Public colleges and universities account for almost 75 percent of all undergraduate students in the U.S. The best public colleges in New York provide broad access to reputable degree programs, affordable tuition, and sprawling educational communities.
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 public colleges and universities that offer bachelor’s degrees. We’ve identified 41 public universities in New York. To be included in our list of the best public colleges in New York, shcools must receive direct funding from the state, be fully accredited, and offer a broad range of bachelor’s degress.
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
49%
Graduation
76%
Student body
25K
Median SAT/ACT
1335/29
Stony Brook University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
51%
Graduation
60%
Student body
12K
City College of New York’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$11K
Acceptance
67%
Graduation
75%
Student body
28K
Median SAT/ACT
1250/26
University at Buffalo’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
50%
Graduation
54%
Student body
15K
Brooklyn College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Acceptance
9%
Graduation
85%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1270/27
United States Military Academy’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
43%
Graduation
82%
Student body
18K
Median SAT/ACT
1360/30
Binghamton University’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
40%
Graduation
56%
Student body
19K
Hunter College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$10K
Acceptance
57%
Graduation
65%
Student body
16K
Median SAT/ACT
1170/25
University at Albany, SUNY’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
41%
Graduation
73%
Student body
16K
Baruch College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
53%
Graduation
53%
Student body
16K
Queens College, City University of New York’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
59%
Graduation
83%
Student body
8K
Fashion Institute of Technology’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
37%
Graduation
51%
Student body
13K
John Jay College of Criminal Justice’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
74%
Graduation
61%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1160/26
State University of New York at Purchase’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Acceptance
47%
Graduation
53%
Student body
12K
Lehman College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$1K
Acceptance
24%
Graduation
82%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1260/28
United States Merchant Marine Academy’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
62%
Graduation
76%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1185/25
State University of New York at New Paltz’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
65%
Student body
7K
Median SAT/ACT
1155/23
State University of New York at Oswego’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$7K
Graduation
31%
Student body
10K
College of Staten Island’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
60%
Graduation
77%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1210/25
State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
63%
Graduation
76%
Student body
6K
Median SAT/ACT
1080/23
State University of New York at Oneonta’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
80%
Graduation
40%
Student body
8K
Median SAT/ACT
980/20
Buffalo State College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
72%
Graduation
58%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1055/21
Alfred State College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
61%
Graduation
78%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1215/25
State University of New York at Geneseo’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$8K
Acceptance
60%
Graduation
53%
Student body
9K
Median SAT/ACT
1070/21
Farmingdale State College’s faculty and alumni have been influential in:
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
61%
Graduation
67%
Student body
5K
Median SAT/ACT
1080/22
State University of New York at Plattsburgh’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.
