Is NYU Worth It? Report Ranks NYU Outside Top Ten in New York’s Best Value Colleges

This past week, citing tuition costs, post-graduate earnings, and the average debt per student, Times Union compiled a ranking of New York’s colleges. The research aimed to assess which schools were the best investment for an undergraduate education.

Notably, New York University (NYU) ranked outside of the top ten among New York’s colleges. The Georgetown University Center for Education and the Workforce found that, on average, the median “return on investment” for an undergraduate institution was $207,000. The article specifies that return on investment (ROI) considers the financial gain accumulated after graduation compared with the cost of attending the institution.

At the top of the ranking, or the best investment for college, was the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Science and the United States Merchant Marine Academy on Long Island. In New York City, the leading institutions included Baruch College, known for its affordability, and Columbia University, NYU’s uptown rival.

NYU’s 10-year Median Earnings and Tuition Compared to Other Notable Colleges (Graphics by NYU Review)

Comparing the Return on Investment, ROI of New York University, Columbia University, Harvard University, and CUNY Baruch College (Graphics by NYU Review)

Liang Zhang, a professor at New York University, explained that “economically speaking, a school’s ROI really comes down to three things: low cost, high prestige, and a strong focus on STEM majors.”

Zhang goes on to suggest that one’s major or concentration may actually have more relevance for potential return on investment than the institution itself. The professor added that engineering and computer science majors achieve the most professional success, while other fields, including education, humanities, and the arts are less financially secure.

NYU’s tuition, which varies by courses taken, credits, and the particular college, can be as high as $100,000 a year. According to NYU, the average first-year student receives $37,000 in scholarships.

Regardless, many students have raised concerns about whether they will receive an adequate return on their tuition investment in NYU.

Sam, a junior from NYU’s College of Arts and Sciences, told The NYU Review that “In the end, it feels like job opportunities and internships are impossible to get. Interviews and the job application cycles seem to be so much more important than anything from the classroom.”

Currently, according to 2025 U.S. News & World Report, NYU ranks 32nd among universities. This includes an acceptance rate of nine percent, which ranks ninth among colleges in the United States.

Still, for many students and aspiring high school applicants, the value of expending resources on NYU’s high tuition remains a pressing question.

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