Private colleges, unlike large public institutions, can be a great option for students wanting a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Here is our list of the best private colleges in New York.
On average, tuition at New York’s higher education institutes comes in well-below the national average at about $7,900. Students have nearly 80 public school options to choose from, ranging in fees from $1,000 at the United States Merchant Marine Academy up to $10,000 at the University at Buffalo, the largest public university. However, some of the state’s private schools, such as New York University (NYU), charge tuition fees at a much higher cost.
Find college admissions consultants in your state.
Although tuition fees at NYU average $52,000, students who attend this school have access to some of the best programs in fields like literature, business, medicine, communications, and law. The school also boasts famous alumni like Whoopi Goldberg and Jonas Salk. New York also offers close to 40 religiously affiliated schools. Students can expect to pay a wide range of tuition costs at these schools, but have the option to major in fields like social work, law, religious studies, business, and nursing.
They say New York is a place where dreams come true. Here, fashion, culture, food, business, art, and many languages comfortably coexist. While The Empire State’s metropolitan landmarks, like the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, are noteworthy, many forget New York also offers access to the Great Lakes, the Atlantic Ocean, and countless cozy cabins tucked away in the verdant Catskills Mountains. Additionally, New York is home to over 200 colleges and universities, making it easy for students to dream big while earning their degrees.
Explore some of the top programs New York higher education institutes have to offer, and make your educational and personal dreams come true.
Public and private colleges and universities operate under different business models. Public colleges and universities are owned by the state and receive both state and federal funding to operate. Private colleges and universities are private companies with private funding. If you’re looking at the pros and cons of private vs. public colleges, consider that many public colleges provide diverse course offerings, influential professors, and an excellent return on your investment.
Public colleges are schools that receive most of their funding from tax revenues. As a result, the cost of a bachelor’s degree at a public university is often lower than the equivalent cost at a private college — especially for students attending a public school in their home state. Attending a college in-state is usually the cheapest option. Private universities and colleges can be very competitive with their funding opportunities, so do not simply believe that private colleges are always going to be more expensive. According to National Center for Educational Statistics, the average annual cost (tuition, fees, room and board for full-time students) at a public university was slightly over $20,000. In contrast, private universities cost, on average, nearly $43,000 annually. But in the end, the cost of college comes down to each student’s academic and financial situation.
This list is composed entirely of private colleges and universities that offer bachelor’s degrees. We’ve identified 80 private universities in New York. To be included in the list below of the best private universities in New York, schools must be fully accredited, private, non-profit institution, and must offer a broad range of bachelor’s degrees.
Tuition + fees
$64K
Acceptance
7%
Graduation
96%
Student body
28K
Median SAT/ACT
1505/34
Columbia University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$57K
Acceptance
21%
Graduation
88%
Student body
49K
Median SAT/ACT
1440/32
New York University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$61K
Acceptance
11%
Graduation
95%
Student body
26K
Median SAT/ACT
1480/33
Cornell University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$59K
Acceptance
35%
Graduation
86%
Student body
12K
Median SAT/ACT
1405/32
University of Rochester’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$58K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
83%
Student body
23K
Median SAT/ACT
1280/28
Syracuse University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$48K
Acceptance
67%
Graduation
77%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1270/27
Yeshiva University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
53%
Graduation
83%
Student body
16K
Median SAT/ACT
1345/30
Fordham University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$52K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
69%
Student body
10K
Median SAT/ACT
1265/27
The New School’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$59K
Acceptance
57%
Graduation
87%
Student body
9K
Median SAT/ACT
1390/31
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
14%
Graduation
90%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1430/32
Barnard College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$63K
Acceptance
25%
Graduation
88%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1445/32
Vassar College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$49K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
65%
Student body
9K
Median SAT/ACT
1250/27
Hofstra University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$46K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
64%
Student body
15K
Median SAT/ACT
1195/26
St. John's University ’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$49K
Acceptance
83%
Graduation
59%
Student body
12K
Median SAT/ACT
1140/24
Pace University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$62K
Acceptance
27%
Graduation
91%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1415/32
Colgate University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$58K
Acceptance
57%
Graduation
74%
Student body
3K
Bard College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$62K
Acceptance
41%
Graduation
86%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1320/29
Union College, New York’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$53K
Acceptance
74%
Graduation
71%
Student body
13K
Median SAT/ACT
1315/29
Rochester Institute of Technology’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$39K
Acceptance
85%
Graduation
44%
Student body
10K
Median SAT/ACT
1185/25
Long Island University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$59K
Acceptance
55%
Graduation
72%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1331/29
Sarah Lawrence College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$42K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
73%
Student body
8K
Median SAT/ACT
1155/24
Adelphi University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$47K
Acceptance
76%
Graduation
78%
Student body
6K
Ithaca College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$54K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
76%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1255/26
Clarkson University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$47K
Acceptance
78%
Graduation
70%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1170/25
Manhattan College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$47K
Acceptance
18%
Graduation
79%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1417/32
Cooper Union’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$40K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
50%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1182/25
New York Institute of Technology’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$36K
Acceptance
92%
Graduation
77%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1125/23
Niagara University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$43K
Acceptance
86%
Graduation
60%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1080/23
Iona University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
62%
Graduation
77%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1272/28
Hobart and William Smith Colleges’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$60K
Acceptance
32%
Graduation
86%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1310/30
Skidmore College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Many of our 2022 undergraduate focused rankings look considerably different than 2021. That’s because we took a fundamentally different apporach. For 2021 we utiulized our Concentrated Influence algorithm, designed to take away the size advantage larger schools have when we rank their faculty and alumni’s academic influence. Concentrated influence highlights smaller schools that are proportionally as successful as larger universities at cultivating influential alumni and faculty.
