Best colleges for History in New York
Program-level earnings — not school prestige — rank these. Among the New York programs in the federal field-of-study file, Columbia University in the City of New York leads: its History graduates earn a median $98,079 four years after finishing, against the field's $50,680 national median. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026.)
| # | College | Grad earnings, 4 yrs | Vs field median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbia University in the City of New York | $98,079 | +$47,399 |
| 2 | Cornell University | $82,031 | +$31,351 |
| 3 | Colgate University | $75,784 | +$25,104 |
How big is the earnings gap between New York History programs?
$22,295 separates the top and bottom of this list — $98,079 at Columbia University in the City of New York against $75,784 at Colgate University, four years after finishing. Same field, same state, same federal measure: where you study moves pay by that much.
Do New York History graduates earn more than the national median?
The state's strongest program pays $47,399 above the $50,680 national median for the field. Program-level medians come from federal tax records of graduates who received aid, so they track actual pay rather than advertised salaries.