Learn More about Online Colleges & Universities in New York
Despite its small geographical space, New York City's college choices are broad and varied, offering a wide range of options to college-bound students. Across its five boroughs and 300 square miles, New York City crams at least 100 colleges for practically every academic program imaginable.
Colleges in New York
Each borough in New York City has at least one community college that offers a range of academic majors at a relatively affordable cost. For example, the Borough of Manhattan Community College lists tuition for its NYC and non-NYC resident students as $2250 per semester. Many of NYC's community colleges are extensions of its public City University of New York (CUNY) system, which contains 25 distinct schools providing undergraduate, graduate and/or doctoral degrees and is the third largest university system in the U.S. by enrollment. Some standout options include CUNY's Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, which sets high school graduates on the fast track to medical school. The John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Hunter College, and Baruch College are also popular choices for students interested in pursuing higher education in New York City. Additionally, the city is also home to many of New York's State University of New York (SUNY) campuses.
New York City's private colleges run the range including the top-ranked Ivy League institution, Columbia University, it's ever-growing, highly-competitive downtown contemporary, New York University to Fordham University, St. Johns University, Pace University, New York Institute of Technology, Yeshiva University, and the School of Visual Arts, to name a few. On top of that, there are also a number of private colleges that have made a name for themselves in specific academic areas such as the Juilliard School for its strength in the Performing Arts, Cooper Union for its architecture and engineering, and Parsons The New School for Design.
| SCHOOL | NUMBER OF STUDENTS | PUBLIC/PRIVATE |
| Columbia University | 26,050 | Private |
| Cooper Union | 988 | Private |
| Yeshiva University | 6,563 | Private |
| CUNY Hunter College | 22,822 | Public |
| CUNY Bernard M. Baruch College | 18,055 | Public |
| New York University | 43,911 | Private |
| School of Visual Arts | 4,397 | Private |
| The New School | 10,797 | Private |
| John Jay College of Criminal Justice | 14,788 | Public |
| CUNY City College | 16,005 | Public |
| Pace University | 12,593 | Private |
| The Julliard School | 969 | Private |
| Fashion Institute of Technology | 10,225 | Public |
| New York Institute of Technology | 2,633 | Private |
| Pratt Institute | 4,688 | Private |
| Adelphi University | 7,859 | Private |
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Top Online Programs
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Online Colleges in New York
City University of New York – New York, New York
The vast network of the City University of New York (CUNY) comprises community colleges, senior colleges, graduate and professional schools, and other institutions throughout New York City's five boroughs. CUNY maximizes student access to education by offering classes at a multitude of campuses as well as distance learning programs. Various individual colleges offer web-based classes, however, the CUNY School of Professional Studies (SPS) provides the lion's share of online degrees and certificates.
The School of Professional Studies created the first fully online programs within the CUNY system. SPS undergraduate students can choose from five online minors and eight online bachelor's degree programs, in areas such as business, communications and media, and sociology. Some programs focus on computer science or health care, or a combination of the two, for example, health information management. SPS is part of CUNY's Graduate School and University Center, which holds accreditation from the Middle States Associations of Colleges and Schools.
Graduate students can select among three online certificates and two online master's degree programs covering specialized topics such as immigration law and disability studies. Specific online graduate degrees and certificates are also available at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, a CUNY senior college. John Jay College of Criminal Justice offers online master's degree programs in the areas of public administration and security management. Online certificates include a for-credit program in terrorism studies and a noncredit option focused on homeland security. John Jay also features a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in the literature and law of slavery in the U.S.
CUNY reaches out to both traditional and nontraditional learners: students can earn up to 45 college credits through an assessment of previous learning. Individuals who are not enrolled in CUNY can still sign up for courses within the online bachelor's degree programs. Prerequisites for admission vary according to the program—an online graduate program in data analytics, for example, requires a background in statistics, linear algebra, computer programming, relational databases and other areas.
For fully online and hybrid classes, CUNY uses Blackboard as a course management system and instruction tool. Students log in through the CUNY Portal to attend classes or network with faculty and peers via discussion boards, ePortfolios, email and instant messaging. Diverse online student resources encompass a bookstore, a handbook on Netiquette, and no-cost access to market research analysis and statistics about information technology and e-commerce. Additionally, the Virtual Campus site serves as a communication hub for CUNY students, alumni, faculty and staff.
| COLLEGE NAME | City University of New York |
| SUB-LOCATION | New York City |
| # OF ONLINE PROGRAMS | 23 |
| SUBJECTS | Business, Communications, Information Systems, Nursing, Social Sciences |
| LEVELS | Undergraduate Minor, Bachelor's, Master's, Graduate Certificate, Noncredit Certificate |
Many New York City colleges offer online courses and degrees. Some schools with notable online programs include St. John's University where students can earn bachelor's degrees online in a variety of subjects such as criminal justice or liberal studies, to name a few. The New School also offers select undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs fully online, including bachelor's in liberal arts, certificate in fashion business, and master's in media management, to list a few.
