Degree Dividend
Sourced from federal dataEvery figure datedNo rankings for sale

Best colleges in New York, ranked by ROI

All 203 New York institutions we profile, ranked by payback years — total net cost divided by earnings above the $48,360 high-school baseline. Federal net price and earnings; payback is our math. (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)
#CollegeNet price/yrEarnings 10yPayback
1CUNY Bernard M Baruch College$3,033$75,9710.4 yrs
2United States Merchant Marine Academy$6,174$90,6100.6 yrs
3CUNY Hunter College$2,984$63,1630.8 yrs
4CUNY City College$3,776$66,0390.9 yrs
5St Paul's School of Nursing-Queens$26,315$104,4030.9 yrs
6CUNY Brooklyn College$3,103$60,7521 yrs
7CUNY Queens College$4,195$62,7631.2 yrs
8CUNY Lehman College$3,148$58,0131.3 yrs
9Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences$29,882$131,4261.4 yrs
10Helene Fuld College of Nursing$47,181$111,0271.5 yrs
11The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art$13,269$83,8471.5 yrs
12CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice$3,203$56,1951.6 yrs
13Columbia University in the City of New York$21,590$102,4911.6 yrs
14SUNY Maritime College$22,367$95,9511.9 yrs
15St Paul's School of Nursing-Staten Island$35,666$86,6931.9 yrs
16Farmingdale State College$10,867$69,7812 yrs
17Cornell University$28,690$104,0432.1 yrs
18CUNY York College$4,456$56,9452.1 yrs
19Binghamton University$21,620$80,5962.7 yrs
20Fashion Institute of Technology$19,095$62,6962.7 yrs
21Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute$36,228$102,0512.7 yrs
22Stony Brook University$18,784$74,5022.9 yrs
23Manhattan University$27,256$86,3162.9 yrs
24Clarkson University$30,305$89,6962.9 yrs
25Colgate University$28,786$85,1393.1 yrs
26Molloy University$24,347$77,7893.3 yrs
27Center for Allied Health Education$48,150$107,2493.3 yrs
28Union College$34,561$88,6043.4 yrs
29University at Albany$17,167$67,9793.5 yrs
30SUNY Polytechnic Institute$14,164$64,3553.5 yrs
31Barnard College$28,800$80,5163.6 yrs
32University at Buffalo$20,995$70,8143.7 yrs
33Maria College of Albany$13,082$55,4583.7 yrs
34University of Rochester$29,278$79,0423.8 yrs
35SUNY College at Geneseo$18,211$67,3163.8 yrs
36Hamilton College$28,985$78,4113.9 yrs
37New York Institute of Technology$22,443$70,0804.1 yrs
38New York University$37,050$82,5094.3 yrs
39College of Staten Island CUNY$5,579$53,5014.3 yrs
40Wagner College$28,241$74,3604.3 yrs
41SUNY Old Westbury$11,282$58,5264.4 yrs
42D'Youville University$20,433$66,9424.4 yrs
43Adelphi University$30,783$75,4824.5 yrs
44Iona University$29,188$73,5954.6 yrs
45Fordham University$44,338$85,5694.8 yrs
46Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology$39,986$64,9734.8 yrs
47Trocaire College$16,636$55,3184.8 yrs
48Rochester Institute of Technology$34,906$76,5714.9 yrs
49Siena University$33,733$76,0794.9 yrs
50St. Joseph's University-New York$19,035$63,9054.9 yrs
51Syracuse University$38,793$79,1645 yrs
52University of Mount Saint Vincent$21,696$65,7565 yrs
53Utica University$19,108$63,2775.1 yrs
54Mount Saint Mary College$25,522$67,7055.3 yrs
55St. Thomas Aquinas College$19,994$62,9095.5 yrs
56Pace University$30,892$70,3785.6 yrs
57Marist University$41,544$77,8195.6 yrs
58Daemen University$18,693$61,8085.6 yrs
59St. John's University-New York$29,999$69,5715.7 yrs
60Canisius University$17,940$60,6815.8 yrs
61St Lawrence University$28,651$67,2586.1 yrs
62Skidmore College$32,297$69,3636.2 yrs
63St. John Fisher University$28,945$66,9446.2 yrs
64Le Moyne College$22,277$62,7316.2 yrs
65Hobart William Smith Colleges$31,563$68,8316.2 yrs
66SUNY Oneonta$19,158$60,3866.4 yrs
67Eastern Suffolk BOCES$24,557$63,3946.5 yrs
68Hofstra University$34,176$69,0396.6 yrs
69Suffolk County Community College$5,258$49,9076.8 yrs
