Best Urban Planning Schools Near Manhattan, NY (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Manhattan, New York has 5 accredited schools offering urban planning programs. Manhattan has a population of about 1,643,734. In the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area, the top-earning urban planning-related role is Managers, All Other at a median $169,800 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Urban Planning Schools to Manhattan

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer urban planning programs near Manhattan, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Manhattan city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Manhattan. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY 1.7 miles from Manhattan
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
87.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $102,491
Avg net price $21,590/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 180

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

The New School

New York, NY 3.7 miles from Manhattan
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,901
Avg net price $58,741/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 58

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

New York University

New York, NY 4.1 miles from Manhattan
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
76.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 88%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $82,509
Avg net price $37,050/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 218

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Pratt Institute-Main

Brooklyn, NY 6.4 miles from Manhattan
  • 4 year
50.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 74%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,295
Avg net price $52,659/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 89%
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

University at Albany

Albany, NY 131.6 miles from Manhattan
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
75.4 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 69%
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $67,979
Avg net price $17,167/yr
Tuition
In‑state$10,866
Out‑of‑state$31,256
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 103

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY 173.5 miles from Manhattan
  • 4 year
73.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 96%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $104,043
Avg net price $28,690/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 132

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

University at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY 291.5 miles from Manhattan
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
75.0 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 74%
Graduation rate 74%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $70,814
Avg net price $20,995/yr
Tuition
In‑state$10,936
Out‑of‑state$31,536
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 193

Source:Accreditor: Middle States Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all New York schools on the New York urban planning page.

Urban Planning Wages Near Manhattan

Manhattan is part of the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area (BLS area code 35620). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to New York statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Urban and Regional Planners $99,150 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $88,055
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health $85,510 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $75,941
Surveyors $83,610 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $74,254
Geographers N/A NY statewide –
Social and Community Service Managers $100,570 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $89,316
Management Analysts $124,390 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $110,471
Cartographers and Photogrammetrists $85,500 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $75,933
Managers, All Other $169,800 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ $150,799

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Manhattan at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 112.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Manhattan-Area Cities With Urban Planning Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited urban planning schools are near Manhattan, NY?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering urban planning programs near Manhattan. The closest is Columbia University in the City of New York in New York, NY (1.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is New Jersey Institute of Technology (11.4 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying urban planning roles near Manhattan?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying urban planning-related roles near Manhattan are: Managers, All Other ($169,800), Management Analysts ($124,390), Social and Community Service Managers ($100,570). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with New York statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in West New York instead of Manhattan?

West New York, NJ is 2.3 miles from Manhattan and has its own set of local urban planning programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Urban Planning Programs

Other Programs Available in Manhattan

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Manhattan:

Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

Back to Best Urban Planning Schools in New York (2026)