More selective than 71% of New York colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $14,403. College Scorecard.
Higher than 40% of New York colleges we cover and 56% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 64% of New York colleges we cover and 81% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
CCNY acceptance rate & admissions
Of 31,988 applicants, CUNY City College admitted 18,576 and 2,666 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1070–1430 on the SAT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
CCNY tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for New York residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
State aid: New York residents may qualify for the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP): up to $5,665 a year toward tuition at eligible New York colleges, for dependent students with New York net taxable family income up to $125,000. At SUNY and CUNY, the Excelsior Scholarship can cover remaining in-state tuition for eligible families (income limits apply). Not included in the prices above. New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC)
What CCNY costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of CUNY City College took 4.6 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in New York. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $1,251 | $5,742 | under 1 year |
| $30–48k | $2,990 | $13,724 | under 1 year |
| $48–75k | $6,811 | $31,262 | 1.0 years |
| $75–110k | $9,982 | $45,817 | 1.5 years |
| $110k+ | $12,806 | $58,780 | 1.9 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.6 years, the average time graduates took (28% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($66,039) minus $34,633 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NY (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $31,406 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
CCNY majors, earnings & careers
CUNY City College offers 63 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 14
- Engineering · 10
- Science & Math · 10
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 8
- Arts & Design · 5
- Business & Finance · 5
- Education · 4
- Health & Medicine · 4
- Communications & Media · 2
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at CCNY
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech) | $148,354 | — |
| Computer Engineering | $117,131 | — |
| Computer Science | $116,238 | $8,623 |
| Electrical Engineering | $97,698 | $13,563 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $97,270 | $13,232 |
| Biomedical Engineering | $95,685 | — |
| Chemical Engineering | $88,659 | $14,125 |
| Civil Engineering | $87,957 | $17,500 |
Quick list of all 63 majors
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$148,354
- Anthropology—
- Applied Mathematics$66,754
- Architectural Sciences and Technology—
- Area Studies—
- Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology—
- Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education$68,614
- Biochemistry$62,440
- Biology$63,206
- Biomedical Engineering$95,685
- Biotechnology—
- Broadcasting / Digital Media$72,068
- Business Administration$64,414
- Chemical Engineering$88,659
- Chemistry—
- Civil Engineering$87,957
- Classics—
- Communications$69,948
- Computer Engineering$117,131
- Computer Science$116,238
- Dance—
- Digital Humanities and Textual Studies—
- Economics$67,679
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$55,895
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Electrical Engineering$97,698
- Electromechanical Technologies / Technicians—
- English$47,753
- Entrepreneurship—
- Environmental Engineering$87,804
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies$48,637
- Film and Photography$46,801
- Finance—
- Geography—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- History$52,809
- International Relations$59,039
- Landscape Architecture—
- Legal Studies / Paralegal—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies$58,063
- Linguistics—
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Mathematics$73,882
- Mechanical Engineering$97,270
- Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Music$44,058
- Nursing—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$59,540
- Psychology$56,223
- Public Health—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Sociology$55,683
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$34,212
- Special Education—
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders—
- Studio Art$45,656
- Theatre$32,769
- Urban Studies / Affairs—
- Writing—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Mechanical Engineering → Mechanical engineer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 11.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Electrical Engineering → Electrical engineer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 9.9% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in New York
Overall prices in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $2,971. Housing costs 49% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 50 inches of rain a year, 30 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: hurricane (relatively high); river flooding (very high); heat wave (relatively high); winter weather (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, New York County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
New York County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare CCNY with similar schools
Similar public colleges in New York by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CUNY City College | 60% | $3,776 | 57% | $66,039 | This school |
| CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice | 57% | $3,203 | 56% | $56,195 | |
| CUNY Queens College | 64% | $4,195 | 53% | $62,763 | |
| CUNY Brooklyn College | 58% | $3,103 | 54% | $60,752 | |
| CUNY Lehman College | 57% | $3,148 | 51% | $58,013 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
CUNY City College would cost you $573 more per year than CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice, on average.
- Higher sticker price at CUNY City College.
- CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice gives aided families $382 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, New York resident | CCNY | CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sticker price | $14,403 | $14,212 | +$191 |
| Average grants | −$10,627 | −$11,009 | +$382 |
| You pay | $3,776 | $3,203 | +$573 |
“+” means CCNY costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about CCNY
What is the CCNY acceptance rate?
CUNY City College accepts 60% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 18,576 of 31,988 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1070–1430 on the SAT.
How much does CUNY City College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $14,403 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $3,776 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $1,251 and families earning $110k+ pay $12,806.
How much do CCNY graduates earn?
Former CUNY City College students earn a median $66,039 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the CCNY graduation rate?
57% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 79% return for their second year.
How long does a CCNY degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at CUNY City College costs about $31,262 after grants ($6,811 a year for 4.6 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $66,039 ten years after starting, $31,406 more than high school graduates in New York ($34,633), so the cost is repaid in 1.0 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “CUNY City College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/cuny-city-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).