12 NY Colleges Among Top 100 In Country, New Ranking Says

NEW YORK STATE — Twelve New York colleges were ranked among the top 100 in the country, according to new 2025 Best Colleges rankings released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.

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.

This year in its rankings, U.S. News prioritized social mobility — that is, its 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 specialized rankings 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.

New York dominated the northern regional "best value schools" list, with Niagara University in first place, Le Moyne College in Syracuse coming in at No. 2, Canisius University in Buffalo at No. 4 and CUNY-Lehman College in the Bronx at No. 5.

Also, Bard College in Red Hook was ranked No. 5 in the "most innovative schools" list.

The top national universities are:

1. Princeton University in New Jersey
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3. Harvard University in Massachusetts
4. Stanford University in California
5. Yale University in Connecticut

The top national liberal arts colleges are:

1. Williams College in Massachusetts
2. Amherst College in Massachusetts
3. Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania
4. United States Naval Academy in Maryland
5. Bowdoin College in Maine and Pomona College in California (tie)