Best-Value Colleges in New York
40 New York 4-year colleges ranked by return on investment — 10-year graduate earnings per dollar of net price — among schools that beat the state median on earnings and graduation rate.
The best-value college in New York is CUNY Bernard M Baruch College, New York — a net price of $3,033 against $75,971 in median 10-year earnings, an ROI of 25.0×, with a 72% graduation rate. Every school here turns a modest cost into outsized, above-median earnings.
| # | School | Net price /yr | 10-yr earnings | ROI (earn ÷ price) | Grad rate | In-state tuition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY | $3,033 | $75,971 | 25.0× | 72% | $7,464 |
| 2 | United States Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point, NY | $6,174 | $90,610 | 14.7× | 81% | $895 |
| 3 | The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art New York, NY | $13,269 | $83,847 | 6.3× | 80% | $46,820 |
| 4 | Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY | $21,590 | $102,491 | 4.7× | 95% | $71,845 |
| 5 | Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Albany, NY | $29,882 | $131,426 | 4.4× | 69% | $41,475 |
| 6 | SUNY Maritime College Throggs Neck, NY | $22,367 | $95,951 | 4.3× | 75% | $8,589 |
| 7 | Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY | $18,784 | $74,502 | 4.0× | 78% | $10,931 |
| 8 | University at Albany Albany, NY | $17,167 | $67,979 | 4.0× | 64% | $10,866 |
| 9 | Binghamton University Vestal, NY | $21,620 | $80,596 | 3.7× | 84% | $10,567 |
| 10 | SUNY College at Geneseo Geneseo, NY | $18,211 | $67,316 | 3.7× | 72% | $8,999 |
| 11 | Cornell University Ithaca, NY | $28,690 | $104,043 | 3.6× | 95% | $69,314 |
| 12 | Canisius University Buffalo, NY | $17,940 | $60,681 | 3.4× | 71% | $34,500 |
| 13 | University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY | $20,995 | $70,814 | 3.4× | 73% | $10,936 |
| 14 | St. Joseph's University-New York Brooklyn, NY | $19,035 | $63,905 | 3.4× | 64% | $36,550 |
| 15 | Fashion Institute of Technology New York, NY | $19,095 | $62,696 | 3.3× | 83% | $6,294 |
| 16 | Molloy College Rockville Centre, NY | $24,347 | $77,789 | 3.2× | 72% | $39,790 |
| 17 | Manhattan College Riverdale, NY | $27,256 | $86,316 | 3.2× | 66% | $53,400 |
| 18 | SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, NY | $19,158 | $60,386 | 3.2× | 70% | $8,831 |
| 19 | St. Thomas Aquinas College Sparkill, NY | $19,994 | $62,909 | 3.1× | 63% | $39,450 |
| 20 | State University of New York at New Paltz New Paltz, NY | $18,809 | $58,073 | 3.1× | 69% | $8,572 |
| 21 | Clarkson University Potsdam, NY | $30,305 | $89,696 | 3.0× | 74% | $59,398 |
| 22 | Colgate University Hamilton, NY | $28,786 | $85,139 | 3.0× | 91% | $70,306 |
| 23 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY | $36,228 | $102,051 | 2.8× | 83% | $64,081 |
| 24 | Le Moyne College Syracuse, NY | $22,277 | $62,731 | 2.8× | 71% | $40,330 |
| 25 | Barnard College New York, NY | $28,800 | $80,516 | 2.8× | 93% | $69,888 |
| 26 | Hamilton College Clinton, NY | $28,985 | $78,411 | 2.7× | 91% | $68,960 |
| 27 | University of Rochester Rochester, NY | $29,278 | $79,042 | 2.7× | 84% | $67,080 |
| 28 | State University of New York at Cortland Cortland, NY | $22,345 | $60,236 | 2.7× | 68% | $8,874 |
| 29 | Mount Saint Mary College Newburgh, NY | $25,522 | $67,705 | 2.7× | 66% | $43,450 |
| 30 | Wagner College Staten Island, NY | $28,241 | $74,360 | 2.6× | 68% | $53,200 |
| 31 | Elmira College Elmira, NY | $22,386 | $57,550 | 2.6× | 64% | $38,976 |
| 32 | Russell Sage College Troy, NY | $22,917 | $58,316 | 2.5× | 66% | $38,164 |
| 33 | Adelphi University Garden City, NY | $30,783 | $75,482 | 2.5× | 69% | $49,110 |
| 34 | St Lawrence University Canton, NY | $28,651 | $67,258 | 2.3× | 80% | $65,900 |
| 35 | St. John's University-New York Queens, NY | $29,999 | $69,571 | 2.3× | 68% | $53,020 |
| 36 | St. John Fisher University Rochester, NY | $28,945 | $66,944 | 2.3× | 74% | $41,190 |
| 37 | Siena College Loudonville, NY | $33,733 | $76,079 | 2.3× | 76% | $46,580 |
| 38 | New York University New York, NY | $37,050 | $82,509 | 2.2× | 88% | $62,796 |
| 39 | Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY | $34,906 | $76,571 | 2.2× | 71% | $59,274 |
| 40 | Hobart William Smith Colleges Geneva, NY | $31,563 | $68,831 | 2.2× | 73% | $65,117 |
How we ranked this
From every New York four-year college that publishes net price, 10-year median earnings, and graduation rate, we keep only those that beat the state median on earnings and that graduate at least 45% of students (or the state median grad rate, whichever is higher). We then rank by ROI = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price — the dollars of graduate earnings each dollar of net price buys — highest first. This rewards genuine return on investment rather than the cheapest sticker price, and the 4-year + outcome guards keep out the low-completion and 2-year outliers a pure price sort surfaces. Colleges missing any of the three figures are excluded, never estimated. Minimum 5 qualifying schools required to publish a page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best-value college in New York?+
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College in New York has the highest return on investment among New York 4-year colleges that beat the state median on outcomes: a net price of $3,033 against $75,971 in 10-year median earnings — an ROI of 25.0× (dollars earned per dollar of annual net price) — with a 72% graduation rate.
What does "net price" mean?+
Net price is the average annual cost students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the full cost of attendance — a far better affordability measure than sticker tuition. We use the College Scorecard average net price.
How is "best value" defined here?+
Value means return on investment, not cheapness. Among New York four-year colleges that beat the state median on BOTH 10-year graduate earnings and graduation rate (and graduate at least 45% of students), we rank by the ROI ratio = 10-year median earnings ÷ average annual net price. The school that turns each tuition dollar into the most graduate earnings ranks first.
Is the cheapest college always the best value?+
No. A rock-bottom price that leads to low earnings is worse value than a moderate price that leads to high earnings. That is exactly why we rank by the earnings-to-net-price ratio rather than by lowest price, and require above-median earnings and graduation rates first. Colleges missing net price, earnings, or graduation data are excluded rather than estimated.
Keep exploring
Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard · IPEDS. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “—” and never estimated. CertiHomes Education does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.