Students at CCNY, a Best Value College for 2027, according to The Princeton Review®.
According to The Princeton Review®, The City College of New York is one of the nation's best colleges for students seeking a great education with excellent career services and at a relatively affordable price.
On September 29, the education services company named CCNY to its Best Value Colleges for 2027 list which is posted on PrincetonReview.com.
"We congratulate The City College of New York and all the exceptional institutions that made our 'Best Value Colleges for 2027' lists" said Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief of The Princeton Review. "In our opinion, they are truly the most exceptional in the nation at delivering outstanding academics, affordable cost, and great career foundations. We recommend them highly to college applicants and we salute them for all they do to help students with need afford to attend them via comparatively low sticker prices and/or extraordinarily generous financial aid—all while providing an amazing college experience that's worth every penny."
The Princeton Review chose 209 schools for its Best Value Colleges for 2027 list. The selections were based on data from the company's surveys of administrators at more than 650 colleges in 2025–2026, its surveys of students attending the schools, and data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard on school alumni career and salary statistics.
In all, The Princeton Review crunched more than 40 data points to tally ROI (Return on Investment) ratings of the colleges which informed the selection of the schools and the project's seven categories of ranking lists.
The Princeton Review gave CCNY an ROI rating score of 85/99.
CCNY also earned inclusion on the following Princeton Review lists:
- Best Northeast (comprising colleges in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont);
- Green Colleges; and
- The Best 392 Colleges.
The Princeton Review does not rank the Best Value Colleges on a hierarchical list, from 1 to 209. However, the project reports seven categories of ranking lists for distinctions from financial aid to career placement, each one ranking the top public colleges and top private colleges in the category.
The full list of Best Colleges for 2027, information on the project methodology, criteria for the ROI rating, and bases for the ranking lists is posted here.
The Princeton Review is also widely known for its other college rankings in dozens of categories, many of which were reported in its book, The Best 392 Colleges: 2027 Edition (published August 18, 2026).
About The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review is a leading tutoring, test prep, and college admissions services company. Every year, it helps millions of college- and graduate school–bound students as well as working professionals achieve their education and career goals through its many education services and products. These include online and in-person courses delivered by a network of more than 4,000 teachers and tutors; online resources; a line of more than 150 print and digital books published by Penguin Random House; and dozens of categories of school rankings. Founded in 1981, the company is now in its 45th year. The company's Tutor.com brand, now in its 25th year, is one of the largest online tutoring services in the U.S. It comprises a community of thousands of tutors who have delivered more than 29 million tutoring sessions. The Princeton Review, headquartered in New York, NY, is not affiliated with Princeton University. For more information, visit PrincetonReview.com. Follow the company on Facebook (@ThePrincetonReviewSAT), Instagram (@theprincetonreview), LinkedIn (the-princeton-review), YouTube (@ThePrincetonReview), and TikTok (@princeton.review). Subscribe to The Princeton Review's twice-weekly newsletter, Brick & Mortarboard, here.
About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization Degree Choices ranks CCNY #1 nationally among universities for economic return on investment. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 2.2% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Lightcast puts at $3.7 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers, and society. At City College, more than 16,500 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity, and scholarship. In 2023, CCNY launched its most expansive fundraising campaign ever. The campaign, titled “Doing Remarkable Things Together,” seeks to bring the College’s Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College's mission. By May 2026, more than $500 million had been raised. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic, and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.
Jay Mwamba
p: 917.892.0374
e:
jmwamba@ccny.cuny.edu