Best colleges in New York, ranked by ROI

Name: New York colleges — cost, earnings and ROI rankings
Creator: Degree Dividend

By the Degree Dividend editorial data teamEvery figure verified against its federal source — methodologyData updated June 2026

We rank all 203 New York institutions we profile by payback years — total net cost divided by earnings above the $48,360 high-school baseline. The state's median net price is $18,913/yr (above the $16,902 national median), and its graduates earn a median $50,963 ten years out (above the $43,549 national median). CUNY Bernard M Baruch College leads, clearing its cost in 0.4 years. (Scorecard, 2026.)

$18,913

Median net price / yr

Scorecard, 2026

$50,963

Median earnings, 10 yrs

Scorecard, 2026

5.3 yrs

Median payback

Our math, 2026

203

Colleges ranked

degreedividend.com

New York colleges by payback (best first)

#	College	Net price/yr	Earnings 10y	Payback
1	CUNY Bernard M Baruch College	$3,033	$75,971	0.4 yrs
2	United States Merchant Marine Academy	$6,174	$90,610	0.6 yrs
3	CUNY Hunter College	$2,984	$63,163	0.8 yrs
4	CUNY City College	$3,776	$66,039	0.9 yrs
5	St Paul's School of Nursing-Queens	$26,315	$104,403	0.9 yrs
6	CUNY Brooklyn College	$3,103	$60,752	1 yrs
7	CUNY Queens College	$4,195	$62,763	1.2 yrs
8	CUNY Lehman College	$3,148	$58,013	1.3 yrs
9	Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences	$29,882	$131,426	1.4 yrs
10	Helene Fuld College of Nursing	$47,181	$111,027	1.5 yrs
11	The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art	$13,269	$83,847	1.5 yrs
12	Columbia University in the City of New York	$21,590	$102,491	1.6 yrs
13	CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice	$3,203	$56,195	1.6 yrs
14	St Paul's School of Nursing-Staten Island	$35,666	$86,693	1.9 yrs
15	SUNY Maritime College	$22,367	$95,951	1.9 yrs
16	Farmingdale State College	$10,867	$69,781	2 yrs
17	Cornell University	$28,690	$104,043	2.1 yrs
18	CUNY York College	$4,456	$56,945	2.1 yrs
19	Binghamton University	$21,620	$80,596	2.7 yrs
20	Fashion Institute of Technology	$19,095	$62,696	2.7 yrs
21	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	$36,228	$102,051	2.7 yrs
22	Clarkson University	$30,305	$89,696	2.9 yrs
23	Manhattan University	$27,256	$86,316	2.9 yrs
24	Stony Brook University	$18,784	$74,502	2.9 yrs
25	Colgate University	$28,786	$85,139	3.1 yrs
26	Center for Allied Health Education	$48,150	$107,249	3.3 yrs
27	Molloy University	$24,347	$77,789	3.3 yrs
28	Union College	$34,561	$88,604	3.4 yrs
29	SUNY Polytechnic Institute	$14,164	$64,355	3.5 yrs
30	University at Albany	$17,167	$67,979	3.5 yrs
31	Barnard College	$28,800	$80,516	3.6 yrs
32	Maria College of Albany	$13,082	$55,458	3.7 yrs
33	University at Buffalo	$20,995	$70,814	3.7 yrs
34	SUNY College at Geneseo	$18,211	$67,316	3.8 yrs
35	University of Rochester	$29,278	$79,042	3.8 yrs
36	Hamilton College	$28,985	$78,411	3.9 yrs
37	New York Institute of Technology	$22,443	$70,080	4.1 yrs
38	College of Staten Island CUNY	$5,579	$53,501	4.3 yrs
39	New York University	$37,050	$82,509	4.3 yrs
40	Wagner College	$28,241	$74,360	4.3 yrs
41	D'Youville University	$20,433	$66,942	4.4 yrs
42	SUNY Old Westbury	$11,282	$58,526	4.4 yrs
43	Adelphi University	$30,783	$75,482	4.5 yrs
44	Iona University	$29,188	$73,595	4.6 yrs
45	Fordham University	$44,338	$85,569	4.8 yrs
46	Trocaire College	$16,636	$55,318	4.8 yrs
47	Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology	$39,986	$64,973	4.8 yrs
