50-50 Highlights: Colleges in the New York City Area

When students think about going to college in New York City, NYU and Columbia are usually the first colleges that come to mind. And then maybe Vassar and Fordham will be mentioned. Someone might think about the City Colleges. But for too many students, going to college in New York City is pretty much limited to these schools. Which is too bad since there 84 4-year colleges with at least 500 students in the greater New York area. And 21 of them are 50-50 schools.

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Colleges in the New York City Area (list below)

The first thing to understand is that if you only consider colleges that are actually in New York City proper, you’re seriously limiting your options. And why? Because you might end up only hitting Central Park on the weekends by taking the train? Your decision of course, but you might find some more affordable opportunities if you’re willing to be a bit more flexible with your geography.

Of the 21 50-50 colleges in the New York-Newark CBSA, 14 are private and 7 are public. They range in size from just under 800 undergraduates to over 33,000. Only four are classified as primarily non-residential.

Good news for those with less than stellar test scores, at least 7 are some form of test optional. And 3 have Phi Beta Kappa chapters.

They’re Still New York Prices

Even if not all of them are actually in New York City, we’re still talking about some pricey colleges here. Of the 14 private schools, all have sticker prices over $50,000. Nine are actually over $60,000 and two are over $70,000.

You need to keep these numbers in mind as you start looking at merit aid possibilities. Yes, a school may have an average merit award of $20,000 but is $40,000 really affordable for your family?

Given the relatively low percentage of students receiving institutional aid and their high average net price, students shouldn’t be expecting much of a merit break from The New School, The Pratt Institute, and Sarah Lawrence College.

For those who care about sports either as a spectator or a participant, 8 of the colleges are D1 level. They play in the Big East, Big Ten, Metro Atlantic, Northeast, and Colonial Athletic Association.

The following table lists 50-50 Colleges in the New York-Newark CBSA area. As usual, the 4-year graduation rate is used for private schools and the 5-year rate for public.

50-50 Colleges in the New York City Area