Four diverse students smiling, walking down sunny street with books, backpacks

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!

Binghamton University

Binghamton UniversityBinghamton University is a public comprehensive university in Binghampton, New York—just three hours from New York City and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With 130+ undergraduate programs, Binghamton’s research, scholarship, internships, and leadership experiences help 14,300+ undergraduates master the skills they need to succeed. Students get involved on campus in 400+ student clubs and organizations and NCAA Division I sports and off campus through service to the community.

Connect me with Binghamton!

Bishop's University

Bishop's University logoBishop's University is a public liberal arts university located in Sherbrooke in the province of Quebec, Canada. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in a variety of academic programs covering Business, Education, Fine Arts, Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences. In addition to a wide array of internship and training experiences, as an English university in a French community, Bishop’s also offers students the opportunity to learn, improve, or become fully bilingual in both languages.

Connect me with Bishop’s!

Commonwealth University—Bloomsburg 

Commonwealth University—Bloomsburg Commonwealth University—Bloomsburg is a public comprehensive institution in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania—about 80 miles from Harrisburg—and one of three campuses in the University system. The University offers 58 undergraduate degree programs as well as more than 68 minors and 30 graduate degree programs, enhanced by hands-on experience and top technology for great career preparation. Bloomsburg students can also get involved in more than 250 clubs and organizations as well as leadership and community service opportunities.

Connect me with Bloomsburg!

Commonwealth University—Lock Haven

Commonwealth University—Lock HavenCommonwealth University—Lock Haven is a public comprehensive university in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania—30 miles west of Williamsport and 70 miles north of Harrisburg—and one of three campuses in the University system. The University offers 57 majors and 41 minors to choose from as well as opportunities for Honors programs, study abroad, and internships. With 2,200+ students on campus, The Haven’s environment is vibrant with energy from 17 athletic teams, a club and intramural sports program, and more than 100 clubs and organizations. 

Connect me with Lock Haven!

Commonwealth University—Mansfield

Commonwealth University—Mansfield logoCommonwealth University—Mansfield is a public comprehensive university in Mansfield, Pennsylvania—just 30 miles south of Elmira, New York—and one of three campuses in the University system. The University offers 135+ associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees with various concentrations, minors, certificates, and teacher certification programs. With a total enrollment of 1,700+, students benefit from a 17:1 student-faculty ratio and a wide range of educational, faith-based, political, social, cultural, ethnic, and recreational experiences.

Connect me with Mansfield!

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!

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 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

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.

Drake University

Des Moines, IA


Kelly Nogueiro

Kelly Nogueiro

Counselor

For me, CollegeXpress has given me a valuable tool to use with my students to explore colleges easily beyond objective data. It helps me find colleges for students that fit their needs and wants that aren’t quite so black and white. It's a wealth of knowledge, and the Type-A side of me loves all the lists and the fact that I know they're coming from folks who know what they're talking about. I share it with colleagues and students alike, and it's always well received.

Lu Diehl

Lu Diehl

High School Class of 2022

I never would have found the college I plan on attending without CollegeXpress! I've always been a person of ambition and have been dreaming of studying and working on my passion for law, legal studies, and political science. Washington College is where I plan on pursuing my career. My journey with my education has been difficult, and oftentimes, I was told I would never amount to much, but now I'm dual enrolled at Caroll Community College and have had experience in the fields I am dedicated to. Without the help of CollegeXpress (even in its early days), I would never have found Washington College and the information I need to apply and become a part of their community.

Amari Toussaint

Amari Toussaint

High School Class of 2022

CollegeXpress helped me narrow my school choices down from 10 schools to four and then two. It also gave me information on a school I had never heard about or thought about attending until now, which is the school I will be attending in the fall. I am thankful for CollegeXpress and its helpful tools.

Maliha

Maliha

High School Class of 2019

My college search began at CollegeXpress. Due to this helpful tool, I was able to gather a lot of information to guide my college planning decisions. Through CollegeXpress, I was also able to apply to several scholarships to help pay for my tuition. I would definitely recommend this website to anyone who wants to explore colleges and get more information from admission experts, counselors, and real students.

Nikole Dixon

Nikole Dixon

$500 Refer-a-Friend Scholarship Winner

Toward the beginning of last year, I was searching for scholarships to apply to through my school, town, websites online, and anything else I could find. I asked tons of questions [online] about scholarships and the best places to find them because I was desperate and needed as many as I could find. I came across a ton of bogus websites, but as soon as I found CollegeXpress, I knew I had to tell other people about it. It was definitely the most helpful site I came across, so I told my friends about it. CollegeXpress is definitely a website worth giving as a source.