48	Rochester Institute of Technology	$34,906	$76,571	4.9 yrs
49	Siena University	$33,733	$76,079	4.9 yrs
50	St. Joseph's University-New York	$19,035	$63,905	4.9 yrs
51	Syracuse University	$38,793	$79,164	5 yrs
52	University of Mount Saint Vincent	$21,696	$65,756	5 yrs
53	Utica University	$19,108	$63,277	5.1 yrs
54	Mount Saint Mary College	$25,522	$67,705	5.3 yrs
55	St. Thomas Aquinas College	$19,994	$62,909	5.5 yrs
56	Daemen University	$18,693	$61,808	5.6 yrs
57	Marist University	$41,544	$77,819	5.6 yrs
58	Pace University	$30,892	$70,378	5.6 yrs
59	St. John's University-New York	$29,999	$69,571	5.7 yrs
60	Canisius University	$17,940	$60,681	5.8 yrs
61	St Lawrence University	$28,651	$67,258	6.1 yrs
62	Hobart William Smith Colleges	$31,563	$68,831	6.2 yrs
63	Le Moyne College	$22,277	$62,731	6.2 yrs
64	Skidmore College	$32,297	$69,363	6.2 yrs
65	St. John Fisher University	$28,945	$66,944	6.2 yrs
66	SUNY Oneonta	$19,158	$60,386	6.4 yrs
67	Eastern Suffolk BOCES	$24,557	$63,394	6.5 yrs
68	Hofstra University	$34,176	$69,039	6.6 yrs
69	Suffolk County Community College	$5,258	$49,907	6.8 yrs
70	Vassar College	$39,343	$71,366	6.8 yrs
71	State University of New York at Oswego	$16,236	$57,566	7.1 yrs
72	American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service	$22,872	$54,695	7.2 yrs
73	St. Francis College	$18,129	$58,099	7.4 yrs
74	State University of New York at Cortland	$22,345	$60,236	7.5 yrs
75	State University of New York at New Paltz	$18,809	$58,073	7.7 yrs
76	Manhattanville University	$20,991	$58,832	8 yrs
77	Empire State University	$11,676	$54,080	8.2 yrs
78	State University of New York at Plattsburgh	$17,156	$56,403	8.5 yrs
79	Yeshiva University	$49,965	$71,353	8.7 yrs
80	Niagara University	$17,248	$56,196	8.8 yrs
81	Ithaca College	$33,926	$63,548	8.9 yrs
82	Russell Sage College	$22,917	$58,316	9.2 yrs
83	Elmira College	$22,386	$57,550	9.7 yrs
84	Hartwick College	$31,320	$61,107	9.8 yrs
85	Keuka College	$24,338	$58,289	9.8 yrs
86	SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry	$18,952	$55,763	10.2 yrs
87	SUNY College of Technology at Delhi	$17,225	$51,629	10.5 yrs
88	SUNY Brockport	$16,353	$54,496	10.7 yrs
89	SUNY at Fredonia	$15,897	$54,247	10.8 yrs
90	Long Island University	$33,062	$59,950	11.4 yrs
91	SUNY Buffalo State University	$11,346	$52,334	11.4 yrs
92	Rockland Community College	$11,282	$50,243	12 yrs
93	St Bonaventure University	$27,074	$57,214	12.2 yrs
94	Dominican University New York	$41,832	$61,171	13.1 yrs
95	Roberts Wesleyan University	$23,130	$55,031	13.9 yrs
96	SUNY College of Technology at Alfred	$15,016	$50,445	14.4 yrs
97	Nazareth University	$29,357	$56,458	14.5 yrs
98	LIM College	$38,667	$58,956	14.6 yrs
99	Mercy University	$14,072	$52,055	15.2 yrs
100	Alfred University	$25,620	$54,897	15.7 yrs
101	CUNY New York City College of Technology	$5,127	$49,365	20.4 yrs
102	Touro University	$29,627	$53,419	23.4 yrs
103	Sarah Lawrence College	$41,437	$53,603	31.6 yrs
104	Pratt Institute-Main	$52,659	$54,295	35.5 yrs
105	New York Automotive and Diesel Institute	$24,721	$50,963	38 yrs
106	The New School	$58,741	$52,901	51.7 yrs
107	Marymount Manhattan College	$36,861	$49,131	191.2 yrs
108	Nassau Community College	$7,095	$48,248	no payback
109	SUNY Westchester Community College	$9,373	$46,822	no payback
110	CUNY Medgar Evers College	$5,718	$46,498	no payback
111	SUNY College at Potsdam	$13,624	$47,866	no payback
112	SUNY College of Technology at Canton	$15,268	$47,860	no payback
