# The most selective colleges in New York

Four-year colleges in New York ranked by admission rate, with applicants and net price, from federal data.

By DreamSchool.co Research, November 2, 2026. Source page: https://www.dreamschool.co/news/the-most-selective-colleges-in-new-york

[Columbia University in the City of New York](https://www.dreamschool.co/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york) is the most selective four-year college in New York, admitting 4% of applicants (Fall 2024).

| College | City | Admission rate | Applicants | Average net price |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Columbia University in the City of New York](https://www.dreamschool.co/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york) | New York | 4% | 57,613 | $15,370 |
| [Barnard College](https://www.dreamschool.co/colleges/barnard-college) | New York | 8.8% | 11,803 | $28,930 |
| [Cornell University](https://www.dreamschool.co/colleges/cornell-university) | Ithaca | 8.8% | 65,635 | $33,934 |
| [New York University](https://www.dreamschool.co/colleges/new-york-university) | New York | 9.2% | 113,578 | $35,737 |
| [The Juilliard School](https://www.dreamschool.co/colleges/the-juilliard-school) | New York | 9.2% | 2,020 | $41,799 |
| [United States Military Academy](https://www.dreamschool.co/colleges/united-states-military-academy) | West  Point | 13% | 11,430 | — |
| [Hamilton College](https://www.dreamschool.co/colleges/hamilton-college) | Clinton | 14% | 9,643 | $25,793 |
| [Colgate University](https://www.dreamschool.co/colleges/colgate-university) | Hamilton | 14% | 21,130 | $29,409 |
| [Vassar College](https://www.dreamschool.co/colleges/vassar-college) | Poughkeepsie | 19% | 12,145 | $36,924 |
| [The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art](https://www.dreamschool.co/colleges/the-cooper-union-for-the-advancement-of-science-and-art) | New York | 21% | 1,790 | $12,999 |
| [Skidmore College](https://www.dreamschool.co/colleges/skidmore-college) | Saratoga Springs | 21% | 12,144 | $31,829 |
| [United States Merchant Marine Academy](https://www.dreamschool.co/colleges/united-states-merchant-marine-academy) | Kings Point | 34% | 1,392 | $1,516 |
| [Binghamton University](https://www.dreamschool.co/colleges/binghamton-university) | Vestal | 39% | 49,513 | $20,907 |
| [University of Rochester](https://www.dreamschool.co/colleges/university-of-rochester) | Rochester | 40% | 21,680 | $34,347 |
| [Manhattan School of Music](https://www.dreamschool.co/colleges/manhattan-school-of-music) | New York | 41% | 1,432 | $55,613 |

See [all colleges in New York](https://www.dreamschool.co/colleges/state/new-york).

## How we got these numbers

Figures come from two U.S. Department of Education sources, the [College Scorecard](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/) (released 2026-10-15) and the [IPEDS Admissions survey](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/DataFiles.aspx). Data years:

- Admission rate: Fall 2024, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Applicants: Fall 2023, reported in IPEDS ADM2023
- Average net price: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26

Colleges with fewer than 500 applicants are excluded from selectivity rankings because their admission rates say little about selectivity. Full details on [our data page](https://www.dreamschool.co/methodology).

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