New York ranking · Clery-reported enrollment 2024

The Biggest Colleges in New York

The 50 largest of the 384 New York colleges and universities that report an enrolment to the U.S. Department of Education, ranked biggest first. Total enrolment counts online and distance students, so an institution with a large virtual programme can outrank a bigger physical campus.

56,832
Largest in New York
384
Institutions reporting
593
Median New York institution
#3
of 51 states by enrolment

New York University is the largest institution in New York with 56,832 students

According to U.S. Department of Education campus-safety enrollment filings for 2024, New York University leads New York at 56,832 students, and the five largest hold 15.4% of state enrollment. This list covers the 50 largest of 384 reporting institutions. Totals include online learners, so a large virtual programme can outrank a bigger physical campus.

Data source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey

Largest in New York
56,832
Institutions reporting
384
State students in top 5
15.4%
Median New York institution
593

New York in one line

New York University is the largest institution in New York with 56,832 students, about 96x the 593 of the median institution in the state. The five largest hold only 15.4% of the state's students, so enrolment is spread widely across many smaller institutions rather than gathered into a few.

56,832
students at New York University
15.4%
of state students, in the top 5
1,154,131
students enrolled across New York
6,938
the #50 cutoff

Enrollment is total students reported in the OPE campus-safety disclosure for 2024, including online and distance learners. IPEDS supplies institution location and sector. The incident column is reported on-campus Clery Act incidents per 1,000 enrolled students.

Size joined to safety

These 50 largest institutions enroll 65.5% of New York's students; the other 334 reporting institutions hold the remaining 34.5%. Among the 50 mid-to-large campuses on this list, 32 sit below the 1.58 national median incident rate, and 3 also appear in the national safest-50.

65.5%
of state students, in these 50
32
below 1.58 national median /1k
3
also in national safest-50
1.39
New York University rate /1k

Incident rates are on-campus Clery Criminal Offenses and VAWA reports per 1,000 enrolled students for campuses with enrollment ≥ 2,000 and a national safety rank. A lower rate is not a personal safety verdict, reporting culture and online enrollment dilute raw counts. See /rankings/safest-campuses for the size-fair national list.

Showing the top 50 of 384 New York institutions by enrollment (755,571 of 1,154,131 students, 65.5%). The remaining 334 reporting institutions enroll 34.5% of the state total and are omitted from this capped ranking, not from the underlying federal tables.

What this ranking shows about New York

New York is the 3rd largest US jurisdiction by total enrolment, teaching 5.8% of all reported US students. The 384 institutions reporting enrolment here split 106 public to 278 private, so neither sector defines the top of this list on its own.

Ranking by total enrolment puts institutions with large online programmes above institutions with larger physical campuses, because a virtual student body is not limited by classrooms or housing. A list of the biggest campuses by students physically present would order differently, and neither list is more correct, because they answer different questions. Enrolment here is the total headcount an institution reported to the federal OPE reporting cohort, which counts undergraduate and graduate students together and makes no distinction between full-time and part-time study. A university with a very large part-time or continuing-education population can therefore outrank one with more students on campus on any given weekday.

The incident-rate column is here because institution size changes how a raw incident count should be read, not because a larger university is more or less safe. Two institutions with the same number of reported incidents are not comparable if one enrols five times as many students, so the column expresses incidents per thousand enrolled. A rate still reflects reporting practice as much as underlying risk: an institution that encourages reporting and investigates thoroughly can record more incidents than one that does neither, and that is the opposite of what a naive reading suggests. Institutions where most students study online show diluted rates, because the denominator counts students who never set foot on a campus. Read the column as context for the size ranking, never as a safety verdict, and see our methodology for how both figures are assembled. For the same institutions ranked by cost rather than size, see the cheapest colleges rankings, or browse every institution we hold a record for.

Comparing states? See the 50 largest universities in the US, or this state's campus safety profile.

The bar to make New York's top-50 list is 6,938 students. Here is where that cutoff sits among all 384 New York institutions reporting enrollment:

The bar to make New York's top-50 list

Clery-reported enrollment · 384 New York institutions · 2024

6,938 Top 13% higher than 87% of 384 New York institutions

Show national distribution 0–6,000: 326 New York institutions (85%). Below this entry. 6,000–12,000: 31 New York institutions (8%). This entry sits in this band. 12,000–18,000: 14 New York institutions (4%). Above this entry. 18,000–24,000: 8 New York institutions (2%). Above this entry. 24,000–30,000: 2 New York institutions (1%). Above this entry. 30,000–36,000: 2 New York institutions (1%). Above this entry. 36,000–42,000: 0 New York institutions (0%). Above this entry. 42,000–48,000: 0 New York institutions (0%). Above this entry. 48,000–54,000: 0 New York institutions (0%). Above this entry. 54,000–60,000: 1 New York institutions (0%). Above this entry. #50 cutoff 0 60,000 every New York institution, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more New York institutions. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, OPE Campus Safety and Security Survey · 2024

