Best colleges for education in New York

    CUNY Hunter College ranks first in New York for education value (#2 nationally, value score 91.2): graduates earn $73,857 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $1,051 a year.

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition · Source: College Scorecard field of study, reporting year 2025 · 30 New York colleges ranked · Updated November 4, 2026

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    Best education colleges in New York

    CUNY Hunter College ranks first in New York for education value (#2 nationally, value score 91.2): graduates earn $73,857 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $1,051 a year. 30 New York colleges qualify. At the median one, education graduates earn $57,809 and the average net price is $17,842 a year.

    Source: U.S. College Scorecard field of study, 2025

    What the data shows

    Key findings

    • 30 New York colleges qualify. At the median one, education graduates earn $57,809 and the average net price is $17,842 a year.
    • The highest education earnings in the state are at College of Staten Island ($75,637), ranked #5 in the state once cost, debt and graduation rate count.
    • The lowest average net price among them is at CUNY Brooklyn College: $950 a year.
    Median earnings
    $57,809
    National: $48,822
    Median net price
    $17,842
    National: $17,201
    Median federal debt
    $21,250
    education graduates
    Public colleges
    17 of 30
    in this list

    30 colleges

    The New York ranking

    Ordered by the national value score; the national rank is shown with each college. Earnings are medians 4 years after the bachelor's degree.

    1. Rank in New York 1

      CUNY Hunter College

      New York, NY · Public · #2 nationally

      91.2Value
      Earnings
      $73,857
      Net price
      $1,051
      Federal debt
      Not reported
      Graduation rate
      59%
    2. Rank in New York 2

      CUNY Queens College

      Queens, NY · Public · #6 nationally

      89.9Value
      Earnings
      $67,221
      Net price
      $1,272
      Federal debt
      $14,480
      Graduation rate
      53%
    3. Rank in New York 3

      CUNY Brooklyn College

      Brooklyn, NY · Public · #10 nationally

      87.0Value
      Earnings
      $58,828
      Net price
      $950
      Federal debt
      $11,500
      Graduation rate
      53%
    4. Rank in New York 4

      CUNY City College

      New York, NY · Public · #24 nationally

      82.3Value
      Earnings
      $55,895
      Net price
      $1,557
      Federal debt
      $11,000
      Graduation rate
      50%
    5. Rank in New York 5

      College of Staten Island

      Staten Island, NY · Public · #25 nationally

      82.1Value
      Earnings
      $75,637
      Net price
      $3,153
      Federal debt
      Not reported
      Graduation rate
      36%
    6. Rank in New York 6

      SUNY College at Old Westbury

      Old Westbury, NY · Public · #31 nationally

      79.8Value
      Earnings
      $57,360
      Net price
      $8,991
      Federal debt
      $13,000
      Graduation rate
      43%
    7. Rank in New York 7

      St. Joseph's College-New York

      Brooklyn, NY · Private nonprofit · #42 nationally

      76.6Value
      Earnings
      $63,672
      Net price
      $18,853
      Federal debt
      $21,963
      Graduation rate
      68%
    8. Rank in New York 8

      SUNY College at Oswego

      Oswego, NY · Public · #43 nationally

      76.4Value
      Earnings
      $59,412
      Net price
      $16,300
      Federal debt
      $18,787
      Graduation rate
      58%
    9. Rank in New York 9

      SUNY Cortland

      Cortland, NY · Public · #48 nationally

      75.4Value
      Earnings
      $63,201
      Net price
      $22,125
      Federal debt
      $20,000
      Graduation rate
      72%
    10. Rank in New York 10

      New York University

      New York, NY · Private nonprofit · #62 nationally

      73.0Value
      Earnings
      $64,640
      Net price
      $35,737
      Federal debt
      $18,000
      Graduation rate
      88%
    11. Rank in New York 11

      SUNY Oneonta

      Oneonta, NY · Public · #65 nationally

      72.8Value
      Earnings
      $58,496
      Net price
      $18,369
      Federal debt
      $21,250
      Graduation rate
      66%
    12. Rank in New York 12

      Adelphi University

      Garden City, NY · Private nonprofit · #66 nationally

      72.7Value
      Earnings
      $70,416
      Net price
      $26,646
      Federal debt
      $21,250
      Graduation rate
      71%
    13. Rank in New York 13

      SUNY College at Potsdam

      Potsdam, NY · Public · #72 nationally

      71.9Value
      Earnings
      $57,949
      Net price
      $13,628
      Federal debt
      $25,209
      Graduation rate
      55%
    14. Rank in New York 14

      SUNY College at Geneseo

      Geneseo, NY · Public · #84 nationally

      70.2Value
      Earnings
      $54,725
      Net price
      $18,952
      Federal debt
      $19,562
      Graduation rate
      70%
    15. Rank in New York 15

