Top Rated New York Private Colleges
These are the top ranked private four-year colleges in New York. Leading the rankings for 2027 as the highest ranked private college in New York is Cornell University. Learn how the Best Colleges rankings are calculated on our ranking methodology page.
Cornell University
- 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.
- SAT Range 1500-1570
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.9
- Acceptance Rate 9%
- Net Price $26,361
Columbia University in the City of New York
- 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.
- SAT Range 1510-1580
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.91
- Acceptance Rate 4%
- Net Price $22,520
Hamilton College
- 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.
- SAT Range 1450-1550
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.87
- Acceptance Rate 14%
- Net Price $28,719
Colgate University
- 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.
- SAT Range 1430-1540
- Avg GPA 3.77
- Acceptance Rate 14%
- Net Price $28,736
Barnard College
- 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.
- SAT Range 1470-1560
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.85
- Acceptance Rate 9%
- Net Price $26,407
New York University
- 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.
- SAT Range 1480-1560
- Avg GPA 3.79
- Acceptance Rate 9%
- Net Price $30,325
Vassar College
- 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.
- SAT Range 1450-1550
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.86
- Acceptance Rate 19%
- Net Price $29,981
Skidmore College
- 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.
- SAT Range 1340-1480
- Predicted Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 21%
- Net Price $31,187
Yeshiva University
- Private 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
| 0 reviews
- Feb 1 application deadline
Yeshiva is a private Jewish university known for combining Jewish studies with undergraduate business, sciences, and liberal arts. Men and women study on separate urban campuses in Manhattan.
- SAT Range 1340-1510
- Avg GPA 3.41
- Acceptance Rate 56%
- Net Price $39,681
University of Rochester
- 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.
- SAT Range 1410-1540
- Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 40%
- Net Price $40,462
Union College
- Private 4 Year
- Schenectady, NY
-
5.0 | 1 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Union is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate engineering alongside the sciences and social sciences. Most students belong to Minerva Houses that organize dining and campus social life.
- SAT Range 1310-1480
- Avg GPA 3.5
- Acceptance Rate 44%
- Net Price $42,137
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Private 4 Year
- Troy, NY
-
4.3 | 3 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
RPI is a private technological university known for undergraduate engineering, computer science, and architecture. The hillside campus overlooks the Hudson River in Troy.
- SAT Range 1375-1510
- Avg GPA 3.88
- Acceptance Rate 63%
- Net Price $38,887
Fordham University
- Private 4 Year
- Bronx, NY
-
4.2 | 5 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Fordham is a private Jesuit university known for undergraduate business, communications, and the liberal arts. The main Rose Hill campus in the Bronx borders the New York Botanical Garden.
- SAT Range 1320-1480
- Avg GPA 3.67
- Acceptance Rate 59%
- Net Price $48,190
Sarah Lawrence College
- Private 4 Year
- Bronxville, NY
-
5.0 | 2 reviews
- Jan 15 application deadline
Sarah Lawrence is a private liberal arts college known for undergraduate creative writing, the arts, and conference-based individualized study. The suburban Bronxville campus sits just north of New York City.
- SAT Range 1240-1430
- Avg GPA 3.75
- Acceptance Rate 62%
- Net Price $43,629
St Lawrence University
- 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.
- SAT Range 1255-1420
- Avg GPA 3.6
- Acceptance Rate 54%
- Net Price $33,216
Touro University
- Private 4 Year
- New York, NY
-
3.0 | 1 reviews
Touro is a private Jewish-sponsored university known for undergraduate health sciences and education. The university operates multiple urban campuses across New York City.
- SAT Range 1218-1453
- Avg GPA 3.17
- Acceptance Rate 61%
- Net Price $29,179
Hobart William Smith Colleges
- 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.
- SAT Range 1190-1385
- Avg GPA 3.55
- Acceptance Rate 64%
- Net Price $34,170
Syracuse University
- Private 4 Year
- Syracuse, NY
-
4.0 | 3 reviews
- Jan 1 application deadline
Syracuse is a private university known for undergraduate communications, journalism, and architecture. The residential campus sits on a hill overlooking the city of Syracuse.
- SAT Range 1270-1440
- Avg GPA 3.69
- Acceptance Rate 46%
- Net Price $48,215