36 Best colleges for Optical Engineering in New York City, US

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in New York City ranked based on their research performance in Optical Engineering. A graph of 4.24M citations received by 91.9K academic papers made by 36 universities in New York City was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. Columbia University

For Optical Engineering

#2 in New York State

#19 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 4%
Average SAT: 1545
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $22,520

2. New York University

For Optical Engineering

#4 in New York State

#39 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 9%
Average SAT: 1520
Average ACT: 35
Net Price: $30,325

3. CUNY City College

For Optical Engineering

#9 in New York State

#107 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Average SAT: 1250
Receiving Aid: 90%
Average Aid: $9,763

4. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

For Optical Engineering

#10 in New York State

#115 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 12%
Enrollment: 1,261
Male:Female: 38:62
Founded: 1963

5. Rockefeller University

For Optical Engineering

#13 in New York State

#158 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 12%
Enrollment: 281
Male:Female: 47:53
Founded: 1901

6. CUNY Graduate School and University Center

For Optical Engineering

#14 in New York State

#159 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 68%
Enrollment: 9,536
Male:Female: 33:67
Founded: 1961

7. SUNY College of Optometry

For Optical Engineering

#17 in New York State

#195 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 33%
Enrollment: 400
Male:Female: 23:77
Founded: 1971

8. CUNY Hunter College

For Optical Engineering

#20 in New York State

#224 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 54%
Average SAT: 1260
Receiving Aid: 89%
Average Aid: $9,755

9. CUNY Queens College

For Optical Engineering

#21 in New York State

#226 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 64%
Average SAT: 1150
Receiving Aid: 83%
Average Aid: $9,057

10. SUNY Downstate Medical Center

For Optical Engineering

#22 in New York State

#232 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 11%
Enrollment: 2,220
Male:Female: 28:72
Founded: 1860

11. Yeshiva University

For Optical Engineering

#26 in New York State

#255 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 56%
Average SAT: 1425
Average ACT: 31
Net Price: $39,681

12. CUNY Brooklyn College

For Optical Engineering

#27 in New York State

#260 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 58%
Average SAT: 1145
Receiving Aid: 91%
Average Aid: $9,482

13. Phillips School of Nursing at Mount Sinai Beth Israel

For Optical Engineering

#30 in New York State

#296 in the United States

Receiving Aid: 0%
Enrollment: 311
Male:Female: 12:88

14. St John's University - New York

For Optical Engineering

#31 in New York State

#299 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 83%
Average SAT: 1245
Average ACT: 27
Net Price: $29,656

15. King's College

For Optical Engineering

#32 in New York State

#302 in the United States

Net Price: $34,192
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $24,640
Enrollment: 442

16. Fordham University

For Optical Engineering

#33 in New York State

#310 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 59%
Average SAT: 1400
Average ACT: 32
Net Price: $48,190

17. College of Staten Island CUNY

For Optical Engineering

#34 in New York State

#311 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 92%
Average SAT: 1070
Receiving Aid: 83%
Average Aid: $8,526

18. Lehman College, CUNY

For Optical Engineering

#36 in New York State

#319 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Average SAT: 1000
Receiving Aid: 94%
Average Aid: $10,151

19. Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology

For Optical Engineering

#40 in New York State

#347 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Net Price: $40,301
Receiving Aid: 88%
Average Aid: $7,604

20. CUNY Bernard M Baruch College

For Optical Engineering

#43 in New York State

#381 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 48%
Average SAT: 1250
Receiving Aid: 90%
Average Aid: $10,114

21. Barnard College

For Optical Engineering

#46 in New York State

#440 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 9%
Average SAT: 1515
Average ACT: 33
Net Price: $26,407

22. Pratt Institute - Main

For Optical Engineering

#47 in New York State

#444 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 73%
Average SAT: 1270
Average ACT: 29
Net Price: $54,150

23. Manhattan College

For Optical Engineering

#49 in New York State

#450 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 79%
Average SAT: 1269
Average ACT: 27
Net Price: $29,717

24. CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice

For Optical Engineering

#50 in New York State

#460 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Average SAT: 1075
Receiving Aid: 90%
Average Aid: $9,966

25. Pace University

For Optical Engineering

#51 in New York State

#467 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 76%
Average SAT: 1260
Average ACT: 27
Net Price: $34,791

26. CUNY New York City College of Technology

For Optical Engineering

#52 in New York State

#480 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 80%
Average SAT: 1020
Receiving Aid: 86%
Average Aid: $8,206

27. New School

For Optical Engineering

#54 in New York State

#489 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Net Price: $67,224
Receiving Aid: 94%
Average Aid: $22,174

28. Touro College

For Optical Engineering

#78 in New York State

#798 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 61%
Average SAT: 1336
Average ACT: 28
Net Price: $29,179

29. Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art

For Optical Engineering

#79 in New York State

#799 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 21%
Average SAT: 1398
Average ACT: 31
Net Price: $26,283

30. New York Law School

For Optical Engineering

#81 in New York State

#827 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 47%
Enrollment: 1,062
Male:Female: 35:65
Founded: 1891

31. New York College of Podiatric Medicine

For Optical Engineering

#83 in New York State

#898 in the United States

Enrollment: 339
Male:Female: 38:62
Founded: 1911

32. School of Visual Arts

For Optical Engineering

#84 in New York State

#923 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 93%
Average SAT: 1339
Net Price: $61,337
Receiving Aid: 67%

33. Fashion Institute of Technology

For Optical Engineering

#88 in New York State

#974 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Receiving Aid: 69%
Average Aid: $8,304
Enrollment: 8,206

34. Wagner College

For Optical Engineering

#89 in New York State

#982 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 88%
Average SAT: 1240
Average ACT: 26
Net Price: $28,033

35. CUNY School of Law

For Optical Engineering

#90 in New York State

#984 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 35%
Enrollment: 669
Male:Female: 35:65
Founded: 1983

36. SUNY Maritime College

For Optical Engineering

#91 in New York State

#992 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 72%
Average SAT: 1206
Average ACT: 25
Receiving Aid: 77%

Universities for Optical Engineering near New York City

Distance, km 📏 km	University	Country rank 🏆	City
11	Stevens Institute of Technology	168	Hoboken, New Jersey
22	New Jersey Institute of Technology	145	Newark, New Jersey
25	Adelphi University	387	Garden City, New York
27	Seton Hall University	390	South Orange, New Jersey
29	Hofstra University	343	Hempstead, New York
30	Montclair State University	417	Montclair, New Jersey
33	Berkeley College - Woodland Park	221	Woodland Park, New Jersey
34	Long Island University	349	Brookville, New York
47	Rutgers University - New Brunswick	47	New Brunswick, New Jersey
47	New York Medical College	208	Valhalla, New York