Best Value New York Colleges

New York has 94 colleges ranked by value, part of our national best value ranking. We weigh academic quality against average net price so you find schools that deliver strong results without overpaying.

Columbia University in the City of New York offers the best value in New York for 2027 with a 10 out of 10 academic rating and an average net price of $22,520. The top value public university is CUNY Hunter College. Also high value: Cornell University, Barnard College and Colgate University.

Compare net price, aid, and academic ratings across the colleges below. See how value scores are calculated on our methodology page. Sort by net price, acceptance rate, or academic rating to find the best deal for your budget.

94 Results
Sort:
New York Public Private 4 Year

  • Private 4 Year
  • New York, NY
  • | 0 reviews
  • Jan 1 application deadline

Columbia is an Ivy League university known for its undergraduate Core Curriculum, political science, and economics. The urban campus sits in Morningside Heights in Manhattan.

#1 Best Value in New York 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1510-1580
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.91
  • Acceptance Rate 4%
  • Net Price $22,520
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Ithaca, NY
  • 4.0 | 4 reviews
  • Jan 2 application deadline

Cornell is an Ivy League university known for undergraduate engineering, hotel administration, and agriculture and life sciences. The hillside campus overlooks Cayuga Lake in the college town of Ithaca.

#2 Best Value in New York 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1500-1570
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.9
  • Acceptance Rate 9%
  • Net Price $26,361
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • New York, NY
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Jan 4 application deadline

Barnard is a highly selective private women's liberal arts college known for undergraduate English, political science, and psychology. The urban Morningside Heights campus sits beside Columbia University, where students can cross-register for courses.

#3 Best Value in New York 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1470-1560
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.85
  • Acceptance Rate 9%
  • Net Price $26,407
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Hamilton, NY
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Jan 15 application deadline

Colgate is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate economics, political science, and the sciences. The hillside campus overlooks the small college town of Hamilton in upstate New York.

#4 Best Value in New York 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1430-1540
  • Avg GPA 3.77
  • Acceptance Rate 14%
  • Net Price $28,736
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Clinton, NY
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Jan 5 application deadline

Hamilton is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate writing, economics, and government. The hilltop campus sits in the small village of Clinton in upstate New York.

#5 Best Value in New York 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1450-1550
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.87
  • Acceptance Rate 14%
  • Net Price $28,719
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Poughkeepsie, NY
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Jan 1 application deadline

Vassar is a highly selective private liberal arts college known for undergraduate English, art history, and the sciences. Most students live on the historic residential campus in New York's Hudson Valley.

#6 Best Value in New York 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1450-1550
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.86
  • Acceptance Rate 19%
  • Net Price $29,981
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • New York, NY
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews

NYU is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate business, film, and the performing arts. The urban campus is centered in Manhattan's Greenwich Village.

#7 Best Value in New York 10/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1480-1560
  • Avg GPA 3.79
  • Acceptance Rate 9%
  • Net Price $30,325
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Saratoga Springs, NY
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Jan 15 application deadline

Skidmore is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate studio art, performing arts, and business. The residential campus sits in the historic spa town of Saratoga Springs.

#8 Best Value in New York 9/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1340-1480
  • Predicted Avg GPA 3.75
  • Acceptance Rate 21%
  • Net Price $31,187
Details

  • Public 4 Year
  • New York, NY
  • | 0 reviews

Hunter College is a public CUNY college known for undergraduate nursing, education, and psychology. The urban campus is on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

#9 Best Value in New York 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1100-1420
  • Avg GPA 3.7
  • Acceptance Rate 54%
  • Net Price $4,431
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Annandale-On-Hudson, NY
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Jan 1 application deadline

Bard is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate arts, music, and literature. The campus overlooks the Hudson River in New York's Hudson Valley.

#10 Best Value in New York 8/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1270-1450
  • Avg GPA NA
  • Acceptance Rate 52%
  • Net Price $29,320
Details

  • Public 4 Year
  • New York, NY
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Feb 1 application deadline

Baruch is a public CUNY college known for undergraduate business, finance, and accounting. The compact urban campus sits in Midtown Manhattan.

#11 Best Value in New York 8/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1100-1400
  • Avg GPA 3.7
  • Acceptance Rate 48%
  • Net Price $4,326
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Canton, NY
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Feb 1 application deadline

St. Lawrence is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate environmental studies and international affairs. The residential campus sits in a small college town in northern New York near the Adirondacks.

#12 Best Value in New York 8/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1255-1420
  • Avg GPA 3.6
  • Acceptance Rate 54%
  • Net Price $33,216
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Geneva, NY
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Feb 1 application deadline

Hobart and William Smith is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate environmental studies and political science. The residential campus overlooks Seneca Lake in New York's Finger Lakes region.

#13 Best Value in New York 8/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1190-1385
  • Avg GPA 3.55
  • Acceptance Rate 64%
  • Net Price $34,170
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Niagara University, NY
  • | 0 reviews
  • Aug 30 application deadline

Niagara is a private Catholic university known for undergraduate hospitality and tourism management, education, and nursing. The suburban campus sits near Niagara Falls in western New York.

#14 Best Value in New York 6/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1060-1235
  • Avg GPA 3.53
  • Acceptance Rate 87%
  • Net Price $16,613
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Rochester, NY
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Jan 5 application deadline

Rochester is a highly selective private university known for undergraduate optics, music through the Eastman School, and engineering. Undergraduates follow a flexible curriculum built around interdisciplinary clusters rather than fixed general-education requirements.

#15 Best Value in New York 9/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1410-1540
  • Avg GPA 3.75
  • Acceptance Rate 40%
  • Net Price $40,462
Details

  • Private 4 Year
  • Potsdam, NY
  • 5.0 | 3 reviews
  • Jan 15 application deadline

Clarkson is a private university known for undergraduate engineering, business, and the sciences. The residential campus is in the small college town of Potsdam in northern New York.

#16 Best Value in New York 8/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1200-1390
  • Avg GPA 3.8
  • Acceptance Rate 77%
  • Net Price $32,406
Details

  • Public 4 Year
  • New York, NY
  • 5.0 | 1 reviews
  • Feb 1 application deadline

CCNY is a public college in the CUNY system known for undergraduate engineering, architecture, and the sciences. The urban campus is located in Harlem in northern Manhattan.

#17 Best Value in New York 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 1070-1430
  • Avg GPA 3.2
  • Acceptance Rate 60%
  • Net Price $4,664
Details
Roberts Wesleyan University Campus
 

  • Private 4 Year
  • Rochester, NY
  • | 0 reviews
  • Aug 25 application deadline

Roberts Wesleyan is a private Christian university known for undergraduate nursing and teacher education. The suburban campus sits outside Rochester in western New York.

#18 Best Value in New York 7/10 Overall Rating
  • SAT Range 990-1305
  • Avg GPA 3.6
  • Acceptance Rate 71%
  • Net Price $23,275
Details