Most Selective Colleges in New York

8 colleges in New York admit 35% of applicants or fewer, which puts them in the competitive tier where grades and scores are the entry ticket rather than the deciding factor. The list starts with Columbia University (4%), Cornell University (9%), and New York University (9%). 1 is public and 7 are private, and the median admitted-student SAT (75th percentile) across the group is 1495. Every one belongs in the Reach or Target column for most applicants, so pair them with likelier New York options from the full state ranking.

Schools

Median acceptance

13%

Most selective

Columbia University

4% acceptance

Download as CSV

Get your real chances

CollegeCalcAI computes a personalized acceptance estimate from your GPA, scores, and activities. Free, no account to start.

Open the calculator

8 schools

Sort by

Your chances at these colleges

Estimated chance of admission for three typical students, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA; 2, 4 and 7 AP courses respectively; Regular Decision; no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook.

Which of the Most Selective Colleges in New York can I get into with a 3.7 GPA and a 1300 SAT?

By CollegeCalcAI's model, a student with a 3.7 unweighted GPA and a 1300 SAT has no Likely or Safety estimate among the 8 colleges here. 1 more is a Target (25 to 44%), such as Skidmore College. The other 7 are Reach. Estimates assume Regular Decision and no hook; courses, activities and essays move them.

Estimated admission chance for three student profiles at each college: 3.3 GPA, 1150 SAT; 3.7 GPA, 1300 SAT; 4.0 GPA, 1500 SAT
College	3.3 GPA1150 SAT	3.7 GPA1300 SAT	4.0 GPA1500 SAT
Columbia Universityadmits 4%	4%Reach	6%Reach	8%Reach
Cornell Universityadmits 9%	8%Reach	10%Reach	18%Reach
New York Universityadmits 9%	8%Reach	11%Reach	18%Reach
U.S. Military Academyadmits 12%	10%Reach	17%Reach	28%Target
Colgate Universityadmits 14%	11%Reach	17%Reach	30%Target
Hamilton Collegeadmits 14%	11%Reach	16%Reach	28%Target
Vassar Collegeadmits 19%	13%Reach	22%Reach	39%Target
Skidmore Collegeadmits 21%	14%Reach	29%Target	49%Likely

Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities or compare your own list with the free admissions API.

Cite or embed this list

Free to quote with attribution. The stat card links back to this list.

Cite this page

CollegeCalcAI. "Most Selective Colleges in New York." 2026. https://collegecalcai.com/data/most-selective-colleges-in-new-york

Free to cite and reuse with attribution and a link.

Embed this stat

13%median acceptance rate, most selective colleges in new york (8 schools)Source: CollegeCalcAI

<a href="https://collegecalcai.com/data/most-selective-colleges-in-new-york?utm_source=embed&utm_medium=statcard" style="display:inline-block;padding:16px 20px;border:1px solid #E5E9F0;border-radius:14px;text-decoration:none;font-family:system-ui,sans-serif;background:#fff">13%median acceptance rate, most selective colleges in new york (8 schools)Source: CollegeCalcAI</a>

Keep exploring

More ways to cut the data.

New York New York publics New York privates Most Selective All collections

Acceptance rates and admitted test ranges reflect publicly reported data (U.S. Department of Education / NCES IPEDS / Common Data Sets) and are rounded. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.