Match #1
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI
Troy, NY
Profile closeness71/100
Admit rate63%
- 5,714 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Small
- Enrollment 5,714 students, close to 6,563
- Acceptance rate 63%, close to 63%
The colleges most similar to The New School are Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI, University of Rochester, and New York Institute of Technology. The New School admits 63% of applicants and has an average net price of $48,163 a year; 10 of its 10 alternatives cost less and 4 admit a larger share of applicants, in the CollegesRef 2026–27 edition.
Profile closeness (0–100) compares graduation rate, size, admit rate, net price, Carnegie class, and control with The New School. The order also uses CollegesRef matching tiers, so a later match can score higher. Admit-rate bars use a 0–100% scale.
Top 10 alternatives to The New School
Row-wise results ranked by similarity. No curated AI list exists for this school.
Match #2
University of Rochester
Rochester, NY
Profile closeness65/100
Admit rate40%
- 6,331 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Midsize
- Enrollment 6,331 students, close to 6,563
- Same control type (private nonprofit)
Match #3
New York Institute of Technology
Old Westbury, NY
Profile closeness60/100
Admit rate81%
- 3,440 students
- Private nonprofit
- Suburb: Large
- Same control type (private nonprofit)
Match #4
Niagara University
Niagara University, NY
Profile closeness59/100
Admit rate87%
- 2,653 students
- Private nonprofit
- Suburb: Large
- Graduation rate 63%, close to 68%
- Same control type (private nonprofit)
Match #5
Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY
Profile closeness43/100
Admit rate4%
- 8,973 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Large
- Enrollment 8,973 students, close to 6,563
- Same control type (private nonprofit)
Match #6
New York University NYU
New York, NY
Profile closeness37/100
Admit rate9%
- 28,663 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Large
- Same control type (private nonprofit)
Match #7
Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
New York, NY
Profile closeness27/100
Admit rate21%
- 842 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Large
- Same control type (private nonprofit)
Match #8
Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY
Profile closeness79/100
Admit rate68%
- 6,488 students
- Private nonprofit
- Suburb: Large
- Graduation rate 66%, close to 68%
- Enrollment 6,488 students, close to 6,563
Match #9
Fordham University
Bronx, NY
Profile closeness78/100
Admit rate59%
- 10,512 students
- Private nonprofit
- City: Large
- Acceptance rate 59%, close to 63%
- Same Carnegie classification
Match #10
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, NY
Profile closeness78/100
Admit rate67%
- 13,215 students
- Private nonprofit
- Suburb: Large
- Graduation rate 70%, close to 68%
- Acceptance rate 67%, close to 63%
Questions about The New School alternatives
What colleges are similar to The New School?
The closest matches to The New School are Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI, University of Rochester, New York Institute of Technology, Niagara University, and Columbia University in the City of New York. CollegesRef ranks them on admissions, cost, graduation rate, size, and campus profile using IPEDS and College Scorecard data.
Is The New School hard to get into?
The New School admitted 63% of its 9,696 applicants in the CollegesRef 2026–27 edition, so it is moderately selective. 4 of its 10 closest alternatives admit a larger share of applicants.
Which The New School alternatives cost less?
10 of the 10 closest alternatives have a lower average net price than The New School ($48,163 a year), including Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art ($12,999), Columbia University in the City of New York ($15,370), and Niagara University ($17,246). Net price is what first-time, full-time students paid after grants; your own price depends on family income.
