Vassar Ranks Ahead Of NYU In New Ranking Of 10 Best Colleges In New York

NEW YORK — Some of the very best colleges and universities can be found in New York, and a new study from WalletHub found that among those schools, one in the Hudson Valley ranks near the top.

The personal-finance company WalletHub has released its 2026’s Best College & University Rankings report. New York schools ranked high in the report, and one Hudson Valley school ranked among the very best in the Empire State.

The top 10 colleges & universities in New York, according to the just released new Wallethub survey:

1. Columbia University
2. Cornell University
3. Hamilton College
4. The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
5. Vassar College
6. Barnard College
7. New York University
8. Colgate University
9. University of Rochester
10. Binghamton University

The study's authors said the analysis is intended to help college-bound seniors make the most informed school choices.

WalletHub compared nearly 800 higher-education institutions in the U.S. based on 30 key measures grouped into seven categories, such as Student Selectivity, Cost & Financing and Career Outcomes. The data set ranges from student-faculty ratio to graduation rate to post-attendance median salary.

Vassar College's ranking was especially impressive given it smaller size compared to the other universities that dominated the list.

"In general, universities tend to rank higher than colleges due to their inclusion of graduate-level programs, greater on-campus opportunities and higher earnings for students post-graduation," WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo said. "In fact, the top 10 places for higher education in the U.S. are all universities. There are still tons of high-ranking colleges, though, which offer their own advantages like smaller class sizes, more personalized learning and often safer campuses."

The full Best Colleges & Universities Overall report can be found here. The Best Colleges rankings can be found here, and the Best Universities ranking can be found here.