60 best universities in New York 2025

Best universities in New York. Guide for foreign students

New York, a city that encapsulates the essence of America while standing apart from the rest, offers a specific academic experience. Studying in New York opens doors to a plethora of entertainment options, along with unparalleled opportunities for business endeavors. It is the perfect city for networking, forging partnerships, and keeping a vigilant eye on the American stock market.

In the US, students can pursue bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degrees at universities and colleges. These institutions range significantly, with universities often accommodating a larger student body and comprising diverse schools, including medical and engineering schools and business schools, to name a few.

After completing two years in college, students have the selection to both enter the workforce within their field of study and enroll in the third year of a university to earn a bachelor's degree in two extra years. Subsequently, students can opt for a master's program, which generally lasts 1 to 2 years.

Study programs to Universities in New York 

The question of which disciplines to pursue in New York's top universities can be answered without exaggeration: "Any!" However, certain fields are poised for exceptional demand in the coming decades, and New York's elite universities excel in preparing students for these areas:

• STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics): The global demand for interdisciplinary professionals at the intersection of innovative technologies and natural sciences is skyrocketing. In the U.S., graduates with such qualifications even enjoy the privilege of a three-year paid internship. In-demand STEM specialties include software developer, information security specialist, systems analyst, epidemiologist, mechanical engineer, biochemist, and more.
• Business Programs: New York, renowned as the city of entrepreneurs and the birthplace of MBA programs, provides an exceptional education in business and management. New York's business schools actively collaborate with industry, ensuring students gain real-world experience before graduation. Sought-after business specialties include market analyst, financial consultant, and more.
• Humanitarian Specialties: In today's world, where technical skills are gradually automated by artificial intelligence, the strengths of humanities students are increasingly valuable. Attributes such as creativity, historical thinking, and the ability to make value judgments are unlikely to be automated. Humanists are poised to become leaders who bridge people and technologies. In the United States, specialists with a liberal arts education in fields like economics, law, political science, sociology, and international relations are highly sought after.
• Medicine: A profession that will perpetually remain relevant. In the United States, high-demand medical specialties include general practitioner, anesthetist, dental surgeon, and nurse.
• Cinema and Animation: The United States boasts the world's most popular cinema, with the main resources for global film production concentrated within the country. Students of American film schools gain access to top-notch filming equipment and invaluable experiences. In the American film industry, specialties like screenwriter, director, film and video editor, producer, and animator are in high demand.

Sam Jones

Recruitment Director for Partnership with INTO Universities (Europe and Central Asia)

What are the criteria for evaluating American universities? How accurate is it?

The rankings are different, and therefore the criteria are different. Subtleties are covered such as the academic level of graduates, “retention rate” (how many students complete study programs), social mobility, and the number of recipients of financial aid. The final performance and GPA, academic reputation of students, resources of institutes and faculties, salaries of teachers, the number of doctoral / postdoctoral degrees among teachers (especially for those who are employed full-time at the university) can be taken into account.

They pay attention to the selectivity of students (which applicants scored SAT points, which results they showed in high school), financial indicators per student and the amount of debt of graduates (a common thing: many take out loans for education). Some rankings also use the parameter of academic citation, the intensity of research by the teaching staff. In general, there are more criteria than the rankings themselves!