Largest New York Colleges

In New York, there are a total of 1,154,005 students enrolled in higher education institutions. Of these, 610,326 attend public colleges and universities, while 543,679 are enrolled in private institutions. This comprehensive overview highlights the scale and diversity of college enrollment in New York, helping prospective students and families understand their options among the largest educational institutions.

Explore Largest New York Colleges with the Most Students, where 56,832 students are enrolled at New York University, making it the largest institution in terms of enrollment.

Following closely, Columbia University in the City of New York ranks second with 35,173 students, while University at Buffalo holds the third spot at 31,903. These institutions set the benchmark for large-scale education.

The average undergraduate tuition & fees of the schools is $44,715 and graduate tuition & fees is $34,152 for the academic year 2024-2025.

For these well-regarded Largest New York Colleges with the Most Students, the average acceptance rate is 41.45% and the average SAT score is 1,389, indicating a moderately selective admissions process.

Our analysis includes colleges with at least 1,000 total enrollments and excludes online universities to provide a balanced overview. For a comprehensive list of online universities, visit the largest New York online colleges.

Comparison between Largest New York Colleges With The Most Students

Table. Largest New York Colleges With The Most Students Comparison
School NameTotal PopulationUndergraduateGraduateMenWomenOnline Enrollment
1
-
New York University New York, NYPrivate, 4-year 56,832
503
29,060
(51.13%)
27,772
(48.87%)
23,777
(41.84%)
33,055
(58.16%)
3,493
(6.15%)
2
-
Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NYPrivate, 4-year 35,173
106
9,164
(26.05%)
26,009
(73.95%)
15,887
(45.17%)
19,286
(54.83%)
1,499
(4.26%)
3
-
University at Buffalo Buffalo, NYPublic, 4-year 31,903
14
20,359
(63.82%)
11,544
(36.18%)
16,348
(51.24%)
15,555
(48.76%)
2,663
(8.35%)
4
-
Cornell University Ithaca, NYPrivate, 4-year 26,793
529
16,128
(60.19%)
10,665
(39.81%)
12,696
(47.39%)
14,097
(52.61%)
527
(1.97%)
5
-
Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NYPublic, 4-year 26,689
824
18,263
(68.43%)
8,426
(31.57%)
12,622
(47.29%)
14,067
(52.71%)
1,783
(6.68%)
6
-
Syracuse University Syracuse, NYPrivate, 4-year 22,589
359
15,957
(70.64%)
6,632
(29.36%)
9,981
(44.19%)
12,608
(55.81%)
2,298
(10.17%)
7
-
CUNY Hunter College New York, NYPublic, 4-year 22,538
341
17,027
(75.55%)
5,511
(24.45%)
7,334
(32.54%)
15,204
(67.46%)
735
(3.26%)
8
-
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, NYPublic, 4-year 20,081
383
16,496
(82.15%)
3,585
(17.85%)
9,884
(49.22%)
10,197
(50.78%)
899
(4.48%)
9
-
St. John's University-New York Queens, NYPrivate, 4-year 19,389
302
15,640
(80.66%)
3,749
(19.34%)
8,275
(42.68%)
11,114
(57.32%)
981
(5.06%)
10
-
Binghamton University Vestal, NYPublic, 4-year 18,816
360
14,669
(77.96%)
4,147
(22.04%)
9,038
(48.03%)
9,778
(51.97%)
581
(3.09%)
Average28,08017,276
(61.52%)
10,804
(38.48%)
12,584
(44.82%)
15,496
(55.18%)
1,546
(5.51%)