CUNY City College is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in New York, New York. It enrolls 12,505 students (a large student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
AccreditorMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Excellent
85/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes54
Value100
Affordability96
Selectivity74
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
CUNY City College admits 60% of applicants, which makes it moderately selective, and realistic if you meet the academic profile.
Acceptance Rate
60%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
1070 – 1430
Reading + Math combined
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test PolicyNot ConsideredStandardized test scores are not used in admissions decisions.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether CUNY City College is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
11.6 pts
since 2019
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $3,776 a year on average, it sits well below what public colleges charge nationally. At that level cost is rarely the reason to rule a college out. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$7,340
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$15,290
Room & Board (on-campus)
$18,840
Room & Board (off-campus)
$22,260
Books & Supplies
$1,500
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$6,216
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$6,216
Total Cost of Attendance
$14,403
Application fee: $65 (one-time, due at submission)
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$1,251
$30,001 – $48,000
$2,990
$48,001 – $75,000
$6,811
$75,001 – $110,000
$9,982
Over $110,000
$12,806
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$2,00010%percentile
$4,05825%percentile
$11,990Medianpercentile
$18,00075%percentile
$28,25090%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $9,604
↓ $2,386
No Pell $10,479
↓ $1,511
Dependent students $8,696
↓ $3,294
Independent students $11,913
—
Female students $9,737
↓ $2,253
Male students $9,850
↓ $2,140
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $7,500, less than completers ($11,990), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
48% of students who start here finish within six years, and 79% come back after first year. Fewer than half finish in six years. Ask what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
48%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
79%
Returning for their second year
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $66,039 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$66,039
Earning > $25K
80%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$46,400
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$55,500
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$49,800
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$52,300
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$56,400
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $9,100, about 16% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
12.9 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Moderate. Only 70% of graduates are paying down principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 12,505 students, a large student community. Worth knowing: 46% are the first in their family to go to college.
Total Enrolled
12,505
Part-Time
17%
First-Generation
46%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
Hispanic 40.7%5,090
Asian 24.1%3,007
Black 15.6%1,955
White 11.8%1,479
International 4.5%565
Other 3.3%406
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at CUNY City College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
CUNY City College offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
99 distinct programs across
23 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
There are 14 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.
Student : Faculty
14:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$20,951
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$277M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$118,614
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
549 instructional faculty across 4 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Full Professors
261
48%
$136,330
Associate Professors
161
29%
$113,304
Assistant Professors
68
12%
$95,072
Lecturers
59
11%
$90,113
Pros & Cons of CUNY City College
No college is right for everyone. Here is where CUNY City College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Best for:
Based on the data, CUNY City College is a fit for
families focused on keeping net cost low; students prioritizing post-graduation earnings.
Frequently Asked Questions about CUNY City College
The questions families ask most about CUNY City College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is CUNY City College hard to get into?
Admissions at CUNY City College are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 60%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at CUNY City College?
60% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What SAT score do you need for CUNY City College?
Aim for 1430 or better. Half of admitted students scored between 1070 and 1430 (Reading plus Math), so anything above the top of that range makes you competitive and anything below the bottom means the rest of your application has to carry more weight. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
How much does CUNY City College cost?
Budget around $3,776 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is CUNY City College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: strong return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $66,039 a year against a net price of $3,776, about 17.5 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is CUNY City College known for?
Mostly Psychology, Biology, Fine Arts. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do CUNY City College graduates earn?
About $66,039 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is CUNY City College accredited?
Yes. CUNY City College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
How many students attend CUNY City College?
12,505 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at CUNY City College?
48% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is CUNY City College a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is CUNY City College located?
CUNY City College is located in New York, New York.
What programs does CUNY City College offer?
99 different programs, most commonly Psychology, Biology, Fine Arts. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at CUNY City College?
14 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Related Colleges in New York
Other colleges in New York share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Teaching Specific Subjects
Kinesiology
Teacher Education (K-12)
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