Many of NYC's top colleges offer fully online degrees and courses as well. New York University, for example, offers an online bachelor's degree program in social sciences and a master's in management and systems, in addition to other academic areas. Columbia University offers more courses and degrees online than any other Ivy League school through its Columbia Video Network. Some New York City colleges also offer transfer credits from online coursework, depending on its registrar's policy.
Top Industries, Careers and Employers
With New York City being the country's largest city, it stands to reason that it's also the largest regional economy in the U.S. The city is home base to many industries including finance, real estate, media, advertising, journalism, publishing, and the arts. The insurance, law, retail, and health care industries also have a large presence in the metropolitan area.
Home to Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange, and the Nasdaq exchanges, the finance sector is a major employer in the state. All the major investment houses and commercial banks maintain a sizable share of operations in the city, including Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, and UBS, to name a few. In fact, the 340,000 plus employees in finance account for more than half of the wages paid in Manhattan alone, according to the New York Times.
Also known for its heavy advertising, broadcasting, and media industry presence—employing some of the most competitive graduates across the country—graduates in NYC can enjoy the proximity to a range of employers across these industries.
More recently, NYC has developed itself as a destination for tech start-ups and established players, making it a strong competitor to California's Silicon Valley. So much so that it's often colloquially referred to as "Silicon Alley". Google, Yahoo, LinkedIn and a slew of rising tech start-ups have made a home or a second home in the NYC.
Colleges & Universities in New York
| COLLEGE | SIZE | TUITION | TYPE |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York University | 50,444 | $39,344 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Excelsior College | 39,401 | N/A | Not For Profit (Private) |
| University at Buffalo | 32,412 | $5,270 | Public |
| Syracuse University | 31,780 | $36,300 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Stony Brook University | 29,576 | $5,270 | Public |
| CUNY Hunter College | 28,392 | $5,130 | Public |
| Columbia University | 27,257 | $43,088 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| CUNY Queens College | 25,743 | $5,130 | Public |
| SUNY Empire State College | 24,904 | $5,270 | Public |
| St John's University-New York | 23,737 | $33,235 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| CUNY Bernard M Baruch College | 21,980 | $5,130 | Public |
| CUNY Brooklyn College | 21,565 | $5,130 | Public |
| Cornell University | 21,437 | $41,325 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| SUNY at Albany | 20,035 | $5,270 | Public |
| CUNY New York City College of Technology | 19,937 | $5,130 | Public |
| Touro College | 19,687 | $14,250 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| CUNY City College | 19,040 | $5,130 | Public |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | 18,865 | $31,584 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice | 18,040 | $5,130 | Public |
| Fordham University | 17,437 | $39,235 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| CUNY College of Staten Island | 17,031 | $5,130 | Public |
| SUNY at Binghamton | 16,203 | $5,270 | Public |
| CUNY Lehman College | 16,084 | $5,130 | Public |
| Pace University-New York | 15,402 | $33,962 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| SUNY College at Buffalo | 15,142 | $5,270 | Public |
| Mercy College | 13,740 | $16,820 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Fashion Institute of Technology | 13,578 | $3,974 | Public |
| Hofstra University | 13,128 | $32,500 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Long Island University-C W Post Campus | 12,946 | $30,046 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| The New School | 12,745 | $37,006 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| New York Institute of Technology | 11,729 | $26,430 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| University of Rochester | 10,834 | $41,040 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Adelphi University | 10,175 | $27,010 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| CUNY York College | 9,999 | $5,130 | Public |
| SUNY College at Brockport | 9,825 | $5,270 | Public |
| Long Island University-Brooklyn Campus | 9,771 | $30,016 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| SUNY College at Oswego | 9,770 | $5,270 | Public |
| Farmingdale State College | 9,524 | $5,270 | Public |
| State University of New York at New Paltz | 9,137 | $5,270 | Public |
| CUNY Medgar Evers College | 9,079 | $5,130 | Public |
| SUNY College at Cortland | 8,448 | $5,270 | Public |
| CUNY Graduate School and University Center | 7,728 | $5,130 | Public |
| SUNY College at Plattsburgh | 7,454 | $5,270 | Public |
| Ithaca College | 7,420 | $35,278 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Marist College | 7,278 | $28,300 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Yeshiva University | 7,084 | $34,200 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Molloy College | 7,052 | $22,290 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| SUNY College at Oneonta | 6,862 | $5,270 | Public |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 6,744 | $41,600 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Saint Josephs College-New York | 6,706 | $17,800 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Teachers College at Columbia University | 6,535 | N/A | Not For Profit (Private) |
| The College of Saint Rose | 6,286 | $24,614 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Dowling College | 6,256 | $24,118 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| SUNY at Fredonia | 6,254 | $5,270 | Public |
| SUNY at Geneseo | 6,206 | $5,270 | Public |
| The College of New Rochelle | 6,196 | $28,200 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Canisius College | 6,047 | $29,600 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Iona College | 5,797 | $28,192 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| SUNY College at Old Westbury | 5,405 | $5,270 | Public |
| Pratt Institute-Main | 5,163 | $37,500 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| SUNY at Purchase College | 5,070 | $5,270 | Public |
| SUNY College at Potsdam | 5,031 | $5,270 | Public |
| Polytechnic Institute of New York University | 4,853 | $36,684 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Niagara University | 4,846 | $25,300 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| United States Military Academy | 4,728 | N/A | Public |
| SUNY College of Technology at Canton | 4,671 | $5,270 | Public |