      St. John's University-New York

      Queens, NY · Private nonprofit · #87 nationally

      69.9Value
      Earnings
      $69,439
      Net price
      $24,508
      Federal debt
      $27,000
      Graduation rate
      69%
    16. Rank in New York 16

      Hofstra University

      Hempstead, NY · Private nonprofit · #96 nationally

      68.5Value
      Earnings
      $67,847
      Net price
      $30,647
      Federal debt
      $22,750
      Graduation rate
      66%
    17. Rank in New York 17

      State University of New York at New Paltz

      New Paltz, NY · Public · #97 nationally

      68.4Value
      Earnings
      $53,267
      Net price
      $19,499
      Federal debt
      $16,819
      Graduation rate
      69%
    18. Rank in New York 18

      SUNY College at Plattsburgh

      Plattsburgh, NY · Public · #100 nationally

      67.4Value
      Earnings
      $55,996
      Net price
      $15,606
      Federal debt
      $23,965
      Graduation rate
      56%
    19. Rank in New York 19

      SUNY Empire State College

      Saratoga Springs, NY · Public · #111 nationally

      66.1Value
      Earnings
      $50,954
      Net price
      $11,131
      Federal debt
      $18,583
      Graduation rate
      48%
    20. Rank in New York 20

      Syracuse University

      Syracuse, NY · Private nonprofit · #120 nationally

      65.3Value
      Earnings
      $62,372
      Net price
      $43,336
      Federal debt
      Not reported
      Graduation rate
      81%
    21. Rank in New York 21

      SUNY Buffalo State

      Buffalo, NY · Public · #125 nationally

      64.0Value
      Earnings
      $51,209
      Net price
      $10,886
      Federal debt
      $18,433
      Graduation rate
      34%
    22. Rank in New York 22

      Ithaca College

      Ithaca, NY · Private nonprofit · #140 nationally

      62.0Value
      Earnings
      $58,902
      Net price
      $33,233
      Federal debt
      $24,529
      Graduation rate
      72%
    23. Rank in New York 23

      SUNY Brockport

      Brockport, NY · Public · #141 nationally

      62.0Value
      Earnings
      $53,378
      Net price
      $17,315
      Federal debt
      $20,281
      Graduation rate
      50%
    24. Rank in New York 24

      SUNY at Fredonia

      Fredonia, NY · Public · #143 nationally

      61.9Value
      Earnings
      $53,292
      Net price
      $15,275
      Federal debt
      $25,000
      Graduation rate
      55%
    25. Rank in New York 25

      Boricua College

      New York, NY · Private nonprofit · #153 nationally

      60.7Value
      Earnings
      $55,959
      Net price
      $15,934
      Federal debt
      Not reported
      Graduation rate
      22%
    26. Rank in New York 26

      Saint John Fisher College

      Rochester, NY · Private nonprofit · #168 nationally

      59.3Value
      Earnings
      $56,411
      Net price
      $29,743
      Federal debt
      $25,037
      Graduation rate
      74%
    27. Rank in New York 27

      Iona College

      New Rochelle, NY · Private nonprofit · #170 nationally

      58.9Value
      Earnings
      $57,669
      Net price
      $26,250
      Federal debt
      $24,506
      Graduation rate
      59%
    28. Rank in New York 28

      Nazareth College

      Rochester, NY · Private nonprofit · #250 nationally

      50.6Value
      Earnings
      $53,350
      Net price
      $30,265
      Federal debt
      $27,000
      Graduation rate
      73%
    29. Rank in New York 29

      Niagara University

      Niagara University, NY · Private nonprofit · #331 nationally

      43.0Value
      Earnings
      $48,037
      Net price
      $17,246
      Federal debt
      $27,000
      Graduation rate
      63%
    30. Rank in New York 30

      Long Island University

      Brookville, NY · Private nonprofit · #341 nationally

      42.0Value
      Earnings
      $48,618
      Net price
      $23,862
      Federal debt
      Not reported
      Graduation rate
      59%

    Method: the same value score as the national education ranking (earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate, each a national percentile). Data: College Scorecard, reporting year 2025; 2026–27 edition, verified Nov 2026.

    Questions about education colleges in New York

    What are the best colleges for education in New York?

    By CollegesRef value score, the top 3 New York colleges for education are CUNY Hunter College (value score 91.2), CUNY Queens College (value score 89.9) and CUNY Brooklyn College (value score 87). The score weighs graduate earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate.

    Which New York college has the highest earnings for education graduates?

    College of Staten Island: its education graduates have median earnings of $75,637 4 years after the bachelor's degree.

    What is the most affordable education college in New York on this list?

    CUNY Brooklyn College has the lowest average net price of the ranked New York colleges, $950 a year after grants. A family's own price depends on income and aid.

    How many New York colleges are ranked for education?

    30 New York colleges have a education bachelor's program with enough graduates and reported earnings, plus a published net price and graduation rate. Ranks shown are national; the state rank is their order within New York.