta, NY · Private nonprofit | 70% | $31,320 | $61,107 |
| 61 | SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, NY · Public | 70% | $19,158 | $60,386 |
| 62 | Yeshiva of Machzikai Hadas Brooklyn, NY · Private nonprofit | 70% | $22,870 | — |
| 63 | Roberts Wesleyan University Rochester, NY · Private nonprofit | 71% | $23,130 | $55,031 |
| 64 | SUNY Brockport Brockport, NY · Public | 71% | $16,353 | $54,496 |
| 65 | St. Joseph's University-New York Brooklyn, NY · Private nonprofit | 72% | $19,035 | $63,905 |
| 66 | Canisius University Buffalo, NY · Private nonprofit | 72% | $17,940 | $60,681 |
| 67 | SUNY Maritime College Throggs Neck, NY · Public | 72% | $22,367 | $95,951 |
| 68 | SUNY Buffalo State University Buffalo, NY · Public | 73% | $11,346 | $52,334 |
| 69 | Pratt Institute-Main Brooklyn, NY · Private nonprofit | 73% | $52,659 | $54,295 |
| 70 | Alfred University Alfred, NY · Private nonprofit | 74% | $25,620 | $54,897 |
| 71 | SUNY at Purchase College Purchase, NY · Public | 74% | $18,913 | $45,092 |
| 72 | University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY · Public | 74% | $20,995 | $70,814 |
| 73 | Nazareth University Rochester, NY · Private nonprofit | 75% | $29,357 | $56,458 |
| 74 | SUNY College of Technology at Alfred Alfred, NY · Public | 76% | $15,016 | $50,445 |
| 75 | Pace University New York, NY · Private nonprofit | 76% | $30,892 | $70,378 |
| 76 | Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science Paul Smiths, NY · Private nonprofit | 77% | $26,683 | $46,145 |
| 77 | Elmira College Elmira, NY · Private nonprofit | 77% | $22,386 | $57,550 |
| 78 | Clarkson University Potsdam, NY · Private nonprofit | 77% | $30,305 | $89,696 |
| 79 | SUNY at Fredonia Fredonia, NY · Public | 78% | $15,897 | $54,247 |
| 80 | SUNY College at Potsdam Potsdam, NY · Public | 78% | $13,624 | $47,866 |
| 81 | State University of New York at Plattsburgh Plattsburgh, NY · Public | 78% | $17,156 | $56,403 |
| 82 | Manhattan University Riverdale, NY · Private nonprofit | 79% | $27,256 | $86,316 |
| 83 | CUNY New York City College of Technology Brooklyn, NY · Public | 80% | $5,127 | $49,365 |
| 84 | State University of New York at Oswego Oswego, NY · Public | 81% | $16,236 | $57,566 |
| 85 | New York Institute of Technology Old Westbury, NY · Private nonprofit | 81% | $22,443 | $70,080 |
| 86 | SUNY Polytechnic Institute Utica, NY · Public | 81% | $14,164 | $64,355 |
| 87 | D'Youville University Buffalo, NY · Private nonprofit | 81% | $20,433 | $66,942 |
| 88 | St Bonaventure University Saint Bonaventure, NY · Private nonprofit | 82% | $27,074 | $57,214 |
| 89 | Molloy University Rockville Centre, NY · Private nonprofit | 82% | $24,347 | $77,789 |
| 90 | Marymount Manhattan College New York, NY · Private nonprofit | 83% | $36,861 | $49,131 |
| 91 | Le Moyne College Syracuse, NY · Private nonprofit | 83% | $22,277 | $62,731 |
| 92 | St. John's University-New York Queens, NY · Private nonprofit | 83% | $29,999 | $69,571 |
| 93 | SUNY Old Westbury Old Westbury, NY · Public | 84% | $11,282 | $58,526 |
| 94 | SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill Cobleskill, NY · Public | 84% | $18,701 | $45,030 |
| 95 | University of Mount Saint Vincent Bronx, NY · Private nonprofit | 85% | $21,696 | $65,756 |
| 96 | Mercy University Dobbs Ferry, NY · Private nonprofit | 86% | $14,072 | $52,055 |
| 97 | CUNY Medgar Evers College Brooklyn, NY · Public | 86% | $5,718 | $46,498 |
| 98 | Long Island University Brookville, NY · Private nonprofit | 86% | $33,062 | $59,950 |
| 99 | Villa Maria College Buffalo, NY · Private nonprofit | 87% | $13,494 | $38,857 |
| 100 | Iona University New Rochelle, NY · Private nonprofit | 87% | $29,188 | $73,595 |