Cost comparison
Affordable colleges in New York
CampusPin lists 290 colleges in New York. The 40 below are ordered by lowest published in-state tuition, with a median of $6,249 and a median average net price of $7,373 among those reporting it. Tuition, total cost, and net price are three different numbers — the table keeps them separate.
New York college costs by the numbers
- Lowest published in-state tuition
- United States Merchant Marine Academy ($895)
- Median in-state tuition (40 reporting)
- $6,249
- Median net price after aid (39 reporting)
- $7,373
- Highest graduation rate
- United States Merchant Marine Academy (82%)
- Most selective
- United States Merchant Marine Academy (34% acceptance)
- Largest by enrollment
- CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College (20,123 students)
New York colleges by published in-state tuition
Lowest published in-state tuition first. Every figure is as reported by the institution to federal data collections; blank cells are unreported values, not zeros.
| College | In-state tuition | Out-of-state tuition | Avg. net price | Graduation rate | Acceptance rate | Public/private | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States Merchant Marine Academy | $895 | $895 | $6,174 | 82% | 34% | Public | Kings Point, NY |
| CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College | $5,170 | $8,050 | $4,976 | 25% | Open admission | Public | New York, NY |
| CUNY Stella and Charles Guttman Community College | $5,194 | $8,074 | $5,833 | 23% | Open admission | Public | New York, NY |
| CUNY Bronx Community College | $5,206 | $8,086 | $4,462 | 16% | Open admission | Public | Bronx, NY |
| CUNY Queensborough Community College | $5,210 | $8,090 | $4,458 | 24% | Open admission | Public | Bayside, NY |
| CUNY LaGuardia Community College | $5,218 | $8,098 | $6,120 | 24% | Open admission | Public | Long Island City, NY |
| CUNY Kingsborough Community College | $5,252 | $8,132 | $5,606 | 28% | Open admission | Public | Brooklyn, NY |
| CUNY Hostos Community College | $5,254 | $8,134 | $5,297 | 16% | Open admission | Public | Bronx, NY |
| Dutchess Community College | $5,670 | $10,670 | $10,065 | 30% | Open admission | Public | Poughkeepsie, NY |
| Herkimer County Community College | $5,776 | $5,776 | $13,419 | 35% | Open admission | Public | Herkimer, NY |
| Genesee Community College | $5,900 | $6,500 | $8,334 | 31% | Open admission | Public | Batavia, NY |
| SUNY Westchester Community College | $5,948 | $12,486 | $9,373 | 25% | Open admission | Public | Valhalla, NY |
| Monroe Community College | $6,006 | $11,056 | $6,353 | 27% | Open admission | Public | Rochester, NY |
| Columbia-Greene Community College | $6,048 | $11,448 | $6,559 | 46% | Open admission | Public | Hudson, NY |
| Erie Community College | $6,100 | $11,300 | $7,765 | 28% | Open admission | Public | Buffalo, NY |
| Onondaga Community College | $6,102 | $11,392 | $8,562 | 27% | Open admission | Public | Syracuse, NY |
| Schenectady County Community College | $6,190 | $8,974 | $5,298 | 32% | Open admission | Public | Schenectady, NY |
| Fulton-Montgomery Community College | $6,198 | $6,798 | $6,696 | 40% | Open admission | Public | Johnstown, NY |
| Mohawk Valley Community College | $6,218 | $8,851 | $8,987 | 38% | Open admission | Public | Utica, NY |
| Finger Lakes Community College | $6,234 | $8,418 | $13,898 | 30% | Open admission | Public | Canandaigua, NY |
| Jefferson Community College | $6,264 | $11,700 | $11,923 | 28% | Open admission | Public | Watertown, NY |
| Fashion Institute of Technology | $6,294 | $16,874 | $19,095 | 81% | 60% | Public | New York, NY |
| Nassau Community College | $6,330 | $12,130 | $7,095 | 23% | Open admission | Public | Garden City, NY |
| Sullivan County Community College | $6,468 | $12,132 | $8,482 | 33% | Open admission | Public | Loch Sheldrake, NY |
| Orange County Community College | $6,526 | $12,334 | $6,794 | 25% | Open admission | Public | Middletown, NY |
| SUNY Corning Community College | $6,534 | $10,326 | $7,373 | 34% | Open admission | Public | Corning, NY |
| Suffolk County Community College | $6,630 | $12,460 | $5,258 | 29% | Open admission | Public | Selden, NY |
| Ulster County Community College | $6,666 | $12,146 | $5,035 | 34% | Open admission | Public | Stone Ridge, NY |
| North Country Community College | $6,682 | $9,370 | $11,868 | 29% | Open admission | Public | Saranac Lake, NY |
| Hudson Valley Community College | $6,796 | $11,852 | $8,501 | 35% | Open admission | Public | Troy, NY |
| Clinton Community College | $6,831 | $6,831 | $9,112 | 37% | Open admission | Public | Plattsburgh, NY |
| Jamestown Community College | $6,840 | $6,840 | $9,850 | 40% | Open admission | Public | Jamestown, NY |
| SUNY Adirondack | $6,844 | $9,616 | $10,389 | 37% | Open admission | Public | Queensbury, NY |
