New York’s Best Small Colleges & Universities of 2021
Small colleges in New York are a great option for students interested in a more intimate campus experience, more personal attention from excellent professors, and more immediate access to support services. Whether the focus is on the technical or on the liberal arts, small colleges give you the chance to pursue a well-rounded education while working closely with classmates and professors in a dynamic community atmosphere.
Colleges and Universities in New York
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.
What are New York’s Colleges & Universities?
- 28 Research Universities
- 93 Liberal Arts Colleges & Universities
- 37 Graduate Schools
- 27 Public Colleges & Universities
- 61 Private Colleges & Universities
- 18 Christian Colleges & Universities
- 73 Small Colleges & Universities (fewer than 5,000 students)
- 49 Affordable Colleges (below $20,000k/yr)
- 36 Community Colleges
New York’s Best Overall
The following list of the best small colleges and universities in New York is composed mainly of four-year undergraduate schools (though a handful also offer graduate programs). There are 73 small colleges in New York; 53 of which meet our criteria. The list below of the 25 best small colleges in the state satisfies the following four conditions:
- It must be a non-profit institution.
- It must be fully accredited.
- Its student body must consist of 5,000 or fewer students.
- Its graduation rate must be greater than 50%.
How do we determine New York's best small colleges and universities?
The best colleges pound for pound!
The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why, at the undergraduate level, we rank the best colleges and universities based on what we call Concentrated Influence.
Concentrated Influence takes the combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers (including faculty and alums) and divides it by the school’s total number of undergraduates.
Using concentrated influence gives small and mid-sized schools an opportunity to shine by taking away the size advantage of larger universities. A small school with proportionately more influential faculty than a large school, whose influence in absolute terms may be bigger, will nonetheless score higher in a concentrated influence ranking. Our approach highlights undergraduate schools that truly rank for excellence, regardless of size.
If you are serious about finding the best colleges and universities for a bachelor’s degree, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching and whether their graduates are themselves advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence.
Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Concentrated Influence provides a ranking that is free from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.
Find out more about our ranking methodology here.
Best Small Colleges in New York
- #1Sarah Lawrence College#239 institution's overall influence#1422 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
56%
Graduation
82%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1330/29
Bronxville, NYView profile
What is Sarah Lawrence College known for?
Sarah Lawrence College's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Social Work
- Education
- Sociology
- Medical
Most Influential Alumni
- #2Barnard College#125 institution's overall influence#65 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
14%
Graduation
91%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1415/31
New York, NYView profile
What is Barnard College known for?
Barnard College's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Anthropology
- Literature
- Sociology
- Economics
- Political Science
- Religious Studies
- History
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Psychology
Most Influential Alumni
- #3Vassar College#139 institution's overall influence#88 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$57K
Acceptance
25%
Graduation
91%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1440/32
Poughkeepsie, NYView profile
What is Vassar College known for?
Vassar College's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Anthropology
- Literature
- Psychology
- Education
- Earth Sciences
- Computer Science
- History
- Philosophy
- Sociology
- Chemistry
Most Influential Alumni
- #4Cooper Union#312 institution's overall influence#62 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$47K
Acceptance
16%
Graduation
90%
Student body
1K
Median SAT/ACT
1396/32
New York, NYView profile
What is Cooper Union known for?
Cooper Union's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Engineering
Most Influential Alumni
- #5Yeshiva University#212 institution's overall influence#136 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$44K
Acceptance
60%
Graduation
82%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1270/26
New York, NYView profile
What is Yeshiva University known for?
Yeshiva University's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Medical
- Religious Studies
- Social Work
- Law
- Physics
- Biology
- Philosophy
- Mathematics
- Psychology
- Education
Most Influential Alumni
- #6Bard College#300 institution's overall influence#998 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
65%
Graduation
78%
Student body
2K
Annandale-On-Hudson, NYView profile
What is Bard College known for?
Bard College's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Literature
- History
- Economics
- Education
- Sociology
- Biology
Most Influential Alumni
- #7Colgate University#278 institution's overall influence#42 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$56K
Acceptance
25%
Graduation
90%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1415/32
Hamilton, NYView profile
What is Colgate University known for?
Colgate University's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Literature
- Philosophy
- Religious Studies
- Biology
- Physics
- Political Science
- Anthropology
- Computer Science
- Education
- History
Most Influential Alumni
- #8Hamilton College#324 institution's overall influence#85 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
21%
Graduation
92%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1430/32
Clinton, NYView profile
What is Hamilton College known for?
Hamilton College's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Literature
- Psychology
- Philosophy
- Mathematics
- Economics
- History
- Anthropology
- Biology
- Political Science
- Sociology
Most Influential Alumni
- #9Union College#292 institution's overall influence#188 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
39%
Graduation
87%
Student body
2K
Schenectady, NYView profile
What is Union College known for?
Union College's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Business
- Engineering
- Anthropology
- Physics
- History
- Sociology
- Mathematics
- Philosophy
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
Most Influential Alumni
- #10State University of New York at Purchase#735 institution's overall influence
Tuition + fees
$9K
Acceptance
65%
Graduation
62%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1165/24
Purchase, NYView profile
What is State University of New York at Purchase known for?
State University of New York at Purchase's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Anthropology
- Economics
- Philosophy
- Sociology
- Political Science
- Literature
- Chemistry
- Education
- Biology
- Communications
Most Influential Alumni
- #11Skidmore College#1025 institution's overall influence#123 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$54K
Acceptance
27%
Graduation
89%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1311/29
Saratoga Springs, NYView profile
What is Skidmore College known for?
