Best ROI Colleges in New York
Looking for value in New York? Start here. We ranked these colleges by ROI - earnings premium (30%), payback period (25%), debt-to-earnings (20%), completion rate (15%), and loan repayment (10%) - all from U.S. Department of Education data, with no prestige guesswork in the mix.
10 schools ranked
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
| # | School | ROI |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY | 96 |
| 2 | Cornell University Ithaca, NY | 96 |
| 3 | Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Albany, NY | 94 |
| 4 | The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art New York, NY | 94 |
| 5 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY | 93 |
| 6 | United States Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point, NY | 93 |
| 7 | Colgate University Hamilton, NY | 92 |
| 8 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY | 92 |
| 9 | SUNY Maritime College Throggs Neck, NY | 91 |
| 10 | Barnard College New York, NY | 90 |
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How We Rank
Rankings are based on our ROI score (0-100), which weights five quantifiable factors: Earnings Premium (30%), Payback Period (25%), Debt-to-Earnings (20%), Completion Rate (15%), and Loan Repayment (10%). All data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. No subjective criteria are used.
Full methodology →Common Questions
What is the best best-ROI college in New York?
Columbia University in the City of New York tops this list at 96/100 on our ROI scale, the highest among the 10 schools ranked here. Rankings weigh net price against median graduate earnings from U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data - no prestige guesswork.
Which school on this list has the highest graduate earnings?
Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences reports the highest median earnings here, about $131,426 ten years after enrollment. In our view higher earnings alone don't make the best value, since what you pay matters just as much - which is why the ranking weighs cost too.
What is the most affordable school on this list?
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College carries the lowest net price among the ranked schools, about $3,033 a year after grants and scholarships. Net price is what students actually pay, not the published sticker price.
How are these schools ranked?
We score every school 0 to 100 on five quantifiable factors: earnings premium (30%), payback period (25%), debt-to-earnings (20%), completion rate (15%), and loan repayment (10%). All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, with no subjective reputation scoring. Of the 10 schools here, 10 earn an ROI score of 60 or higher.