| Rockland Community College | $6,862 | $6,862 | $11,282 | 29% | Open admission | Public | Suffern, NY |
| Niagara County Community College | $6,894 | $12,030 | $6,876 | 32% | Open admission | Public | Sanborn, NY |
| Tompkins Cortland Community College | $6,970 | $12,855 | $12,723 | 26% | Open admission | Public | Dryden, NY |
| Cayuga County Community College | $7,056 | $12,336 | $8,662 | 30% | Open admission | Public | Auburn, NY |
| CUNY Graduate School and University Center | $7,235 | $15,185 | Not reported | Not reported | 68% | Public | New York, NY |
| CUNY New York City College of Technology | $7,332 | $15,282 | $5,127 | 21% | 80% | Public | Brooklyn, NY |
| CUNY City College | $7,340 | $15,290 | $3,776 | 57% | 60% | Public | New York, NY |
“Open admission” means the college reports an open-admission policy to the federal IPEDS survey (2024-25), or reported admitting every applicant. Programs such as nursing can still have their own entry requirements, so confirm with the college.
What the New York cost data shows
- United States Merchant Marine Academy has the lowest published in-state tuition on this page at $895 per year. Published tuition is the sticker price and excludes housing, food, books, and fees.
- Median average net price is $7,373 across the 39 colleges here that report it. Net price includes housing and other costs, so it can exceed tuition alone.
- 39 of the 40 colleges listed report an average net price, and 39 report a graduation rate. Blank cells mean the institution has not reported that figure to the federal collections — not that the value is zero.
How this list was built
This page lists colleges CampusPin holds for New York, sorted by published in-state tuition, lowest first. That sort is the only ranking applied — there is no CampusPin score, no editorial ordering, and no “#1 cheapest” claim.
Published tuition is the sticker price for instruction. Total cost of attendance adds housing, food, books, and fees. Average net price is what students actually paid on average after grant and scholarship aid, reported to federal collections for a prior entering class. Net price is an average across a whole cohort and varies substantially by family income, so treat it as a comparison tool between colleges rather than a prediction of your own bill.
Figures come from the institution’s federal reporting (290 of 290 New York institutions report in-state tuition). Always confirm current costs with the college’s financial aid office before making a decision.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest college in New York?
- Of the 40 New York colleges on this page, United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point reports the lowest published in-state tuition at $895 per year. That is the sticker price before aid and before housing and food; the college's net price after grants may rank differently.
- Is tuition the same as the total cost of college?
- No. Published tuition covers instruction only. Total cost of attendance adds housing, food, books, transportation, and fees. Net price is what students actually paid on average after grant and scholarship aid was applied, and across the 39 New York colleges reporting it here the median is $7,373. Compare all three before deciding a college is or isn't affordable.
- Will I personally pay these amounts at a New York college?
- Almost certainly not exactly. Net price varies widely by family income, and the figures here are averages across a previous entering class reported to federal collections. Use them to compare colleges against each other, then run the numbers for your own situation with the net price estimator and confirm with each financial aid office.
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Data sources & methodology
Cost, aid, and outcome figures for New York colleges are compiled from federal datasets and each institution's own reporting.
Sources used across this page
Not every source informs every figure. Each data point draws on the source appropriate to it see the relevant section and the data dictionary for field-level provenance.
IPEDS / NCES College Navigator
Federal enrollment, admissions, tuition, retention, and program data. Released annually with a 1–2 year lag.
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
Net price by income band, post-graduation earnings, and federal aid context.
Institutional websites
Each school's official admissions, registrar, and financial-aid pages are the authoritative source for current details.
Where a value is unavailable it is shown as unavailable, never as 0, free, or a negative judgment. Always confirm final details with the institution before applying.
Suggested citation
CampusPin. Affordable Colleges in New York. Retrieved from https://campuspin.com/affordable-colleges/new-york