113	Hudson Valley Community College	$8,501	$45,460	no payback
114	Erie 1 BOCES	$12,987	$47,114	no payback
115	Culinary Institute of America	$36,113	$47,475	no payback
116	Columbia-Greene Community College	$6,559	$44,441	no payback
117	CUNY Queensborough Community College	$4,458	$44,214	no payback
118	Hilbert College	$22,723	$48,309	no payback
119	Orange County Community College	$6,794	$44,117	no payback
120	Simon's Rock at Bard College	$31,625	$46,543	no payback
121	Dutchess Community College	$10,065	$43,929	no payback
122	Houghton University	$20,519	$46,721	no payback
123	CUNY Kingsborough Community College	$5,606	$42,621	no payback
124	CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College	$4,976	$42,306	no payback
125	SUNY Morrisville	$15,939	$43,295	no payback
126	Niagara County Community College	$6,876	$42,285	no payback
127	Ulster County Community College	$5,035	$41,896	no payback
128	SUNY at Purchase College	$18,913	$45,092	no payback
129	SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill	$18,701	$45,030	no payback
130	CUNY LaGuardia Community College	$6,120	$41,653	no payback
131	CUNY Bronx Community College	$4,462	$41,307	no payback
132	Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science	$26,683	$46,145	no payback
133	Metropolitan College of New York	$28,882	$46,236	no payback
134	Erie Community College	$7,765	$41,228	no payback
135	Onondaga Community College	$8,562	$41,190	no payback
136	SUNY Adirondack	$10,389	$41,267	no payback
137	Schenectady County Community College	$8,947	$40,902	no payback
138	CUNY Hostos Community College	$5,297	$40,485	no payback
139	Monroe University	$14,522	$41,236	no payback
140	Bard College	$34,649	$46,543	no payback
141	Yeshiva of Nitra Rabbinical College	$10,880	$41,785	no payback
142	Lincoln Technical Institute-Whitestone	$34,128	$46,396	no payback
143	Monroe Community College	$6,353	$40,174	no payback
144	Tompkins Cortland Community College	$12,723	$40,707	no payback
145	Berkeley College-New York	$34,124	$45,884	no payback
146	New York School of Interior Design	$45,271	$48,041	no payback
147	The College of Westchester	$16,296	$42,215	no payback
148	Mohawk Valley Community College	$8,987	$39,850	no payback
149	Fulton-Montgomery Community College	$6,696	$39,535	no payback
150	Genesee Community College	$8,334	$39,674	no payback
151	SUNY Broome Community College	$8,940	$39,710	no payback
152	Jefferson Community College	$11,923	$39,991	no payback
153	Finger Lakes Community College	$13,898	$40,054	no payback
154	Clinton Community College	$9,112	$39,246	no payback
155	Apex Technical School	$14,826	$41,093	no payback
156	SUNY Corning Community College	$7,373	$38,817	no payback
157	Herkimer County Community College	$13,419	$39,199	no payback
158	Cayuga County Community College	$8,662	$38,709	no payback
159	Atelier Esthetique Institute of Esthetics	$16,070	$40,826	no payback
160	Sullivan County Community College	$8,482	$38,354	no payback
161	Jamestown Community College	$9,850	$38,242	no payback
162	North Country Community College	$11,868	$38,276	no payback
163	Talmudical Seminary Oholei Torah	$10,755	$39,230	no payback
164	Onondaga Cortland Madison BOCES	$19,002	$40,658	no payback
165	Villa Maria College	$13,494	$38,857	no payback
166	Kehilath Yakov Rabbinical Seminary	$3,822	$36,442	no payback
167	Mandl School-The College of Allied Health	$35,578	$39,108	no payback
168	Yeshiva Gedolah Imrei Yosef D'spinka	$5,646	$36,545	no payback
