New York ranking · College Scorecard · Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals

Best Colleges in New York

Using U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data retrieved March-July 2026, these operating New York colleges (undergraduate enrollment 1,000+) rank highest on value: median earnings ten years after enrollment minus average net price. That single gap is the sort key - not prestige, selectivity, or a composite score.

Compiled by PlainCollege , College outcomes data analysis

$80,901
Top earnings-price gap: 100
New York colleges ranked: $21,590
#1 avg net price

The list in one line

Among New York colleges with enrollment of 1,000+, every school on this list clears a $31,444 earnings-minus-net-price gap. Columbia University in the City of New York leads at $80,901.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

$80,901
#1 - Columbia University in: $102,491
#1 ten-year median earnings: $31,444
#100 cutoff gap: 1,000+
undergraduate enrollment floor

Value = 10-year median earnings - average net price for federal-aid students. See methodology for cohort and lag details.

Columbia University in t…

$80,901
St Paul's School of Nurs…

$78,088
Cornell University

$75,353
SUNY Maritime College

$73,584
CUNY Bernard M Baruch Co…

$72,938
Rensselaer Polytechnic I…

$65,823
CUNY City College

$62,263
CUNY Hunter College

$60,179
Clarkson University

$59,391
Manhattan University

$59,060
Binghamton University

$58,976
Farmingdale State College

$58,914
CUNY Queens College

$58,568
CUNY Brooklyn College

$57,649
Colgate University

$56,353

What this shows Specialized health and career schools can rank highly when program mix lifts earnings; compare completion rates and debt on each school profile before reading value as overall quality.

