by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which college to attend when you have so many options available. College Factual has developed its Top Middle Atlantic Region Colleges ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
After analyzing 400 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region , we came up with our list of those that offered the highest quality education. Our ranking is based on over 20 objective factors, including post graduate earnings, freshman retention, and graduation rate. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another.
Get more details on our ranking methodology.
Since one ranking on its own is not enough to give you a complete understanding of your educational options, you can refine this list by location and field of study. We've also developed a number of other tools and rankings based on other factors. These other rankings highlight colleges that excel in other factors such as value or diversity as well as schools that excel in serving different groups of students such as veterans or returnings adults.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering!
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2025 rankings named University of Pennsylvania the best school in the Middle Atlantic Region in terms of overall quality for students working on their bachelor’s degree.
The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 86%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. During the early years of their career, graduates from UPenn make an average of $111,371 a year.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Johns Hopkins University. It ranked #2 on our 2025 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. During the early years of their career, graduates from Johns Hopkins make an average of $87,555 a year.
A rank of #3 on our Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list means Carnegie Mellon University is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Carnegie Mellon make an average of $114,862 per year during the early years of their career.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cornell University. It ranked #4 on our 2025 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list.
The student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Cornell is $104,043 during the early years of their career.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Georgetown University. It ranked #5 on our 2025 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list.
Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 90%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $103,494 during the early years of their career..
Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #6.
Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 84%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Columbia make an average of $102,491 per year during the early years of their career.
New York University did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #7.
The 4-year grad rate at the school is 79%. That’s impressive when you compare it to the national rate of 33%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from NYU is $82,509 during the early years of their career.
Jewish Theological Seminary of America landed the #8 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 7 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Jewish Theological Seminary of America make an average of $92,751 per year during the early years of their career.
George Washington University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from GWU go into careers with an average salary of $90,873 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #10, Princeton University did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list.
Bachelor’s degree students at the school tend to finish their degree on-time. The 4-year graduation rate is 90%, which is impressive compared to the national rate of 33%. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Princeton is $110,066 during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #11, University of Maryland - Baltimore did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 7 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UMB is $88,174 during the early years of their career.
Culinary Institute of America did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #12.
During the early years of their career, graduates from The Culinary Institute of America make an average of $47,475 a year.
Fashion Institute of Technology landed the #13 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from FIT SUNY make an average of $62,696 per year during the early years of their career.
Villanova University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list.
The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 89%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Villanova make an average of $100,423 a year.
University of Maryland - College Park came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking.
With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UMCP is $82,860 during the early years of their career.
American Musical and Dramatic Academy landed the #16 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking.
The student-to-faculty rate of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from American Musical and Dramatic Academy go into careers with an average salary of $26,975 during the early years of their career.
Maryland Institute College of Art did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #17.
With a student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from MICA is $45,212 during the early years of their career.
SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list.
Since the school has a student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1, those pursuing a bachelor’s degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Downstate make an average of $109,601 per year during the early years of their career.
With a ranking of #19, Lehigh University did quite well on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Lehigh make an average of $105,584 per year during the early years of their career.
American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York landed the #20 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking.
The student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York is $27,019 during the early years of their career.
American University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from The American University go into careers with an average salary of $77,370 during the early years of their career.
Syracuse University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list.
The student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse is $79,164 during the early years of their career.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute landed the #23 spot on the 2025 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking.
The student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1% The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from RPI is $102,051 during the early years of their career.
Fordham University did quite well in the 2025 Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking, coming in at #24.
The school boasts an average 4-year graduation rate of 79%, which is excellent when compared to the national rate of 33%. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Fordham U go into careers with an average salary of $85,569 during the early years of their career.
Rutgers University - New Brunswick ranked #25 on this year’s Best Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region list.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers New Brunswick make an average of $74,479 per year during the early years of their career.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 20% of this year’s ranking:
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To learn more about the schools below, just click on their names:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | University at Buffalo | Buffalo, NY |
| 52 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | Newark, NJ |
| 53 | Manhattan School of Music | New York, NY |
| 54 | Marist College | Poughkeepsie, NY |
| 55 | University of Maryland Global Campus | Adelphi, MD |
| 56 | Adelphi University | Garden City, NY |
| 57 | Towson University | Towson, MD |
| 58 | Wagner College | Staten Island, NY |
| 59 | Duquesne University | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 60 | The New School | New York, NY |
| 61 | The College of New Jersey | Ewing, NJ |
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These schools also performed well in our Best Colleges ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 62 | University of Scranton | Scranton, PA |
| 63 | Ithaca College | Ithaca, NY |
| 64 | Lafayette College | Easton, PA |
| 65 | School of Visual Arts | New York, NY |
| 66 | University of Maryland - Baltimore County | Baltimore, MD |
| 67 | LIU Post | Brookville, NY |
| 68 | SUNY Cortland | Cortland, NY |
| 69 | Haverford College | Haverford, PA |
| 70 | Helene Fuld College of Nursing | New York, NY |
| 71 | Rutgers University - Camden | Camden, NJ |
| 72 | Montgomery College | Rockville, MD |
| 73 | Baruch College | New York, NY |
| 74 | University at Albany | Albany, NY |
| 75 | Bergen Community College | Paramus, NJ |
| 76 | Catholic University of America | Washington, DC |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 77 | Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences | Albany, NY |
| 78 | Seton Hall University | South Orange, NJ |
| 79 | Hofstra University | Hempstead, NY |
| 80 | St John’s College | Annapolis, MD |
| 81 | Clarkson University | Potsdam, NY |
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.