25 Most Affordable Colleges in New York in 2025

Adelphi University is one of the oldest private universities in the state of New York. Each major offers a small classroom setting that provides a more hands-on teaching approach by the school’s faculty. This gains more interaction and discussion on the leading topics that is associated with your course of study. Hearing different points of view has been proven to gain high academic success for all involved. Located just outside of New York City, Adelphi University offers students a great opportunity to secure an internship position with one of the leading companies associated with their studies. This provides a great opportunity to gain the necessary skills to thrive in the workplace. Some of the leading majors at Adelphi University are liberal arts, business and health sciences. Adelphi University is fully-committed to meet all of their student’s financial needs. That includes assisting with securing a scholarship, tuition assistance or grant.

*In addition, there is a $400 charge for each clinical nursing course and a liability insurance fee charged for each semester.
**The education upper-division rate will be charged to all education majors with 55 or more credits including all Scholar Teacher Education Program (STEP) students regardless of class level.

New York University has been an academic institution that continually thinks outside of the box when educating their students. The school’s global network offers programs that allows undergraduates to study abroad or at another institution for a semester. This approach helps to create a more diverse student body that strive to become innovators in their chosen profession. A high percentage of undergrads are enrolled in the NYU film program, but others are studying for a degree in the school’s accomplished liberal arts and business programs.

One of the most prestigious colleges in the United States is Columbia University, which resides in New York City. The course studies offered are wide ranging and very diverse. Some of the more popular majors studied on campus are economics, computer science and political science that emphasizes on government protocol. Each course prepares students to make an impact in their respected industry. This is further enhanced by participating in Columbia’s internship program. Students gain a first-hand experience of how industry leaders run a corporation. Columbia University has a school merit program that offers one student free education if they have 4.0 grade point average and scored at least a 1300 on their SAT.

No question, Vassar College is the most expensive college in New York by a wide margin. But, the school does actively assist students, who come from low-income families with a very accommodating financial aid program. The curriculum offered in each major helps the students to meet their academic objective with challenging coursework. This aids well for those who want to pursue a career in a results-driven industry.

Cooper Union was founded in 1859 with the intent on producing leaders in the architecture, art and engineering industry. This goal continues to be achieved as the school offers small class sizes that promotes collaboration between students. The goal is to gain one definitive answer from the group’s work. This unusual educational approach helps to develop more free-spirit thinkers and innovators who thrive in an environment longing for change.

The campus of Manhattan College is located in the heart of New York City. The majority of the majors offered are within the school’s esteemed liberal arts program. Other majors available to study include finance, civil and mechanical engineering. The curriculum for all course studies promote an interactive classroom setting that allows professors to enrich their students with quality knowledge. Plus, attending Manhattan College increase your chances to gain a highly sought-after internship with a prestigious New York firm. The experience gained will make a significant impact on your future plans following graduation. Manhattan College provides numerous institutional grants or scholarships to their students each semester year.

The curriculum offered (over 60 majors) at Fordham University is so large that it forced school administrators to host two major residential campuses. The top programs offered are communications, economics and business as the coursework challenges a student’s intellect each day in class. And in due time, this educational approach gains them the insight and talent to achieve success at their future employment. 65 percent of Fordham’s student body receives some form of financial aid.

Hofstra University educate their students to apply classroom ideals in real-life situations. This approach has been proven to gain positive results for all involved. The goal of the school is to make an impact on their students by having an extended line of communication with the faculty. Some of the top majors offered by Hofstra University include Radio & TV and marketing, which has seen some recent graduates from both programs rise to the top of their field. 15 percent of Hofstra’s student body receive some form of financial aid. Unfortunately, transfer students have fewer options available to them.

Yeshiva University is a small private school that is located in the New York borough of Manhattan. Some of the more popular majors offered include biology, business and accounting. The curriculum in each program prepares students to become a difference-maker in their chosen profession. Yeshiva University offers plenty of financial aid options for those students who have an excellent academic record.

One of the more affordable colleges in the state of New York is St. Joseph College. The majority of the students enrolled are a part of the liberal arts program. They have chosen St. Joseph College to gain a better understanding of social responsibility. The curriculum challenges them to gain better integrity and implement it professionally. The small enrollment offers more attention and interaction with the school’s faculty. St. Joseph College does have a limited merit-based scholarship program available to all students.

SUNY at Oswego is a lovely campus that sits off the shores of Lake Ontario. The school offers over 100 majors as the faculty brings a welcoming atmosphere to their classrooms. They challenge the students to strive for excellence in a very demanding course setting. SUNY at Oswego has several scholarship programs available to those students with severe financial issues that may force them to leave school shortly.