70Vassar College$39,343$71,3666.8 yrs
71State University of New York at Oswego$16,236$57,5667.1 yrs
72American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service$22,872$54,6957.2 yrs
73St. Francis College$18,129$58,0997.4 yrs
74State University of New York at Cortland$22,345$60,2367.5 yrs
75State University of New York at New Paltz$18,809$58,0737.7 yrs
76Manhattanville University$20,991$58,8328 yrs
77Empire State University$11,676$54,0808.2 yrs
78State University of New York at Plattsburgh$17,156$56,4038.5 yrs
79Yeshiva University$49,965$71,3538.7 yrs
80Niagara University$17,248$56,1968.8 yrs
81Ithaca College$33,926$63,5488.9 yrs
82Russell Sage College$22,917$58,3169.2 yrs
83Elmira College$22,386$57,5509.7 yrs
84Hartwick College$31,320$61,1079.8 yrs
85Keuka College$24,338$58,2899.8 yrs
86SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry$18,952$55,76310.2 yrs
87SUNY College of Technology at Delhi$17,225$51,62910.5 yrs
88SUNY Brockport$16,353$54,49610.7 yrs
89SUNY at Fredonia$15,897$54,24710.8 yrs
90Long Island University$33,062$59,95011.4 yrs
91SUNY Buffalo State University$11,346$52,33411.4 yrs
92Rockland Community College$11,282$50,24312 yrs
93St Bonaventure University$27,074$57,21412.2 yrs
94Dominican University New York$41,832$61,17113.1 yrs
95Roberts Wesleyan University$23,130$55,03113.9 yrs
96SUNY College of Technology at Alfred$15,016$50,44514.4 yrs
97Nazareth University$29,357$56,45814.5 yrs
98LIM College$38,667$58,95614.6 yrs
99Mercy University$14,072$52,05515.2 yrs
100Alfred University$25,620$54,89715.7 yrs
101CUNY New York City College of Technology$5,127$49,36520.4 yrs
102Touro University$29,627$53,41923.4 yrs
103Sarah Lawrence College$41,437$53,60331.6 yrs
104Pratt Institute-Main$52,659$54,29535.5 yrs
105New York Automotive and Diesel Institute$24,721$50,96338 yrs
106The New School$58,741$52,90151.7 yrs
107Marymount Manhattan College$36,861$49,131191.2 yrs
108Nassau Community College$7,095$48,248no payback
109SUNY Westchester Community College$9,373$46,822no payback
110CUNY Medgar Evers College$5,718$46,498no payback
111SUNY College at Potsdam$13,624$47,866no payback
112SUNY College of Technology at Canton$15,268$47,860no payback
113Hudson Valley Community College$8,501$45,460no payback
114Erie 1 BOCES$12,987$47,114no payback
115Culinary Institute of America$36,113$47,475no payback
116Columbia-Greene Community College$6,559$44,441no payback
117CUNY Queensborough Community College$4,458$44,214no payback
118Hilbert College$22,723$48,309no payback
119Orange County Community College$6,794$44,117no payback
120Simon's Rock at Bard College$31,625$46,543no payback
121Dutchess Community College$10,065$43,929no payback
122Houghton University$20,519$46,721no payback
123CUNY Kingsborough Community College$5,606$42,621no payback
124CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College$4,976$42,306no payback
125SUNY Morrisville$15,939$43,295no payback
126Niagara County Community College$6,876$42,285no payback
127Ulster County Community College$5,035$41,896no payback
128SUNY at Purchase College$18,913$45,092no payback
129SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill$18,701$45,030no payback
130CUNY LaGuardia Community College$6,120$41,653no payback
131CUNY Bronx Community College$4,462$41,307no payback
132Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science$26,683$46,145no payback
133Metropolitan College of New York$28,882$46,236no payback
134Erie Community College$7,765$41,228no payback
135Onondaga Community College$8,562$41,190no payback
136SUNY Adirondack$10,389$41,267no payback
137Schenectady County Community College$8,947$40,902no payback
138CUNY Hostos Community College$5,297$40,485no payback
139Monroe University$14,522$41,236no payback
140Bard College$34,649$46,543no payback
