2022 best colleges in New York
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Net cost: The median annual cost of all students that receive any aid. This does not refer to the “sticker price”, the price listed by the college.
Earnings: The median earnings of all bachelor-level students 10 years after enrollment. This includes both students that do and do not graduate, across all majors.
Payback: The amount of time in years it takes to pay off the median net cost by the median earnings. For this calculation, the median earning of high school graduates (in the school’s home state) are deducted from the median earnings.
Degree premium: The difference between the school’s median earnings and the median earnings for all schools in the same state. This is called “Vs. state average” in school profiles below.
Ranking: The payback rate is divided by the degree premium (set as a percentage), the lower the number the higher the rank. (i.e. payback=1, degree premium 20% higher than state school median: 1/120% = .883.
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
New York, New York
Admission rate: 41%
Grad rate: 67%
Net cost: $3,562
Payback: Under 6 months
Earnings: $67,136
Vs. state average: + $11,446
Economic score: 0.31
CUNY Lehman College
Bronx, New York
Admission rate: 48%
Grad rate: 59%
Net cost: $1,814
Payback: Under 6 months
Earnings: $51,661
Vs. state average: - $4,029
Economic score: 0.35
United States Merchant Marine Academy
Kings Point, New York
Admission rate: 25%
Grad rate: 85%
Net cost: $6,433
Payback: Under a year
Earnings: $83,209
Vs. state average: + $27,519
Economic score: 0.37
CUNY City College
New York, New York
Admission rate: 51%
Grad rate: 54%
Net cost: $2,385
Payback: Under 6 months
Earnings: $55,741
Vs. state average: + $51
Economic score: 0.37
CUNY Hunter College
New York, New York
Admission rate: 41%
Grad rate: 55%
Net cost: $2,490
Payback: Under 6 months
Earnings: $55,713
Vs. state average: + $23
Economic score: 0.38
CUNY Brooklyn College
Brooklyn, New York
Admission rate: 50%
Grad rate: 55%
Net cost: $2,683
Payback: Under 6 months
Earnings: $54,322
Vs. state average: - $1,368
Economic score: 0.44
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
New York, New York
Admission rate: 38%
Grad rate: 54%
Net cost: $2,532
Payback: Under 6 months
Earnings: $50,491
Vs. state average: - $5,199
Economic score: 0.49
CUNY Queens College
Queens, New York
Admission rate: 54%
Grad rate: 57%
Net cost: $3,067
Payback: Under a year
Earnings: $54,742
Vs. state average: - $948
Economic score: 0.51
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Albany, New York
Admission rate: 76%
Grad rate: 76%
Net cost: $29,116
Payback: 1.6 Years
Earnings: $119,112
Vs. state average: + $63,422
Economic score: 0.73
Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, New York
Admission rate: 7%
Grad rate: 93%
Net cost: $23,306
Payback: 1.5 Years
Earnings: $89,871
Vs. state average: + $34,181
Economic score: 0.91
Farmingdale State College
Farmingdale, New York
Admission rate: 61%
Grad rate: 57%
Net cost: $8,638
Payback: 1.1 Years
Earnings: $61,646
Vs. state average: + $5,956
Economic score: 0.98
SUNY Maritime College
Throggs Neck, New York
Admission rate: 73%
Grad rate: 69%
Net cost: $20,616
Payback: 1.5 Years
Earnings: $84,443
Vs. state average: + $28,753
Economic score: 1.01
Binghamton University
Vestal, New York
Admission rate: 44%
Grad rate: 81%
Net cost: $19,353
Payback: 1.6 Years
Earnings: $72,980
Vs. state average: + $17,290
Economic score: 1.25
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, New York
Admission rate: 49%
Grad rate: 75%
Net cost: $15,160
Payback: 1.5 Years
Earnings: $66,678
Vs. state average: + $10,988
Economic score: 1.26
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, New York
Admission rate: 58%
Grad rate: 87%
Net cost: $35,464
Payback: 2.1 Years
Earnings: $93,416
Vs. state average: + $37,726
Economic score: 1.28
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
New York, New York
Admission rate: 18%
Grad rate: 87%
Net cost: $14,118
Payback: 1.5 Years
Earnings: $64,160
Vs. state average: + $8,470
Economic score: 1.29
Manhattan College
Riverdale, New York
Admission rate: 78%
Grad rate: 74%
Net cost: $28,153
Payback: 2.0 Years
Earnings: $83,117
Vs. state average: + $27,427
Economic score: 1.37
Clarkson University
Potsdam, New York
Admission rate: 78%
Grad rate: 77%
Net cost: $29,015
Payback: 2.1 Years
Earnings: $81,358
Vs. state average: + $25,668
Economic score: 1.45
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York
Admission rate: 11%
Grad rate: 95%
Net cost: $40,126
Payback: 2.4 Years
Earnings: $91,176
Vs. state average: + $35,486
Economic score: 1.49
Hamilton College
Clinton, New York
Admission rate: 19%
Grad rate: 93%
Net cost: $25,440
Payback: 2.1 Years
Earnings: $74,340
Vs. state average: + $18,650
Economic score: 1.54
