Best Online Colleges in New York 2023

Published: Jan 4, 2022
Updated: Sep 8, 2023

Find the best online colleges in New York ranked by the academic success of faculty and alumni associated with the colleges and universities and their online degree programs.

Top 10 Online Colleges in New York

The New School
University of Rochester
Syracuse University
Stony Brook University
University at Albany, SUNY
Rochester Institute of Technology
Adelphi University
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Pace University
State University of New York at Oswego

Davis College 100%
Alliance University 100%
State University of New York at Canton 95%
Keuka College 94%
Hilbert College 93%
D'Youville University 92%
Utica University 89%
Pace University 88%
State University of New York at Delhi 88%
Roberts Wesleyan University 87%

John Jay College of Criminal Justice 19 to 1
Stony Brook University 19 to 1
University at Albany, SUNY 19 to 1
Excelsior University 19 to 1
State University of New York at Canton 19 to 1
Empire State University 18 to 1
Alfred State College 17 to 1
Marist College 16 to 1
Alliance University 16 to 1
SUNY Brockport 16 to 1

University of Rochester $59,378
Syracuse University $57,591
Rochester Institute of Technology $52,756
The New School $52,494
Pace University $48,830
Marist College $43,410
Adelphi University $42,475
Keuka College $35,030
Roberts Wesleyan University $34,390
Molloy University $34,310

Rochester Institute of Technology $52,092
The New School $47,920
University of Rochester $46,779
Adelphi University $43,040
Syracuse University $41,616
Pace University $33,000
Utica University $32,464
Daemen University $23,928
Molloy University $22,590
Medaille University $22,296

Roberts Wesleyan University
Daemen University
Dominican University New York
Northeast College of Health Sciences
Davis College
Medaille University
Molloy University
Excelsior University
St. Joseph's University
Hilbert College

University of Rochester 41%
John Jay College of Criminal Justice 45%
Trocaire College 47%
Stony Brook University 48%
Syracuse University 59%
Marist College 60%
State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry 65%
The New School 66%
State University of New York at Plattsburgh 68%
University at Albany, SUNY 68%

Davis College 6 to 1
D'Youville University 7 to 1
The New School 9 to 1
University of Rochester 10 to 1
Molloy University 10 to 1
Trocaire College 11 to 1
Houghton University 11 to 1
Daemen University 11 to 1
Keuka College 12 to 1
Utica University 12 to 1

John Jay College of Criminal Justice $6,930
State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry $7,070
Stony Brook University $7,070
Empire State University $7,070
SUNY Brockport $7,070
University at Albany, SUNY $7,070
Alfred State College $7,070
State University of New York at Delhi $7,070
State University of New York at Plattsburgh $7,070
State University of New York at Canton $7,070

John Jay College of Criminal Justice $11,090
State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry $11,310
Stony Brook University $11,310
Empire State University $11,310
SUNY Brockport $11,310
University at Albany, SUNY $11,310
State University of New York at Delhi $11,310
State University of New York at Plattsburgh $11,310
State University of New York at Oswego $11,310
Alliance University $14,000

Table of Contents

Featured Programs

Colleges and Universities 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.

What are New York’s Colleges & Universities?

New York’s Best Overall

Online education has grown dramatically in quality, credibility, and popularity over the last two decades. Today, more than a quarter of all college students are taking at least one online course. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there are more than 5 million college students who are pursuing their undergraduate degree fully online. And the number of online college and graduate students continues to grow as online technology and instructional methods improve.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, access to remote learning has proven an essential part of the educational ecosystem. Schools that offer primarily online degree programs saw an increase of 7% enrollment just between Fall 2020 and Spring 2021. The number of traditional institutions offering online courses and degrees is growing as well. This all paints a promising picture for the future of online education. But it also produces a dizzying array of options.

Frequently Asked Questions About Best Online Colleges 2022

Asynchronous learning means classes don’t meet at set times. This is the most flexible online learning experience, making when you cover your course material up to you. Most asynchronous online courses will still have deadlines throughout the semester for various assignments and tests. Some asynchronous classes may still ask for an occasional meeting, such as initial meet-and-greets, and in some cases there may be scheduled test times. The idea of asynchronous learning is to allow the student to manage their schedules as needed.