| Culinary Institute of America | 4,521 | $24,990 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Utica College | 4,385 | $29,476 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Saint John Fisher College | 4,328 | $25,790 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Le Moyne College | 4,292 | $27,390 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| SUNY College of Technology at Alfred | 4,241 | $5,270 | Public |
| Morrisville State College | 4,175 | $5,720 | Public |
| Nyack College | 3,984 | $20,500 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| D Youville College | 3,735 | $21,450 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Nazareth College | 3,717 | $26,048 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| SUNY College of Technology at Delhi | 3,717 | $5,270 | Public |
| Siena College | 3,629 | $27,430 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Manhattan College | 3,538 | $26,500 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Daemen College | 3,479 | $21,800 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Clarkson University | 3,456 | $35,940 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Manhattanville College | 3,417 | $34,020 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| SUNY Institute of Technology at Utica-Rome | 3,349 | $5,270 | Public |
| Medaille College | 3,227 | $21,598 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Mount Saint Mary College | 3,144 | $23,460 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Bard College | 3,065 | $42,476 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Colgate University | 3,038 | $42,625 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Skidmore College | 3,001 | $41,520 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill | 2,988 | $5,270 | Public |
| SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry | 2,939 | $5,270 | Public |
| St. Francis College | 2,928 | $17,500 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Saint Thomas Aquinas College | 2,841 | $23,220 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Saint Bonaventure University | 2,760 | $26,925 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Vassar College | 2,672 | $44,050 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| St Lawrence University | 2,615 | $42,420 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Alfred University | 2,543 | $25,974 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Barnard College | 2,519 | $40,422 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Wagner College | 2,387 | $35,620 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Marymount Manhattan College | 2,328 | $23,542 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| College of Mount Saint Vincent | 2,268 | $26,500 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Union College Schenectady | 2,260 | $43,131 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Keuka College | 2,220 | $24,310 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Dominican College of Blauvelt | 2,207 | $22,200 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Hobart William Smith Colleges | 2,179 | $42,014 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| SUNY Maritime College | 2,089 | $5,270 | Public |
| Roberts Wesleyan College | 2,077 | $24,386 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| New York Law School | 2,044 | N/A | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Elmira Business Institute | 400 | $19,400 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Hamilton College | 1,998 | $42,220 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Trocaire College | 1,961 | $13,580 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology | 1,923 | $18,000 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn | 1,880 | $5,270 | Public |
| Sarah Lawrence College | 1,792 | $44,220 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Metropolitan College of New York | 1,753 | $16,200 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Professional Business College | 1,721 | $9,130 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| United Talmudical Seminary | 1,665 | $9,000 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Upstate Medical University | 1,635 | $5,270 | Public |
| Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences | 1,609 | $25,700 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Hartwick College | 1,600 | $35,240 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| New York Medical College | 1,574 | N/A | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Boricua College | 1,547 | $11,000 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Brooklyn Law School | 1,529 | N/A | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Weill Cornell Medical College | 1,463 | N/A | Not For Profit (Private) |
| American Musical and Dramatic Academy | 1,460 | $29,960 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Bank Street College of Education | 1,428 | N/A | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Houghton College | 1,398 | $25,994 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Bramson ORT College | 1,369 | $10,440 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Cazenovia College | 1,357 | $26,288 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Hilbert College | 1,151 | $18,300 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Mount Sinai School of Medicine | 1,094 | N/A | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Maria College of Albany | 1,089 | $9,800 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science | 1,089 | $20,570 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| United States Merchant Marine Academy | 1,071 | N/A | Public |
| New York College of Health Professions | 1,024 | $11,880 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art | 1,020 | $37,500 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| The Juilliard School | 1,013 | $33,630 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Concordia College-New York | 975 | $25,650 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Manhattan School of Music | 940 | $33,630 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| New York School of Interior Design | 918 | $19,104 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| New York Chiropractic College | 886 | N/A | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Albany Medical College | 834 | N/A | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Albany Law School | 747 | N/A | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Helene Fuld College of Nursing | 743 | $14,812 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Union Graduate College | 698 | N/A | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Long Island University-Rockland Campus | 621 | N/A | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Long Island University-Brentwood Campus | 609 | $30,046 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Wells College | 573 | $31,910 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Villa Maria College | 572 | $16,000 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service | 540 | $11,560 | Not For Profit (Private) |
| Jewish Theological Seminary of America | 533 | $15,640 | Not For Profit (Private) |