One of the highly-rated schools in the New York State University system is Stony Brook. The school’s more popular majors are health sciences prep, business and psychology. Each curriculum offers a combination of online classes and informational in-person group sessions that provide students a better understanding of the subject matter. The professors are very friendly and encourage their students to further discuss certain topics that come up inside the classroom during their office hours. Pell Grants have been awarded to 38 percent of the student body.

Students seeking a highly-competitive educational experience, often choose to study at CUNY Baruch College. This environment aids students who are looking to study in the school’s top majors, the business and healthcare administration programs. Each course’s curriculum provides proven methods to overcome their industry’s challenges by developing a plan that achieves success. It is an unique educational approach that advances a student further in their career. Being located in the heart of New York City, CUNY Baruch College offers a number of internships with different companies that provides students with a better perspective of the business world. 30 percent of CUNY Baruch College’s total enrollment is receiving money from a Pell Grant.

The amount of majors offered at Buffalo State SUNY is a wide variety as there are over 150 programs available. The most popular chosen by undergraduates are within the business, education, marketing and liberal arts programs. The variety of majors offered allows undecided students to discover their passion while in attending the school. Annually, Buffalo State SUNY has been offering institutional grants and scholarships to 45 percent of their student body.

Molloy College is a small school that resides an hour outside of New York City. Some of the more popular majors offered are nursing, business and accounting. The curriculum for all programs are geared for each student to gain immediate success in their industry. Molloy College is apart of the national merit program that awards a scholarship in the range of 3,000-per-year for a four year period.

The pledge of King’s College to their students is to provide knowledge that shapes them into effective leaders in their chosen industry. Plus, all undergraduates gain a broader foundation that helps them to communicate with an audience in whatever professional field they choose to pursue following graduation. This is gain by learning an integrate form of standards and procedures inside the classroom and using these principles to their advantage in the workplace.

Wagner College is a very popular school for those students who want to study nursing, business and psychology. Each program’s curriculum offers their students the skills needed to excel at their jobs that gains them an immediate promotion. Wagner College offers grant money that doesn’t need to be repaid by the recipient. Also, they offer a work study program to all students.

Yearly, SUNY at Oneonta is recognized for their excellence in higher education. Why? Well, the school’s faculty is committed to giving every student the best instruction that prepares them for their career outside the classroom. The tuition cost make SUNY at Oneonta is one of the cheapest colleges in New York.

SUNY Maritime College is another small school in the New York State university program that offers a solid curriculum that is quite competitive with the larger local institutions. Some of the popular majors offered include marine sciences, mechanical engineering and business. The smaller class sizes give students more individual time with their professors that gains them a better understanding of the course subject material.

Barnard College is a private all women school that has an affiliation with Columbia University. Technically, this makes Barnard College an Ivy League school as all graduates receive a diploma from Columbia University. Most of the degrees are from the liberal arts department. All of the required courses are excellent foundation pieces for an undergraduate. Barnard College offers a merit-based scholarship program that rewards all incoming freshmen with a $3,000 award.

The majority of all majors offered by Farmingdale State College come from their arts and science department. It is comprised of 13 academic programs that is available to incoming students. Farmingdale State College offers to all students the opportunity to apply for a $8,000 scholarship available each semester.

One of the more popular niche colleges in the state of New York is the Fashion Institute of New York. All of the majors offered are designed for those students looking to begin a career in the fashion industry. It doesn’t hurt to be studying and living in the fashion capital of North America. The odds are high that FIT students will secure an internship at the offices of one of the top designers in the industry. This opportunity increases their chances of landing a position with one of the top fashion brands. A scholarship is available to those students who have an outstanding academic record.

Some call the United States Merchant Marine Academy “the small little college” off the shores of the Hudson. But, it is one of the highly-rated public schools in New York state. The majority of those enrolled are studying marine science and several different engineering degrees. Each of the program’s curriculum concentrate on a specific specialization. The coursework provides a foundation of knowledge that will assist in real-life situations.

SUNY at Albany attracts some of the brightest students in academia today. Each major’s curriculum offers a strong foundation of knowledge that will help all students to make an impact in their chosen industry. Often, opening them to a world of opportunities. SUNY at Albany offers a variety of scholarship programs that can reward a student an award of $4,000-6,000 annually.

Founded in 1828, SUNY at New Paltz is one of the top schools in the New York State University system. The campus is located in the rural region of the state. Some of the more popular majors offered at SUNY at New Paltz are business, marketing and journalism. The course curriculum provides a solid base for students heading into their chosen industry following graduation. The coursework is very challenging as the faculty shares great insight from their own work experiences. The classroom interaction will advance your own decision-making process.