169	New York Medical Career Training Center	$28,089	$40,540	no payback
170	New York School for Medical and Dental Assistants	$20,097	$38,899	no payback
171	School of Visual Arts	$57,914	$46,459	no payback
172	Mildred Elley School-Albany Campus	$24,241	$38,830	no payback
173	Mildred Elley-New York Campus	$25,431	$38,830	no payback
174	Word of Life Bible Institute	$14,516	$36,173	no payback
175	Boricua College	$15,245	$35,348	no payback
176	Hunter Business School	$23,738	$36,312	no payback
177	Bryant & Stratton College-Greece	$11,503	$32,568	no payback
178	Bryant & Stratton College-Albany	$12,443	$32,568	no payback
179	Five Towns College	$22,992	$35,887	no payback
180	Bryant & Stratton College-Buffalo	$14,135	$32,568	no payback
181	Bryant & Stratton College-Online	$15,187	$32,568	no payback
182	Uta Mesivta of Kiryas Joel	$4,156	$31,853	no payback
183	Central Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitz	$21,437	$35,023	no payback
184	Plaza College	$19,860	$31,519	no payback
185	Bryant & Stratton College-Syracuse North	$15,217	$32,568	no payback
186	The Juilliard School	$43,571	$37,827	no payback
187	Swedish Institute a College of Health Sciences	$29,688	$29,699	no payback
188	Capri Cosmetology Learning Centers	$17,425	$30,190	no payback
189	United Talmudical Seminary	$6,640	$25,113	no payback
190	Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute-New York	$21,623	$28,013	no payback
191	Manhattan School of Computer Technology	$11,706	$26,020	no payback
192	Metropolitan Learning Institute	$12,699	$25,916	no payback
193	Long Island Beauty School-Hauppauge	$22,689	$26,900	no payback
194	Talmudical Seminary of Bobov	$2,840	$22,432	no payback
195	Pacific College of Health and Science	$57,004	$26,209	no payback
196	Empire Beauty School-Manhattan	$18,892	$24,022	no payback
197	Long Island Nail Skin & Hair Institute	$18,337	$23,404	no payback
198	Seminar L'moros Bais Yaakov	$23,921	$24,366	no payback
199	Rabbinical College Bobover Yeshiva Bnei Zion	$9,136	$20,707	no payback
200	American Musical and Dramatic Academy	$41,416	$26,975	no payback
201	Manhattan School of Music	$51,754	$26,878	no payback
202	Be'er Yaakov Talmudic Seminary	$4,543	$17,360	no payback
203	Associated Beth Rivkah Schools	$22,709	$17,686	no payback

College Scorecard (2026), institution-level · ranking and payback are our math. Payback uses institution-wide earnings; a specific major can rank very differently.

Colleges in New York: frequently asked questions

Which college has the best ROI in New York?

CUNY Bernard M Baruch College. It charges $3,033/yr after aid and its graduates earn a median $75,971 ten years out, clearing the cost in about 0.4 years — the fastest payback of the 203 New York colleges we track.

How much does college cost in New York?

The median net price across New York colleges is $18,913/yr after grants and scholarships — above the $16,902 national median. That is the actual price the typical aided student pays, not the published sticker.

What do New York college graduates earn?

A median $50,963 ten years after entry (Scorecard), above the $43,549 national median. Earnings vary widely by school and major — see each college's profile for its own figure.

How many New York colleges pay for themselves?

107 of the 203 New York colleges we track clear their cost on institution-wide earnings above the high-school baseline. The rest need a high-ROI major to pay off — the school average alone does not.