Public:

• City University of New York


• City College


• York College


• Queens College


• State University of New York


• Binghamton University


• Stony Brook University


• University at Buffalo


• University at Ablaby


• Empire State College


• Buffalo State College


• United States Military Academy

Let's face it, New York is a Private School State. Most of the state's most reputable schools fall into that category.

Most public universities in New York are a part of the public university systems; either the State University of New York (SUNY), or the City University of New York (CUNY) that comprises the public universities within New York City.

Sixty four universities make up the entire SUNY system.

That's the SUNY Maritime College in Brooklyn pictured. It's not my pick for the best in the state, but it is definitely in the running for best college campus ever.

It boasts 100% career placement within three months of graduation. So if you've ever wanted to work, or study, on the high seas, SUNY Maritime is the college for you.

The four university centers for SUNY are Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo and Stony Brook. Of the university centers, Binghamton and Stony Brook both finished in the U.S. News top 100 national universities.

Binghamton, in particular, has garnered distinction for being a tremendous value for the quality of education received there. It was named a "Public Ivy" by Greene's Guide; a university that compares academically to an Ivy League college with a much more affordable tuition cost.

Better known as "Army," the United States Military Academy at West Point graduates some of the best Military minds in the U.S. It is also New York's only public liberal arts college ranked in U.S. News and World Report's top tier, ranked 22 in liberal arts colleges. Many high ranking military officials are West Point graduates and 900 United States Military Academy graduates are commissioned as U.S. Army lieutenants every year.

If you are looking for a career in the military, you better shape up. Cadets are admitted only after passing a battery of mentally draining standardized tested and exhausting physical tests, and only if they have good references. Character comes first at West Point.

Private:

• Cornell University


• Columbia University


• Vassar College


• Colgate University


• Hamilton College


• Syracuse University


• Fordham University


• New York University

New York is home to some of the nations most prestigious private universities. But very few are what could be described as "affordable."

New York is the only state in the union that has more than one Ivy League college. Both Columbia University and Cornell, ranked numbers 9 and 12 respectively in national universities, are located in New York. But both will run you about $40 thousand a year in tuition and fees, and that's only if you manage to get in. But if you can swing it, either of these universities would be excellent choices.

Columbia University's journalism school was endowed by Joseph Pulitzer and is the home of the Pulitzer prize. Not surprisingly, it is the nation's most respected college for journalism. Columbia's colleges of education, medicine, architecture, law and business, among many others, rank in the top 10 in the nation, if not the world.

Cornell graduates more future doctors than any other University. It also has arguably the nation's best schools for veterinary medicine and architecture. But Columbia is the rock star of New York Education.

But if you want to go to a school with a respectable athletics department, why not give Syracuse a look? The Orange compete in the Big East against football powerhouses Notre Dame and Louisville, and against basketball contenders UConn and Georgetown.

Not into sports? OK, well Syracuse University is also rated 50 in the nation by U.S. News. Its school of architecture ranks first on the East Coast, third nationally. It's Information Studies graduate programs rank among the nation's elite. Many reputable journalists, like Ted Koppel and Bob Costas are alumni of Syracuse' S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication.

New York University has a national ranking of 34 according to U.S. News. And its business school and Law school both rank in the top 5 in the nation. The theater program and school of mathematics are also among the country's best.

But when your campus is that close to Broadway, you better have some acting chops. And when your campus is that close to Wall Street, you better have some credibility in the business world. The campus is located near the beautiful Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. It is walking distance from China Town and the Hudson River Park.

Because of its location in Greenwich Village, NYU is also U.S. News' third most gay-friendly university in the nation. Washington Square Park is also a hub for culture and the arts, so there is always something entertaining going on nearby. And because of high police presence in Washington Square Park, NYU is consequently one of the safest campuses in the U.S.

One of the nations oldest Catholic universities, Fordham has a national ranking of 67. But considering you will still be paying in the area of $30-35 thousand for tuition alone, you may want to explore other (cheaper) options.

As far as liberal arts colleges, New York has four schools in the top 25, and several others in the top two tiers.

In addition to being New Yorks best liberal arts college ranked at 11 by U.S. News, Vassar College is also New Yorks most beautiful college. The Poughkeepsie campus is also a 1 thousand acre arboretum. The former women's only school was one of New York's two members of the Seven Sisters, the other being Barnard, before becoming co-ed in 1969.

Today, Vassar offers degrees in 50 majors in addition to allowing you to design your own major and course curriculum. 85% of graduates applying for medical school and 88% of graduates applying for law school are accepted.

Online:

• SUNY


• Excelsior College


• St. Joseph's University


• St. John's University


• Syracuse University


• Hofstra University


• Mercy College

Empire State College, the branch of SUNY that specializes in distance education, offers courses in educational studies, the arts, business, science, mathematics, historical studies, and many others. Students can earn Associate, Bachelor's and Master's degrees, and is very flexible when it comes to transferring credits.

And if you can't make it to St. John's University or St. Joseph's University to see their exciting basketball teams, don't worry, they offer online degrees as well. Saint John's offers three Associate degrees and three Bachelor's degrees online. St. John's even gives you a wireless laptop. Saint Joe's offers an online bachelor of science degree in organization management.

Hofstra, a respected university in NYC, offers an online master's degree in computer science.

The New York Institute of Technology's Ellis College offers seven certificate programs including an MBA and several master of science degrees.

Syracuse, University College allows certain courses to be taken online, primarily to accommodate part-time students.

But probably your best bet for online education in New York is the extremely flexible Excelsior College. Excelsior allows you to transfer credits from pretty much any university, and has no real restrictions on residency. It offers Associates, Bachelor's and Master's degrees in five different schools: Nursing, Health Sciences, Liberal Arts, Business, and Technology. They even offered the coveted MBA. And it's all done my mailing CD-ROMs to your house, military base, personal submersible or wherever else on Earth you currently reside.