Skidmore College's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Social Work
- Sociology
- Religious Studies
- Psychology
- Anthropology
- Literature
- Computer Science
- Physics
- Biology
- Earth Sciences
Most Influential Alumni
- #12Wagner College#699 institution's overall influence#718 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$47K
Acceptance
70%
Graduation
67%
Student body
2K
Staten Island, NYView profile
What is Wagner College known for?
Wagner College's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Sociology
- Anthropology
- Psychology
- Philosophy
- Literature
- Economics
- Political Science
- Nursing
- History
- Physics
Most Influential Alumni
- #13Hobart and William Smith Colleges#666 institution's overall influence#1302 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
57%
Graduation
77%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1245/27
Geneva, NYView profile
What is Hobart and William Smith Colleges known for?
Hobart and William Smith Colleges's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Communications
- Chemistry
- Political Science
- Earth Sciences
- Economics
- Mathematics
- Biology
- Religious Studies
- Education
- Computer Science
Most Influential Alumni
- #14Manhattan College#651 institution's overall influence#352 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$43K
Acceptance
75%
Graduation
71%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1165/25
Riverdale, NYView profile
What is Manhattan College known for?
Manhattan College's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Computer Science
- Religious Studies
- Physics
- Engineering
- Business
- Medical
- Psychology
- Economics
- Communications
- Social Work
Most Influential Alumni
- #15Clarkson University#973 institution's overall influence#413 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$49K
Acceptance
71%
Graduation
71%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1255/27
Potsdam, NYView profile
What is Clarkson University known for?
Clarkson University's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Computer Science
- Engineering
- Chemistry
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Communications
- History
- Business
- Biology
- Education
Most Influential Alumni
- #16St. Lawrence University#862 institution's overall influence
Tuition + fees
$55K
Acceptance
46%
Graduation
84%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1272/28
Canton, NYView profile
What is St. Lawrence University known for?
St. Lawrence University's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Earth Sciences
- Political Science
- Economics
- History
- Business
- Literature
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Sociology
- Communications
Most Influential Alumni
- #17Alfred University#1076 institution's overall influence#430 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$29K
Acceptance
63%
Graduation
61%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1085/23
Alfred, NYView profile
What is Alfred University known for?
Alfred University's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Engineering
- Earth Sciences
- Philosophy
- Education
- Communications
- Medical
- Social Work
- Psychology
- Literature
- Chemistry
Most Influential Alumni
- #18St. Bonaventure University#1260 institution's overall influence#881 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$34K
Acceptance
73%
Graduation
64%
Student body
2K
Median SAT/ACT
1140/24
Saint Bonaventure, NYView profile
What is St. Bonaventure University known for?
St. Bonaventure University's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Philosophy
- Religious Studies
- Literature
- Mathematics
- History
- Communications
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Education
- Computer Science
Most Influential Alumni
- #19Houghton College#1925 institution's overall influence#1121 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$32K
Acceptance
95%
Graduation
71%
Student body
1K
Houghton, NYView profile
What is Houghton College known for?
Houghton College's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Sociology
- Computer Science
- Physics
- Communications
- Philosophy
- Religious Studies
- Literature
- Political Science
- History
- Education
Most Influential Alumni
- #20Iona College#1255 institution's overall influence#1110 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$39K
Acceptance
88%
Graduation
68%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1080/23
New Rochelle, NYView profile
What is Iona College known for?
Iona College's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Psychology
- Business
- Communications
- Criminal Justice
- Religious Studies
- Political Science
- History
- Economics
- Computer Science
- Social Work
Most Influential Alumni
- #21Le Moyne College#1507 institution's overall influence#295 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$35K
Acceptance
69%
Graduation
67%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1175/25
Syracuse, NYView profile
What is Le Moyne College known for?
Le Moyne College's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Philosophy
- Sociology
- Religious Studies
- Business
- Medical
- Economics
- Political Science
- Chemistry
- Communications
- Education
Most Influential Alumni
- #22Siena College#1575 institution's overall influence#553 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$37K
Acceptance
80%
Graduation
75%
Student body
3K
Loudonville, NYView profile
What is Siena College known for?
Siena College's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Law
- Political Science
- Philosophy
- History
- Communications
- Literature
- Sociology
- Medical
- Social Work
- Business
Most Influential Alumni
- #23The College of Saint Rose#1694 institution's overall influence#957 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
87%
Graduation
60%
Student body
4K
Albany, NYView profile
What is The College of Saint Rose known for?
The College of Saint Rose's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Sociology
- Medical
- Communications
- Literature
- Computer Science
- Biology
- Religious Studies
- History
- Social Work
- Business
Most Influential Alumni
- #24Canisius College#1421 institution's overall influence#377 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$28K
Acceptance
79%
Graduation
71%
Student body
3K
Median SAT/ACT
1160/24
Buffalo, NYView profile
What is Canisius College known for?
Canisius College's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Criminal Justice
- Anthropology
- Philosophy
- Religious Studies
- Communications
- Computer Science
- Political Science
- Chemistry
- History
- Business
Most Influential Alumni
- #25Niagara University#1227 institution's overall influence#470 overall school desirability
Tuition + fees
$33K
Acceptance
87%
Graduation
67%
Student body
4K
Median SAT/ACT
1110/24
Niagara University, NYView profile
What is Niagara University known for?
Niagara University's faculty and alumni have been influential in:
- Religious Studies
- History
- Communications
- Political Science
- Nursing
- Business
- Philosophy
- Chemistry
- Social Work
- Education
Most Influential Alumni
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