2023 Best Schools in New York
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Also, there are a number of trade schools and bootcamp with offerings that you might find attractive.
The Best Schools in New York ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 128 schools in New York to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Schools in New York
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Cornell University to be the best school for students in New York.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $14,061 in student loans. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $570, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from Cornell, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $65,907 during the early years of their career.
The excellent programs at Colgate University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in New York.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $14,450 in student loans.After graduating from Colgate, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $48,442 during the early years of their career.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Teachers College at Columbia University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Schools in New York list.
During the early years of their career, Teachers College graduates make an average of $62,754 annually.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Excelsior College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Schools in New York list.
Degree recipients from Excelsior College accumulate an average of $20,421 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.After graduating from Excelsior College, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $58,705 during the early years of their career.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Barnard College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Schools in New York list.
On average, students take out $15,812 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from Barnard, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $42,928 during the early years of their career.
Hamilton College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #6 on the list.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,531 in student loans. Once they receive their degree, Hamilton graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $43,033 during the early year of their career.
The Graduate Center, CUNY landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs.
On average, students take out $20,379 in loans while pursuing their degree.After graduating from The Graduate Center, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $61,344 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #8, Vassar College did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working.
On average, students take out $15,241 in loans while pursuing their degree. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $438 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, Vassar graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $34,638 during the early year of their career.
Columbia University in the City of New York came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in New York ranking.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $23,258 in student loans. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $567 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan. During the early years of their career, Columbia graduates make an average of $70,610 annually.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in New York ranking.
On average, students take out $22,167 in loans while pursuing their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $515, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, RPI graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $68,029 during the early year of their career.
Union College New York did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #11 on the list.
Once they receive their degree, Union College graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $42,733 during the early year of their career.
New York University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #12 on the list.
Degree recipients from NYU accumulate an average of $21,688 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $754 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from NYU, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $59,064 during the early years of their career.
Wagner College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Schools in New York list.
On average, students take out $26,358 in loans while pursuing their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $423, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, Wagner graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $62,835 during the early year of their career.
University of Rochester came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in New York ranking.
Degree recipients from University of Rochester accumulate an average of $21,495 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $403, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, University of Rochester graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $54,478 during the early year of their career.
With a ranking of #15, Ithaca College did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working.
Degree recipients from Ithaca accumulate an average of $21,187 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $602, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from Ithaca, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $39,872 during the early years of their career.
Syracuse University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in New York ranking.
On average, students take out $24,031 in loans while pursuing their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $512, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from Syracuse, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $45,338 during the early years of their career.
Clarkson University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in New York ranking.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $24,145 in student loans. For those students on a 10-year repayment plan, the average payment due each month is around $496. During the early years of their career, Clarkson graduates make an average of $67,671 annually.
The College of Saint Rose came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in New York ranking.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $25,145 in student loans. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $317 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan. Once they receive their degree, Saint Rose graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $45,338 during the early year of their career.
Marist College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #19 on the list.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $24,793 in student loans. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $597 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from Marist, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $52,565 during the early years of their career.
Rochester Institute of Technology came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in New York ranking.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $25,679 in student loans. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $428 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from RIT, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $58,966 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #21, Skidmore College did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $18,581 in student loans. Once they receive their degree, Skidmore graduates enter the workforce, making an average salary of $34,832 during the early year of their career.
With a ranking of #22, Molloy College did quite well on this year’s best schools for students working.
By the time they get their degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $26,757 in student loans. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $522 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from Molloy, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $55,942 during the early years of their career.
Siena College came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Schools in New York ranking.
Degree recipients from Siena accumulate an average of $24,527 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. Those who take out this much in loans have to make a monthly payment of about $417 if they are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from Siena, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $39,268 during the early years of their career.
St. John Fisher College landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best programs.
On average, students take out $24,140 in loans while pursuing their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $422, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan. During the early years of their career, Fisher graduates make an average of $48,505 annually.
Fordham University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for students. It came in at #25 on the list.
Degree recipients from Fordham U accumulate an average of $23,315 in student debt by the time they complete their degree. If you borrow this amount, expect your monthly student loan payment to be around $702, assuming you are on a 10-year repayment plan.After graduating from Fordham U, students go on to jobs where they make an average of $52,826 during the early years of their career.
Best Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region
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Honorable Mentions
These schools also performed well in our best schools ranking:
Rank | School | Location |
---|---|---|
26 | SUNY Cortland | Cortland, NY |
Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
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