On Tuesday, U.S. News & World Report released its new report ranking the nation’s colleges.
In 2025, twelve New York colleges made it into the top 100 in the country.
The rankings evaluated 1,500 colleges and universities using more than a dozen measures of academic quality, the digital media company said in a news release.
In the 2025 rankings, U.S. News prioritized social mobility — that is, each college’s record in enrolling and graduating students from all backgrounds with manageable debt — and post-graduate success, including earnings.
Here are the rankings for New York schools:
- 11. Cornell University
- 13. Columbia University
- 30. New York University
- 44. University of Rochester
- 58. Stony Brook University-SUNY
- 70. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- 73. Binghamton University-SUNY, tied with Syracuse University
- 76. University at Buffalo-SUNY
- 91. Fordham University, tied with Rochester Institute of Technology
- 98. Yeshiva University
Included in the 2025 report are rankings in diverse categories such as the best value schools, most innovative colleges, top performers on social mobility and historically Black colleges and universities, as well as universities with the greatest commitment to undergraduate teaching.
Other specialty rankings include programs that enhance student experiences, including first-year experiences, service learning, studying abroad and undergraduate research and creative projects.
The top national universities are:
- Princeton University in New Jersey
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Harvard University in Massachusetts
- Stanford University in California
- Yale University in Connecticut
The top national liberal arts colleges are:
- Williams College in Massachusetts
- Amherst College in Massachusetts
- Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania
- United States Naval Academy in Maryland
- Bowdoin College in Maine and Pomona College in California (tie)
New York dominated the northern regional “best value schools” list:
- Niagara University
- Le Moyne College in Syracuse
- Canisius University in Buffalo
- CUNY-Lehman College in the Bronx
Bard College in Red Hook, Brooklyn, was ranked No. 5 in the “most innovative schools” list.
