2026 Best Best Schools in New York

Best degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. The schools below stand out for the quality of their best programs.

For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for best students pursuing a degree.

What’s on this page:

• Best Best Schools in New York

Best Schools for Best in New York

If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the best degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Schools in Best

1

Cornell University
Ithaca, NY

Doctoral Degree Highest Degree Type

116 Best Degrees Awarded

$100,161 Median Starting Salary

No school ranked higher than Cornell University this year for best. Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell University is a very large private not-for-profit university. The six-year graduation rate is 95%. There were roughly 116 best students who graduated with this degree at Cornell University in the most recent data year. Best graduates of Cornell University earn a median of $100,161 early in their careers. Cornell University graduates carry a median of $15,005 in student loans. Get the full best details for Cornell University

2

Long Island University C W Post Campus
Brookville, NY

Doctoral Degree Highest Degree Type

98 Best Degrees Awarded

$61,547 Median Starting Salary

Long Island University C W Post Campus came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best best schools. Set in the suburb of Brookville, Long Island University C W Post Campus is a large private not-for-profit institution. The six-year graduation rate is 55%. Long Island University C W Post Campus awarded about 98 best degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their best degree from Long Island University C W Post Campus earn around $61,547 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $25,211 to complete this degree. See the full best program report for Long Island University C W Post Campus

Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 2 schools evaluated.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.