![Columbia University, New York, NY, USA, one of the top dream colleges in the US](https://offloadmedia.feverup.com/secretnyc.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/23123447/fi-columbia-university-1024x683.jpg)
A study conducted by The Princeton Review surveyed thousands of students who have applied to college this year so far to find students’ top “dream colleges,” and, as it turns out, two of them are situated right here in NYC!
Those surveyed included 7,935 high school students and 2,932 parents of college applicants across all 50 states and Washington D.C., and though the results didn’t fully line up between the students and the parents, one NYC university made its way onto both lists.
The two NYC colleges which made it onto the students’ top 10 dream colleges list are Columbia University and New York University, coming in at number 8 and number 9, respectively.
And while Columbia University was absent from the parents’ list, New York University took the number 8 spot.
As for what sways a students’ decision when choosing their college, 44% of students pay attention to which college will be the best overall fit and 36% look for the college with the best program for their career interests. The thing they least pay attention to (9%) is which college will be the most affordable.
And, while we’re on the topic, FAFSA financial aid forms may soon be required for NY high school students.
According to the survey, the top 10 students’ dream colleges are as follows:
- Harvard University – Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Princeton University – Princeton, NJ
- Stanford University – Stanford, California
- University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Yale University – New Haven, Connecticut
- University of Texas-Austin – Austin, Texas
- Columbia University – Manhattan, NY
- New York University (NYU) – Manhattan, NY
- Brown University – Providence, Rhode Island
The full study can be found here.