Great Public Colleges in the Northeast
Four diverse students walk down sunny street, backpacks, featured schools logo

Great Public Colleges and Universities in the Northeast

Public colleges are fairly priced for residents and offer a lot to any student. Check out these comprehensive and liberal arts options in the Northeast!

Public colleges and universities are amazing institutions of higher learning that are highly recommended to students during the college search for their affordability and unmatched resources. The following public comprehensive and liberal arts institutions are well known in the Northeast for their outstanding reputations and dedication to their students. The best part is you can get in touch with them quickly and easily just by clicking the green “Connect Me” button underneath each school. Start searching for your best-fit college today!

College of Staten Island, CUNY

The College of Staten Island, CUNY logoThe College of Staten Island is a City University of New York public liberal arts college in Staten Island, New York. The College offers its 10,000+ students a choice of 52 majors and 58 minors in 23 fields of study and a 16:1 student-faculty ratio with professors who are experts in their fields. CSI is also home to the Macaulay Honors College University Scholars Program, which provides high-achieving students with a curriculum of innovative and challenging courses during their first and second years of study.

Connect me with CSI!

Kean University

Kean University logoKean University is a public comprehensive university in Union, New Jersey—just 12 miles from New York City. The University offers more than 50 undergraduate degrees and over 70 graduate study options, with a wide range of academic fields for students to explore. Kean’s student body of 16,000+ can also get involved in more than 170 honor societies, cultural groups, and student organizations.

Connect me with Kean!

Montclair State University

Montclair State University logoMontclair State University is a premier public research university in Montclair, New Jersey—just 12 miles from New York City. Designated as a high-research doctoral institution, the University offers more than 22,000 students over 300 programs across 13 colleges and schools. As a top-ranked institution for social mobility, Montclair provides a 17:1 student-faculty ratio and a vibrant campus life with over 120 student organizations. Students benefit from a high-achieving environment, extensive financial aid options, and diverse academic offerings that prepare graduates for professional success.

Connect me with Montclair!

SUNY Cortland

SUNY Cortland logoSUNY Cortland is a public multipurpose university of arts and sciences in Cortland, New York—30 miles from Syracuse. Reputations for Teacher Education and health-related programs have paved the way for Cortland’s 68 academic majors, which also cover the natural sciences, business, and other in-demand professional fields. In addition, the University’s 6,600+ students enjoy 50 study abroad programs, nearly 80 active student clubs, and an NCAA Division III athletics program with 131 national titles.

Connect me with SUNY Cortland!

SUNY Morrisville 

SUNY Morrisville logoSUNY Morrisville is a public comprehensive college in Morrisville, New York. Morrisville's 2,000+ students, who come from diverse backgrounds, choose from more than 50 associate and bachelor's degree programs that embrace agriculture, technology, business, social sciences, and the liberal arts. As home of the Mustangs, SUNY Morrisville boasts 16 intercollegiate athletics programs that compete at the NCAA Division III level as well as 35 on-campus clubs and organizations.

Connect me with SUNY Morrisville!

SUNY Oneonta

SUNY Oneonta logoSUNY Oneonta is a public college of liberal arts and sciences in Oneonta, New York—75 miles southwest of Albany. The College offers 60+ undergraduate and 17 graduate programs to more than 6,700 students, including an internationally accredited Business Economics program and nationally accredited programs in Dietetics, Education, Human Ecology, Music, and Theatre. With more than 150 Student Association–funded clubs and organizations ranging from the Accounting Society to the Zombie Defense Corps, there’s an activity for every interest at Oneonta.

Connect me with SUNY Oneonta!

William Paterson University

William Paterson University logoWilliam Paterson University is a public multipurpose university in Wayne, New Jersey—just 20 miles west of New York City. William Paterson offers its 10,000 students nearly 150 bachelor's and master’s degrees as well as certificate and pre-professional programs in a wide range of disciplines. The University also has more than 100 clubs and organizations, 28 fraternities and sororities, 13 NCAA Division III athletic teams, and 31 club sports and intramural activities.

Connect me with WPU!

If the Northeast isn’t your place, you can explore other schools all around the country with our collection of CX featured college lists.

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

About CollegeXpress

CollegeXpress

Welcome to CollegeXpress, your one-stop college shop! We’re a free college planning website used by millions of college-bound students, parents, and counselors—anyone who needs help navigating the college search and application process, financial aid opportunities, and more. 

You’ll find comprehensive College Search and Scholarship Search tools, tons of articles and expert advice, unique college Lists & Rankings, and lots of other resources to help make your life easier. Teen Vogue even named us one of the 7 Best College Search Websites!

Current college students and recent grads also love CollegeXpress for our Graduate Program Search tool and endless information on student life, internships, and beyond. We really have something for everyone, no matter where you are in your college journey.

Create a free CollegeXpress account to start connecting with colleges, winning scholarships, and simplifying your life as a student!

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress

College Quick Connect

Swipe right to request information.
Swipe left if you're not interested.

Hofstra University

Hempstead, NY


Tariq Adam Khatib

Tariq Adam Khatib

High School Class of 2022

CollegeXpress helped me a lot. I am a Tanzania boy who finished my high school studies in Tanzania. I never knew I could get an opportunity to get a scholarship to study abroad. I am happy that now I know how to find the school to study abroad through CollegeXpress.

Hannah Nelsen

Hannah Nelsen

High School Class of 2022

CollegeXpress has helped me look at colleges that fit my interests by taking my profile and matching it to colleges that have the programs I'm looking for. It has the ability to connect me to colleges so I can be contacted by them and look at them more in-depth to find what's right for me. Additionally, the scholarship database is super beneficial for getting scholarships for college. Not only does it help lift the financial burden of college but it shows all the opportunities available. Overall, CollegeXpress has been very helpful to me.

Lexie Knutson

Lexie Knutson

High School Class of 2021

This whole website has helped me overcome the attitude I had before. I was scared to even approach the thought of college because it was so much. I knew it wasn’t just a few easy steps, and I panicked mostly, instead of actually trying. Without realizing it, CollegeXpress did exactly what I usually do when I panic, which is take it one step at a time. With college I forget that because it’s more than just a small to-do list, but this website was really helpful and overall amazing. So thank you!

Lorena Bacallao

Lorena Bacallao

High School Class of 2022

CollegeXpress was the foundation of my college search process. Because of CollegeXpress, I was able to make a more informed and confident decision as to where it was best to pursue my higher education. I have recommended this website to fellow peers and for first-generation students like me. It’s a website I will continue to promote because of how simple it was to use and how many opportunities were offered to me at my fingertips!

Abhishek Kumar

Abhishek Kumar

High School Class of 2022

As a high schooler, I know how hard it is to plan for college. You have to consider a lot of factors: SAT/ACT scores, college searches, scholarships, and more. CollegeXpress has been a helpful resource that solves all these problems. One can easily create a free account and search away. They help you search for scholarships and colleges, they have graduate program search, they have lists and rankings, and so much more. CX also has a lot of articles and advice to read—whether it’s financial aid, test prep, campus visits, internships/careers, or anything. Not only that, CX gives out free scholarship money to students who sign up and create a free CX account. I love CX and will continue to use it! Thank you CollegeXpress for making my college journey easier!