Top universities in New York City: Columbia or NYU?

Another factor to consider when assessing these two universities is their performance in the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject. A quick glance shows that both top universities in New York are strong performers in the arts, humanities and social sciences. 

As the table below shows, there are some social sciences where there is little to choose between the two universities. In other cases, one or the other has a clear lead

Columbia offers what might be described as a classic Ivy League campus experience: think stately quadrangles, neoclassical columns and immaculately maintained lawns.  

However, unlike other Ivy League institutions such as Princeton or Yale, Columbia is an island of calm in the middle of a bustling metropolis. It may be at the upper western tip of Manhattan, but it’s well within striking distance of all the action.  

Nearby Harlem is one of the city’s most culturally diverse and dynamic neighbourhoods Also in close proximity are Central Park and the Hudson River, offering some picturesque respite from New York’s famous urban jungle. 

While for many students Columbia will offer the perfect combination of scholarly seclusion and proximity to the action, NYU offers a more immersive urban experience. With locations dotted around the city, the university’s main base is Greenwich Village, an area famous for its arty scene, and in the middle of New York’s cultural and social heart. 

NYU’s central Washington Square location has no walls or gates separating it from the surrounding streets, which are filled with restaurants, bars and cafés. Studying here means you can expect to be at the centre of one of the most culturally dynamic areas in the world. 

New York itself is consistently ranked highly in the QS Best Student Cities ranking, including for the student view indicator, which is based on a survey asking students to rate their city on aspects such as affordability, ease of getting around, employment opportunities, arts and culture and more. 

NYU has a significantly larger overall student population than Columbia, particularly when professional courses are included.  

However, both are at the larger end of the scale, offering large and diverse student communities – with Columbia offering a more diverse student body compared to NYU.

As befits its research-intensive status, Columbia is more heavily geared toward graduate studies, with graduates outnumbering undergraduates by two to one. NYU, by contrast, has more than three times the undergraduate population of Columbia, with a higher proportion of undergraduates than graduate students.