Synchronous learning means you will have scheduled meeting times for your online classes. Synchronous learning gives online students the flexibility of location while also giving students a chance to engage with each other and their professors. For many online students, the structured class schedules and ability to see and hear from peers in real-time helps create the learning experience they want.

Accreditation is especially important when it comes to online college. This is because the online education landscape is a mix of highly-reputable institutions and less-than-reputable for-profit schools. Accreditation gives you the power to differentiate between the two. Accreditation is a stamp of approval from an independent accrediting agency which indicates that a college or university is meeting standards of quality, credibility, and currency. School-wide accreditation falls into two major categories: regional and national accreditation. Regional accreditors generally hold jurisdiction only over schools in the states comprising their region, whereas national accreditors hold jurisdiction over schools in all states. Regional accreditation is widely regarded as a more rigorous standard of quality and credibility than national accreditation.

Attending a college or university which is not regionally accredited could limit your opportunities. When seeking an online education, we strongly recommend that students opt for regionally accredited schools. Regional accreditation ensures eligibility for federal loans and grants, ensures your college credits can be transferred between schools, and ensures that your degree credits can be accepted if you wish to earn an advanced degree.

As long as your online college degree is regionally accredited, you should have little difficulty transferring most of your credits or credentials to another regionally accredited undergraduate school. Every school carries its own standards and procedures for granting a transfer. In many cases, you will be required to navigate a bureaucracy in which some of your credits will be transferred and others will be jettisoned. However, provided that you have attended an online school with the proper regional accreditation, you should have plenty of options for transfer.

In most cases, as long you graduate from a well-regarded, regionally-accredited online college, prospective employers won’t look sideways at your degree. In fact, unless you attend an exclusively online college or university, there will likely be no specific indicator on your degree, transcript or resume differentiating your school from its brick-and-mortar counterpart. This means that your employer will likely only differentiate between an online and in-person degree if you mention this distinction.

While some employers may express concern about making the adjustment from online education to in-person workplace collaboration, many other employers will view your online degree as evidence of valuable 21st Century professional skills such as independence, self-motivation, time management, and tech savvy.

The advantages of online classes are many. First and foremost, online courses give you the freedom and flexibility to attend class from anywhere that works for you, whether you’re at home, in a coffee shop, or in a quiet conference room at work. In many cases, you’ll also enjoy the convenience of asynchronous learning opportunities—educational experiences that you can complete on your own schedule. This may include pre-taped lectures, ongoing chat-board discussions, and 24/7 access to digital materials. And of course, just as there are some learners who prefer the energy of a live classroom, there are those who learn best when working in their own personal space, free from distractions. If this sounds like you, you might find the solitude of online learning to be a major advantage.

How do we determine the best online colleges for undergrads?

Methodology

Pursuing your degree online doesn’t mean you need to settle for an inferior school. Today, most universities and colleges offer online degrees, and many respected schools are seeing significant growth in their numbers of online students.

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why influence — i.e., the academic impact of faculty and alumni associated with a school — gets at the heart of what is truly best in education. The combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers is the best indicator of academic excellence. For our online degree rankings, we focus on the academic influence of faculty and alumni in the specific disciplines we’re ranking.

If you are serious about finding the best online colleges, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching, and whether their graduates themselves are advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence. Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Influence, as measured by our InfluenceRanking engine, provides a ranking that is free from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

Median Salaries of Top Careers in New York

The following graph depicts the average salaries of top occupations in different industries in New York.

Source: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

Annual Salary

120320Computer Hardware Engineers

147420Actuaries

158040Personal Financial Advisors

165500Physicists

256810Chief Executives

Best Online Colleges in New York 2023

Top 10 Online Colleges in New York

Featured Programs

Colleges and Universities in New York

What are New York’s Colleges & Universities?

Median Salaries of Top Careers in New York

Best Online Colleges in New York 2022

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