2026 Best Value Engineering Physics Schools in New York
[Engineering Physics](/majors/engineering/engineering-physics/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 9 schools to find the best return on investment for engineering physics students.
What’s on this page:
2026 Best Value Engineering Physics Schools in New York
If you want to know which schools deliver the best value for the engineering physics degrees they offer, see the list below.
Best Value Engineering Physics Schools
Columbia University In The City Of New York tops our 2026 list of the best value engineering physics schools in New York. Set in the city of New York, Columbia University In The City Of New York is a very large private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $70,517. Typical student debt for engineering physics graduates is $23,258. Soon after graduation, engineering physics degree recipients from Columbia University In The City Of New York generally make around $86,770. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 4% of applicants are accepted.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Cornell University earned it the #2 place for engineering physics. Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell University is a very large private not-for-profit university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $69,314. Students borrow a median of $15,005 to complete the engineering physics program here. Engineering Physics graduates of Cornell University earn a median of $75,976 early in their careers. Set against $15,005 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. Roughly 9% of applicants are accepted.
A rank of #3 makes Siena College one of the best values for engineering physics. Set in the suburb of Loudonville, Siena College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit institution. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $45,805. Typical student debt for engineering physics graduates is $26,656. Soon after graduation, engineering physics degree recipients from Siena College generally make around $44,535. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Siena College admits about 69% of applicants.
A rank of #4 makes Fordham University one of the best values for engineering physics. Fordham University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Bronx. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $64,470. Typical student debt for engineering physics graduates is $25,643. Early-career engineering physics graduates make about $59,403. Set against $25,643 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. The acceptance rate is 59%.
Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs the cost of a degree against the earnings graduates go on to achieve, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 9 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 2 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
