New York’s Educational Elite: 3 Among Nation’s Top 30 Colleges & Universities

Where are the best bang for your buck colleges and universities? Three of the top schools at the lowest costs are actually in New York. And only one is in the city.

WalletHub compared more than 800 higher-education institutions in the country, using 30 key measures to find the Best Colleges and Universities.

The data set is grouped into seven categories, such as Student Selectivity, Cost & Financing, and Career Outcomes. The metrics range from student-faculty ratio to graduation rate to post-attendance median salary.

Columbia University is the best in New York, coming in at #17. But there are two a lot closer to Central New York. SU is not one of them. In fact, the school didn't even make the Top 10 Colleges and Universities in the state, never mind the country.

Sorry Syracuse.

#17 Columbia University

1st – Admission Rate - $13,000 after aid
1st – Graduation Rate - 95%
61st – Net Cost
1st – Student-Faculty Ratio
30th – On-Campus Crime
4th – Gender & Racial Diversity
3rd – Post-Attendance Median Salary

Columbia in New York, New York was also named the #16 Best University in the country.

#18 Hamilton College

4th – Admission Rate - $26,000 after aid
3rd – Graduation Rate - 93%
58th – Net Cost
8th – Student-Faculty Ratio
58th – On-Campus Crime
40th – Gender & Racial Diversity
9th – Post-Attendance Median Salary

Hamilton was also named the second best college in the country.

#27 Cornell University

2nd – Admission Rate - $29,000 after aid
1st – Graduation Rate - 95%
63rd – Net Cost
8th – Student-Faculty Ratio
43rd – On-Campus Crime
3rd – Gender & Racial Diversity
2nd – Post-Attendance Median Salary

Cornell came in at #23 for the Best University in the country.

Top 10 Colleges & Universities in New York

Tuition plus room and board at a four-year college can cost anywhere from $27,940 to $57,570 per year, on average.

1. Columbia University in the City of New York
2. Hamilton College
3. Cornell University
4. Vassar College
5. Barnard College
6. New York University
7. Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
8. Colgate University
9. University of Rochester
10. Binghamton University

See the full list of Best Colleges and Universities at WalletHub.com.