The 50 largest of New York's 384 institutions

4
Cornell University Ithaca, NY · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
26,793
Incidents /1k
4.22
17
Fordham University Bronx, NY · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
16,150
Incidents /1k
2.11
24
Pace University New York, NY · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
13,634
Incidents /1k
1.10
29
Touro University New York, NY · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
11,937
Incidents /1k
0.17
31
Hofstra University Hempstead, NY · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
10,685
Incidents /1k
2.15
38
The New School New York, NY · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
9,068
Incidents /1k
0.99
39
Mercy University Dobbs Ferry, NY · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
8,991
Incidents /1k
1.22
43
Monroe University Bronx, NY · Private for-profit
Enrollment
8,141
Incidents /1k
1.35
46
Adelphi University Garden City, NY · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
7,603
Incidents /1k
4.74
47
SUNY Brockport Brockport, NY · Public
Enrollment
7,482
Incidents /1k
5.48
49
Yeshiva University New York, NY · Private nonprofit
Enrollment
6,965
Incidents /1k
0.43
# Institution EnrollmentIncidents /1k
1 New York University New York, NY · Private nonprofit 56,832 100% of the leader · rank #1 1.39
2 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY · Private nonprofit 35,173 62% of the leader · rank #2 5.12
3 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY · Public 31,903 56% of the leader · rank #3 1.88
4 Cornell University Ithaca, NY · Private nonprofit 26,793 47% of the leader · rank #4 4.22
5 Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY · Public 26,689 47% of the leader · rank #5 2.62
6 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY · Private nonprofit 22,589 40% of the leader · rank #6 4.60
7 CUNY Hunter College New York, NY · Public 22,538 40% of the leader · rank #7 0.80
8 CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College New York, NY · Public 20,123 35% of the leader · rank #8 0.25
9 CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY · Public 20,081 35% of the leader · rank #9 0.05
10 Suffolk County Community College Selden, NY · Public 19,973 35% of the leader · rank #10 0.35
11 St. John's University-New York Queens, NY · Private nonprofit 19,389 34% of the leader · rank #11 1.50
12 Binghamton University Vestal, NY · Public 18,816 33% of the leader · rank #12 8.93
13 CUNY Kingsborough Community College Brooklyn, NY · Public 18,165 32% of the leader · rank #13 0.17
14 University at Albany Albany, NY · Public 17,560 31% of the leader · rank #14 5.24
15 Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY · Private nonprofit 17,098 30% of the leader · rank #15 3.10
16 Long Island University Brookville, NY · Private nonprofit 16,689 29% of the leader · rank #16 0.78
17 Fordham University Bronx, NY · Private nonprofit 16,150 28% of the leader · rank #17 2.11
18 CUNY Queens College Queens, NY · Public 15,965 28% of the leader · rank #18 1.00
19 CUNY City College New York, NY · Public 15,544 27% of the leader · rank #19 1.48
20 CUNY LaGuardia Community College Long Island City, NY · Public 14,494 26% of the leader · rank #20 0.07
21 CUNY New York City College of Technology Brooklyn, NY · Public 14,486 25% of the leader · rank #21 0.69
22 CUNY Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY · Public 14,390 25% of the leader · rank #22 0.00
23 CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice New York, NY · Public 13,763 24% of the leader · rank #23 1.60
24 Pace University New York, NY · Private nonprofit 13,634 24% of the leader · rank #24 1.10
25 CUNY Lehman College Bronx, NY · Public 13,324 23% of the leader · rank #25 0.60
26 Excelsior University Albany, NY · Private nonprofit 12,941 23% of the leader · rank #26 0.00
27 Nassau Community College Garden City, NY · Public 12,301 22% of the leader · rank #27 0.81
28 University of Rochester Rochester, NY · Private nonprofit 11,946 21% of the leader · rank #28 5.02
29 Touro University New York, NY · Private nonprofit 11,937 21% of the leader · rank #29 0.17
30 College of Staten Island CUNY Staten Island, NY · Public 11,033 19% of the leader · rank #30 0.91
31 Hofstra University Hempstead, NY · Private nonprofit 10,685 19% of the leader · rank #31 2.15
32 Empire State University Saratoga Springs, NY · Public 10,469 18% of the leader · rank #32 0.00
33 CUNY Queensborough Community College Bayside, NY · Public 10,337 18% of the leader · rank #33 0.48
34 Farmingdale State College Farmingdale, NY · Public 10,039 18% of the leader · rank #34 0.70
35 CUNY Graduate School and University Center New York, NY · Public 9,536 17% of the leader · rank #35 0.10
36 SUNY Westchester Community College Valhalla, NY · Public 9,359 16% of the leader · rank #36 0.85
37 Hudson Valley Community College Troy, NY · Public 9,227 16% of the leader · rank #37 0.22
38 The New School New York, NY · Private nonprofit 9,068 16% of the leader · rank #38 0.99
39 Mercy University Dobbs Ferry, NY · Private nonprofit 8,991 16% of the leader · rank #39 1.22
40 Monroe Community College Rochester, NY · Public 8,641 15% of the leader · rank #40 2.43
41 Onondaga Community College Syracuse, NY · Public 8,537 15% of the leader · rank #41 2.58
42 Fashion Institute of Technology New York, NY · Public 8,206 14% of the leader · rank #42 0.73
43 Monroe University Bronx, NY · Private for-profit 8,141 14% of the leader · rank #43 1.35
44 Erie Community College Buffalo, NY · Public 8,090 14% of the leader · rank #44 0.00
45 State University of New York at New Paltz New Paltz, NY · Public 7,898 14% of the leader · rank #45 2.41
46 Adelphi University Garden City, NY · Private nonprofit 7,603 13% of the leader · rank #46 4.74
47 SUNY Brockport Brockport, NY · Public 7,482 13% of the leader · rank #47 5.48
48 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY · Private nonprofit 7,040 12% of the leader · rank #48 1.56
49 Yeshiva University New York, NY · Private nonprofit 6,965 12% of the leader · rank #49 0.43
50 State University of New York at Cortland Cortland, NY · Public 6,938 12% of the leader · rank #50 4.90

What to do with this

Size is a starting filter for New York, not a verdict on any institution.

Institutions below the reporting floor, or without enrolment in the Campus Safety and Security Survey cohort for 2024, do not appear on this list. IPEDS supplies classification and location.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education Campus Safety and Security Survey (enrollment and Clery disclosures), joined to the IPEDS institutional directory (location and classification)

Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Every figure on this page is computed at request time from the federal source tables; no ranking position or count is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-10-26.

PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.