Lens covers 54 big-city colleges in the Northeast, 19 public and 35 private. They range from Fisher College (1,167 undergraduates) to New York University (28,663). Acceptance rates run from 4% to 98%, and 44 of the 54 admit at least half of applicants.
Big-city colleges are in a city of 250,000 people or more (NCES locale). It describes the surrounding area; some city colleges have a campus of their own. In Lens, the Northeast means Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Open these 54 colleges in the College Filter → Narrow them by cost at your rate, majors, size and more.
The 54 big-city colleges in the Northeast
Listed A to Z. Lens never ranks colleges.
| College | Location | Undergraduates | Acceptance rate | Tuition & fees (before aid) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Musical and Dramatic Academy | New York, New York | 1,438 | 24% | $46,928 |
| Barnard College | New York, New York | 3,264 | 9% | $69,888 |
| Berklee College of Music | Boston, Massachusetts | 7,468 | 44% | $52,040 |
| Boston University | Boston, Massachusetts | 18,248 | 11% | $68,102 |
| CUNY Bernard M Baruch College | New York, New York | 16,154 | 48% | $7,464 in-state · $15,414 out-of-state |
| CUNY Brooklyn College | Brooklyn, New York | 10,543 | 58% | $7,452 in-state · $15,402 out-of-state |
| CUNY City College | New York, New York | 12,505 | 60% | $7,340 in-state · $15,290 out-of-state |
| CUNY Hunter College | New York, New York | 16,289 | 54% | $7,382 in-state · $15,332 out-of-state |
| CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice | New York, New York | 11,590 | 57% | $7,470 in-state · $15,420 out-of-state |
| CUNY Lehman College | Bronx, New York | 10,696 | 57% | $7,410 in-state · $15,360 out-of-state |
| CUNY Medgar Evers College | Brooklyn, New York | 3,233 | 86% | $7,352 in-state · $15,302 out-of-state |
| CUNY New York City College of Technology | Brooklyn, New York | 13,580 | 80% | $7,332 in-state · $15,282 out-of-state |
| CUNY Queens College | Queens, New York | 12,550 | 64% | $7,538 in-state · $15,488 out-of-state |
| CUNY York College | Jamaica, New York | 4,345 | 64% | $7,358 in-state · $15,308 out-of-state |
| Canisius University | Buffalo, New York | 1,685 | 72% | $34,500 |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 7,304 | 12% | $66,246 |
| Chatham University | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 1,232 | 62% | $44,626 |
| College of Staten Island CUNY | Staten Island, New York | 9,657 | 92% | $7,490 in-state · $15,440 out-of-state |
| Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, New York | 8,973 | 4% | $71,845 |
| Drexel University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 13,233 | 79% | $62,412 |
| Duquesne University | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 5,350 | 84% | $48,986 |
| Emerson College | Boston, Massachusetts | 3,870 | 51% | $57,056 |
| Emmanuel College | Boston, Massachusetts | 1,854 | 76% | $48,550 |
| Fashion Institute of Technology | New York, New York | 7,637 | 60% | $6,294 in-state · $16,874 out-of-state |
| Fisher College | Boston, Massachusetts | 1,167 | 71% | $35,689 |
| Fordham University | Bronx, New York | 10,512 | 59% | $64,915 |
| Holy Family University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 2,464 | 71% | $35,330 |
| La Salle University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 1,953 | 97% | $37,800 |
| MCPHS University | Boston, Massachusetts | 3,451 | 85% | $40,530 |
| Manhattan University | Riverdale, New York | 2,744 | 79% | $53,400 |
| Marymount Manhattan College | New York, New York | 1,577 | 83% | $41,870 |
| New Jersey City University | Jersey City, New Jersey | 3,681 | 98% | $14,460 |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | Newark, New Jersey | 9,019 | 65% | $19,974 in-state · $37,664 out-of-state |
| New York University | New York, New York | 28,663 | 9% | $62,796 |
| Northeastern University | Boston, Massachusetts | 17,326 | 5% | $66,162 |
| Pace University | New York, New York | 7,665 | 76% | $53,290 |
| Point Park University | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 2,331 | 97% | $39,570 |
| Pratt Institute–Main | Brooklyn, New York | 3,910 | 73% | $61,845 |
| Rutgers University–Newark | Newark, New Jersey | 7,709 | 71% | $17,250 in-state · $36,762 out-of-state |
| SUNY Buffalo State University | Buffalo, New York | 5,097 | 73% | $8,533 in-state · $19,653 out-of-state |
| Saint Joseph's University – Philadelphia | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 4,948 | 89% | $53,260 |
| Saint Peter's University | Jersey City, New Jersey | 2,135 | 90% | $42,552 |
| Simmons University | Boston, Massachusetts | 1,670 | 70% | $46,874 |
| St. John's University–New York | Queens, New York | 9,477 | 83% | $53,020 |
| St. Joseph's University–New York | Brooklyn, New York | 3,144 | 72% | $36,550 |
| Suffolk University | Boston, Massachusetts | 4,268 | 82% | $47,550 |
| Temple University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 20,970 | 80% | $23,011 in-state · $38,958 out-of-state |
| The New School | New York, New York | 6,563 | 63% | $58,694 |
| Thomas Jefferson University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 3,755 | 81% | $47,505 |
| University of Massachusetts–Boston | Boston, Massachusetts | 11,512 | 84% | $15,908 in-state · $38,125 out-of-state |
| University of Mount Saint Vincent | Bronx, New York | 2,692 | 85% | $44,540 |
| University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 10,650 | 5% | $68,686 |
| University of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 20,370 | 58% | $21,926 in-state · $41,430 out-of-state |
| Wentworth Institute of Technology | Boston, Massachusetts | 3,747 | 91% | $42,884 |
Sources: IPEDS (fall 2024 enrollment and admissions); College Scorecard (published tuition and fees before aid, about 2023–24). You may pay less if receiving grants or scholarships.
Related lists
- Big-City Colleges
- Big-City Colleges in the Southeast
- Big-City Colleges in the Midwest
- Big-City Colleges in the South and Southwest
- Big-City Colleges in the Mountain West
- Big-City Colleges on the West Coast
- Liberal Arts Colleges in the Northeast
- Large Public Universities in the Northeast
- Smaller Public Universities in the Northeast
- Large Private Universities in the Northeast
- Smaller Private Universities in the Northeast
- Engineering and Tech Schools in the Northeast
- Catholic Colleges in the Northeast
- Jesuit Colleges in the Northeast
FAQ
Which big-city colleges in the Northeast admit at least half of applicants? 44 of the 54: CUNY Brooklyn College, CUNY City College, CUNY Hunter College, CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY Lehman College, CUNY Medgar Evers College, CUNY New York City College of Technology, CUNY Queens College, CUNY York College, Canisius University, Chatham University, College of Staten Island CUNY and 32 more (fall 2024).
What are the largest and smallest big-city colleges in the Northeast? New York University is the largest, with 28,663 undergraduates, and Fisher College is the smallest, with 1,167 (fall 2024).
How many big-city colleges in the Northeast are public? 19 of the 54 are public and 35 are private.
Where these numbers come from
Lens covers the 850 four-year public and private nonprofit colleges that receive the most applications, so some smaller colleges are not listed. Enrollment, acceptance rates and degrees come from IPEDS (U.S. Department of Education, fall 2024); published prices from the College Scorecard. Each college's page lists its own sources. See the data behind Lens.