New York Colleges with low acceptance rates

Colleges with the Lowest Acceptance Rate in New York for 2025

These are the most selective public and private four-year colleges in New York. The list is ranked by acceptance rate, lowest to highest and limited to schools which reject at least half of all applicants. Leading the list is Columbia University in the City of New York which sent acceptance letters to only 4% of the 57,613 students who applied and rejected 96%.

Not all schools on the most selective list are overly academically challenging. Some schools with less rigorous test and high school GPA requirements may receive a large numbers of qualified applicants and the school does not have space to admit them all.

If you're looking for challenging colleges, explore rankings of New York colleges with the highest SAT scores, highest ACT scores and highest GPA's.
New York Low Acceptance % Public Private 4 year

27 results

CUNY Graduate School and University Center
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G
New York, NY

CUNY Graduate School and University Center

Public 4 Year

0 reviews

39% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 9,116enrollment
  • -net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Manhattan School of Music
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M
New York, NY

Manhattan School of Music

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

40% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 1,097enrollment
  • $51,879net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.55Avg GPA

Applications Due Dec 1

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Syracuse University
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S
Syracuse, NY

Syracuse University

Private 4 Year

3 reviews

42% Acceptance Rate

#19 Best Private Colleges in New York

  • 22,948enrollment
  • $51,520net price
  • 1260-1430SAT range
  • 28-32ACT range
  • 3.69Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 1

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Yeshiva D'monsey Rabbinical College
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Y
Monsey, NY
 

Yeshiva D'monsey Rabbinical College

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

42% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 86enrollment
  • $6,266net price
  • -SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • NAAvg GPA

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Union College
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U
Schenectady, NY

Union College

Private 4 Year

1 reviews

44% Acceptance Rate

#11 Best Private Colleges in New York

  • 2,082enrollment
  • $42,884net price
  • 1310-1480SAT range
  • 30-33ACT range
  • 3.5Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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Jewish Theological Seminary of America
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J
New York, NY

Jewish Theological Seminary of America

Private 4 Year

0 reviews

45% Acceptance Rate

 

  • 316enrollment
  • $54,588net price
  • 1440-1559SAT range
  • 33-35ACT range
  • 3.7Avg GPA

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Alfred University
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A
Alfred, NY

Alfred University

Private 4 Year

2 reviews

48% Acceptance Rate

#34 Best Private Colleges in New York

  • 1,843enrollment
  • $26,127net price
  • 1100-1280SAT range
  • 24-31ACT range
  • 3.4Avg GPA

Applications Due Feb 1

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Stony Brook University
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S
Stony Brook, NY

Stony Brook University

Public 4 Year

2 reviews

49% Acceptance Rate

#3 Best Public Universities in New York

  • 25,865enrollment
  • $18,601net price
  • 1320-1490SAT range
  • 28-33ACT range
  • 3.94Avg GPA

Applications Due Jan 15

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CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
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B
New York, NY

CUNY Bernard M Baruch College

Public 4 Year

1 reviews

50% Acceptance Rate

#5 Best Public Universities in New York

  • 19,698enrollment
  • $3,989net price
  • 1210-1410SAT range
  • -ACT range
  • 3.7Avg GPA

Applications Due Feb 1

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