It isn’t a simple decision to choose where to go to college, as the quality of a school can have an impact on a student’s experience and future career success.
WalletHub released its 2026’s Best College & University Rankings report to find top-performing schools with the lowest costs for undergraduates.
WalletHub compared nearly 800 higher-education institutions in the United States across 30 key measures, such as student-faculty ratio, graduation rate, and post-attendance median salary.
Here are the top 10 colleges and universities in New York, along with their locations and overall nationwide rankings.
10 – Binghamton University
Location: Binghamton
Nationwide ranking: 74
9 – University of Rochester
Location: Rochester
Nationwide ranking: 66
8 – Colgate University
Location: Hamilton
Nationwide ranking: 61
7 – New York University
Location: Manhattan
Nationwide ranking: 52
6 – Barnard College
Location: Manhattan
Nationwide ranking: 41
5 – Vassar College
Location: Poughkeepsie
Nationwide ranking: 39
4 – The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
Location: Manhattan
Nationwide ranking: 37
3 – Hamilton College
Location: Clinton
Nationwide ranking: 33
2 – Cornell University
Location: Ithaca
Nationwide ranking: 29
1 – Columbia University
Location: Manhattan
Nationwide ranking: 11
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