The full New York list

#	School Name	Median Earnings (10yr)	Avg Net Price	Earnings - Price	Enrollment
1	Columbia University in the City of New York	$102,491	$21,590	$80,901	8,973
2	St Paul's School of Nursing-Queens	$104,403	$26,315	$78,088	1,056
3	Cornell University	$104,043	$28,690	$75,353	15,995
4	SUNY Maritime College	$95,951	$22,367	$73,584	1,285
5	CUNY Bernard M Baruch College	$75,971	$3,033	$72,938	16,154
6	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	$102,051	$36,228	$65,823	5,714
7	CUNY City College	$66,039	$3,776	$62,263	12,505
8	CUNY Hunter College	$63,163	$2,984	$60,179	16,289
9	Clarkson University	$89,696	$30,305	$59,391	2,196
10	Manhattan University	$86,316	$27,256	$59,060	2,744
11	Binghamton University	$80,596	$21,620	$58,976	14,655
12	Farmingdale State College	$69,781	$10,867	$58,914	9,552
13	CUNY Queens College	$62,763	$4,195	$58,568	12,550
14	CUNY Brooklyn College	$60,752	$3,103	$57,649	10,543
15	Colgate University	$85,139	$28,786	$56,353	3,180
16	Stony Brook University	$74,502	$18,784	$55,718	18,101
17	CUNY Lehman College	$58,013	$3,148	$54,865	10,696
18	Union College	$88,604	$34,561	$54,043	2,046
19	Molloy University	$77,789	$24,347	$53,442	3,162
20	CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice	$56,195	$3,203	$52,992	11,590
21	CUNY York College	$56,945	$4,456	$52,489	4,345
22	Barnard College	$80,516	$28,800	$51,716	3,264
23	University at Albany	$67,979	$17,167	$50,812	12,564
24	SUNY Polytechnic Institute	$64,355	$14,164	$50,191	1,849
25	University at Buffalo	$70,814	$20,995	$49,819	20,112
26	University of Rochester	$79,042	$29,278	$49,764	6,331
27	Hamilton College	$78,411	$28,985	$49,426	2,030
28	SUNY College at Geneseo	$67,316	$18,211	$49,105	3,869
29	College of Staten Island CUNY	$53,501	$5,579	$47,922	9,657
30	New York Institute of Technology	$70,080	$22,443	$47,637	3,440
31	SUNY Old Westbury	$58,526	$11,282	$47,244	4,162
32	D'Youville University	$66,942	$20,433	$46,509	1,258
33	Wagner College	$74,360	$28,241	$46,119	1,651
34	New York University	$82,509	$37,050	$45,459	28,663
35	St. Joseph's University-New York	$63,905	$19,035	$44,870	3,144
36	Adelphi University	$75,482	$30,783	$44,699	5,276
37	Suffolk County Community College	$49,907	$5,258	$44,649	14,218
38	Iona University	$73,595	$29,188	$44,407	2,951
39	CUNY New York City College of Technology	$49,365	$5,127	$44,238	13,580
40	Utica University	$63,277	$19,108	$44,169	2,278
41	University of Mount Saint Vincent	$65,756	$21,696	$44,060	2,692
42	Fashion Institute of Technology	$62,696	$19,095	$43,601	7,637
43	Daemen University	$61,808	$18,693	$43,115	1,643
44	Canisius University	$60,681	$17,940	$42,741	1,685
45	Empire State University	$54,080	$11,676	$42,404	7,585
46	Siena University	$76,079	$33,733	$42,346	3,409
47	Mount Saint Mary College	$67,705	$25,522	$42,183	1,148
48	Rochester Institute of Technology	$76,571	$34,906	$41,665	13,215
49	State University of New York at Oswego	$57,566	$16,236	$41,330	5,473
50	Fordham University	$85,569	$44,338	$41,231	10,512
51	SUNY Oneonta	$60,386	$19,158	$41,228	4,643
52	Nassau Community College	$48,248	$7,095	$41,153	10,630
53	SUNY Buffalo State University	$52,334	$11,346	$40,988	5,097
54	CUNY Medgar Evers College	$46,498	$5,718	$40,780	3,233
55	Le Moyne College	$62,731	$22,277	$40,454	2,439
56	Syracuse University	$79,164	$38,793	$40,371	15,477
57	St. Francis College	$58,099	$18,129	$39,970	1,684
58	CUNY Queensborough Community College	$44,214	$4,458	$39,756	8,940
59	St. John's University-New York	$69,571	$29,999	$39,572	9,477
60	Pace University	$70,378	$30,892	$39,486	7,665
61	State University of New York at New Paltz	$58,073	$18,809	$39,264	6,086
62	State University of New York at Plattsburgh	$56,403	$17,156	$39,247	3,769
63	Rockland Community College	$50,243	$11,282	$38,961	3,834
64	Niagara University	$56,196	$17,248	$38,948	2,653
65	St Lawrence University	$67,258	$28,651	$38,607	1,918
66	SUNY at Fredonia	$54,247	$15,897	$38,350	2,755
67	SUNY Brockport	$54,496	$16,353	$38,143	5,784
68	St. John Fisher University	$66,944	$28,945	$37,999	2,565
69	Mercy University	$52,055	$14,072	$37,983	5,735
70	State University of New York at Cortland	$60,236	$22,345	$37,891	5,901
71	Manhattanville University	$58,832	$20,991	$37,841	1,362
72	SUNY Westchester Community College	$46,822	$9,373	$37,449	8,078
73	CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College	$42,306	$4,976	$37,330	18,623
74	Orange County Community College	$44,117	$6,794	$37,323	3,989
75	Hobart William Smith Colleges	$68,831	$31,563	$37,268	1,786
76	Skidmore College	$69,363	$32,297	$37,066	2,694
77	CUNY Kingsborough Community College	$42,621	$5,606	$37,015	7,670
78	Hudson Valley Community College	$45,460	$8,501	$36,959	6,499
79	Ulster County Community College	$41,896	$5,035	$36,861	1,341
80	CUNY Bronx Community College	$41,307	$4,462	$36,845	5,964
81	SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry	$55,763	$18,952	$36,811	1,839
82	Marist University	$77,819	$41,544	$36,275	5,182
83	CUNY LaGuardia Community College	$41,653	$6,120	$35,533	11,254
84	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	$50,445	$15,016	$35,429	3,563
85	Niagara County Community College	$42,285	$6,876	$35,409	3,084
86	Russell Sage College	$58,316	$22,917	$35,399	1,244
87	CUNY Hostos Community College	$40,485	$5,297	$35,188	4,900
88	Hofstra University	$69,039	$34,176	$34,863	6,488
89	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi	$51,629	$17,225	$34,404	2,843
90	SUNY College at Potsdam	$47,866	$13,624	$34,242	1,823
91	Dutchess Community College	$43,929	$10,065	$33,864	3,824
92	Monroe Community College	$40,174	$6,353	$33,821	7,623
93	Erie Community College	$41,228	$7,765	$33,463	6,099
94	Fulton-Montgomery Community College	$39,535	$6,696	$32,839	1,001
95	Onondaga Community College	$41,190	$8,562	$32,628	4,456
96	SUNY College of Technology at Canton	$47,860	$15,268	$32,592	2,741
97	Vassar College	$71,366	$39,343	$32,023	2,444
98	Schenectady County Community College	$40,902	$8,947	$31,955	1,507
99	Roberts Wesleyan University	$55,031	$23,130	$31,901	1,149
100	SUNY Corning Community College	$38,817	$7,373	$31,444	1,138

About This Ranking

Schools in New York are ranked by the same value metric as the national best-value list: 10-year median earnings minus average net price. Only operating schools with at least 1,000 undergraduates and both figures published are included. Ties break toward larger enrollment. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. See methodology.

Caveats and limitations

"Best" here means the largest earnings-minus-price gap among eligible New York schools - not teaching quality, campus life, or the right fit for any applicant. Program mix (for example nursing or engineering) can lift institution-level earnings without proving a stronger undergraduate experience.

Earnings cover federally aided students only and describe a lagged cohort. Net price averages aided students and will not match every family's bill. Always open the school profile for completion, debt, and program detail.

This ranking is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or admissions advice.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Rankings are computed directly from College Scorecard and IPEDS data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar-Jul 2026 retrievals.