141Yeshiva of Nitra Rabbinical College$10,880$41,785no payback
142Lincoln Technical Institute-Whitestone$34,128$46,396no payback
143Monroe Community College$6,353$40,174no payback
144Tompkins Cortland Community College$12,723$40,707no payback
145Berkeley College-New York$34,124$45,884no payback
146New York School of Interior Design$45,271$48,041no payback
147The College of Westchester$16,296$42,215no payback
148Mohawk Valley Community College$8,987$39,850no payback
149Fulton-Montgomery Community College$6,696$39,535no payback
150Genesee Community College$8,334$39,674no payback
151SUNY Broome Community College$8,940$39,710no payback
152Jefferson Community College$11,923$39,991no payback
153Finger Lakes Community College$13,898$40,054no payback
154Clinton Community College$9,112$39,246no payback
155Apex Technical School$14,826$41,093no payback
156SUNY Corning Community College$7,373$38,817no payback
157Herkimer County Community College$13,419$39,199no payback
158Cayuga County Community College$8,662$38,709no payback
159Atelier Esthetique Institute of Esthetics$16,070$40,826no payback
160Sullivan County Community College$8,482$38,354no payback
161Jamestown Community College$9,850$38,242no payback
162North Country Community College$11,868$38,276no payback
163Talmudical Seminary Oholei Torah$10,755$39,230no payback
164Onondaga Cortland Madison BOCES$19,002$40,658no payback
165Villa Maria College$13,494$38,857no payback
166Kehilath Yakov Rabbinical Seminary$3,822$36,442no payback
167Mandl School-The College of Allied Health$35,578$39,108no payback
168Yeshiva Gedolah Imrei Yosef D'spinka$5,646$36,545no payback
169New York Medical Career Training Center$28,089$40,540no payback
170New York School for Medical and Dental Assistants$20,097$38,899no payback
171School of Visual Arts$57,914$46,459no payback
172Mildred Elley School-Albany Campus$24,241$38,830no payback
173Mildred Elley-New York Campus$25,431$38,830no payback
174Word of Life Bible Institute$14,516$36,173no payback
175Boricua College$15,245$35,348no payback
176Hunter Business School$23,738$36,312no payback
177Bryant & Stratton College-Greece$11,503$32,568no payback
178Bryant & Stratton College-Albany$12,443$32,568no payback
179Five Towns College$22,992$35,887no payback
180Bryant & Stratton College-Buffalo$14,135$32,568no payback
181Bryant & Stratton College-Online$15,187$32,568no payback
182Uta Mesivta of Kiryas Joel$4,156$31,853no payback
183Central Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim Lubavitz$21,437$35,023no payback
184Plaza College$19,860$31,519no payback
185Bryant & Stratton College-Syracuse North$15,217$32,568no payback
186The Juilliard School$43,571$37,827no payback
187Swedish Institute a College of Health Sciences$29,688$29,699no payback
188Capri Cosmetology Learning Centers$17,425$30,190no payback
189United Talmudical Seminary$6,640$25,113no payback
190Aveda Arts & Sciences Institute-New York$21,623$28,013no payback
191Manhattan School of Computer Technology$11,706$26,020no payback
192Metropolitan Learning Institute$12,699$25,916no payback
193Long Island Beauty School-Hauppauge$22,689$26,900no payback
194Talmudical Seminary of Bobov$2,840$22,432no payback
195Pacific College of Health and Science$57,004$26,209no payback
196Empire Beauty School-Manhattan$18,892$24,022no payback
197Long Island Nail Skin & Hair Institute$18,337$23,404no payback
198Seminar L'moros Bais Yaakov$23,921$24,366no payback
199Rabbinical College Bobover Yeshiva Bnei Zion$9,136$20,707no payback
200American Musical and Dramatic Academy$41,416$26,975no payback
201Manhattan School of Music$51,754$26,878no payback
202Be'er Yaakov Talmudic Seminary$4,543$17,360no payback
203Associated Beth Rivkah Schools$22,709$17,686no payback

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