CUNY Hunter College

CUNY Hunter College is a moderately selective public college in New York, New York. It admits about 1 in 2 applicants, graduates 57% of its students within six years, and its former students earn a median $63,163 ten years after starting college, more than 59% of the New York colleges we cover.

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Yearly household income. Saved on this device only. No account needed.

Acceptance rate
54%

More selective than 78% of New York colleges we cover.

College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class

What your family pays
$2,984 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $13,905. College Scorecard.

Graduation rate
57%

Higher than 41% of New York colleges we cover and 56% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.

Within 6 years · College Scorecard

Earnings after college
$63,163

Higher than 59% of New York colleges we cover and 76% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.

Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard

CUNY Hunter College acceptance rate & admissions

Of 31,614 applicants, CUNY Hunter College admitted 17,087 and 3,175 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1100–1420 on the SAT.

31,614
Applied
17,087
Admitted
3,175
Enrolled

IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class

SAT total, middle 50% of first-years1100–1420
First-years who sent SAT scores9%
First-year students who return78%
Pell Grant recipients56%
First-generation students47%
Women / men66% / 34%

Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS

CUNY Hunter College 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)

Tuition & fees, in-state$7,382
Tuition & fees, out-of-state$15,332
Housing & meals, on campus$11,324
Books & supplies$1,500
Total cost of attendance, in-state$13,905

IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard

Median debt at graduation$8,812
Loan default rate3.1%3-year rate, 2017 repayment cohort

College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal

Full cost breakdown, in-state vs out-of-state →

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 CUNY Hunter College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back

Graduates of CUNY Hunter College took 4.4 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 incomeNet price / yrCost to finishYears to pay back
$0–30k$1,029$4,548under 1 year
$30–48k$1,935$8,553under 1 year
$48–75k$6,003$26,533under 1 year
$75–110k$8,810$38,9401.4 years
$110k+$12,259$54,1851.9 years

Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.4 years, the average time graduates took (40% 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 ($63,163) minus $34,633 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NY (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $28,530 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.

Best-value colleges in New York for your income →

CUNY Hunter College majors, earnings & careers

CUNY Hunter College offers 54 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.

  • Humanities & Languages · 14
  • Science & Math · 11
  • Social Sciences & Public Service · 9
  • Health & Medicine · 7
  • Arts & Design · 5
  • Education · 3
  • Business & Finance · 2
  • Technology & Computing · 2
  • Communications & Media · 1

Highest-earning majors at CUNY Hunter College

MajorEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debt
Nursing$116,361$16,944
Medical Laboratory Science$104,791—
Computer Science$102,321$8,250
Human Biology$83,420$11,000
Mathematics$80,308—
Accounting$75,803$11,070
Education (Elementary / Secondary)$73,857$10,500
Education (Subject Teaching)$72,919$12,000
Quick list of all 54 majors
  • Accounting$75,803
  • Anthropology$51,787
  • Archeology—
  • Area Studies—
  • Biological and Physical Sciences$63,406
  • Biology$59,204
  • Chemistry$54,699
  • Classics—
  • Communications$55,182
  • Computer and Information Sciences—
  • Computer Science$102,321
  • Dance—
  • Dietetics—
  • East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)$53,509
  • Economics$69,920
  • Education (Elementary / Secondary)$73,857
  • Education (Subject Teaching)$72,919
  • English$55,759
  • Environmental Science / Conservation—
  • Ethnic / Gender Studies$51,569
  • Film and Photography$46,545
  • Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services$59,864
  • Geography—
  • Geology / Earth Science—
  • German—
  • History$58,253
  • Human Biology$83,420
  • International Relations—
  • Liberal Arts / General Studies—
  • Linguistics—
  • Mathematics$80,308
  • Medical Laboratory Science$104,791
  • Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
  • Music$39,600
  • Nursing$116,361
  • Pharmacology and Toxicology—
  • Philosophy$49,583
  • Physical Sciences, Other—
  • Physics—
  • Political Science$62,040
  • Psychology$59,149
  • Public Health$63,884
  • Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences—
  • Religious Studies—
  • Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
  • Social Work$70,273
  • Sociology$57,965
  • Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
  • Special Education—
  • Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders—
  • Statistics—
  • Studio Art$56,160
  • Theatre—
  • Urban Studies / Affairs—

— 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 →

Communications → Public relations specialist

$84,130
New York
$81,250
New York
$74,750
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Nursing → Registered nurse

$119,720
New York
$109,440
New York
$97,550
U.S.

Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35

Living in New York

Cost of living
13% above the U.S. average

Overall prices in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ area.

BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024

Off-campus rent, 1 bedroom
$2,729/mo

2 bedrooms $2,971. Housing costs 49% above the U.S. average.

HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027

Weather
40° / 85°

January and July average highs. 50 inches of rain a year, 30 inches of snow.

NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020

Natural hazard risk
Relatively High

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

Total enrollment (incl. graduate)22,879
First-year students from New York85%
AthleticsNCAA Division III without football · 9 sports
Undergraduate degrees awarded, 2023-2498% bachelor's · 2% certificates
Campus typePrimarily nonresidential
Student bodyHispanic 31% · Asian 31% · White 18% · Black 11%International 5%

IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute

New York County at a glance

Population1,629,477
Median household income$103,931
Adults with a bachelor's degree64%
Median age39

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024

Compare CUNY Hunter College 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.

SchoolAcceptanceYou'd payGraduationEarnings, 10 yrsPrice gap
CUNY Hunter College54%$2,98457%$63,163This school
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice57%$3,20356%$56,195
CUNY City College60%$3,77657%$66,039
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College48%$3,03372%$75,971
CUNY Lehman College57%$3,14851%$58,013

College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.

Why the price is different

CUNY Hunter College would cost you $219 less per year than CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice, on average.

  • Lower sticker price at CUNY Hunter College.
  • CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice gives aided families $88 more in grants, on average.
Per year, New York residentCUNY Hunter CollegeCUNY John Jay College of Criminal JusticeDifference
Sticker price$13,905$14,212−$307
Average grants−$10,921−$11,009+$88
You pay$2,984$3,203−$219

“+” means CUNY Hunter College 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 CUNY Hunter College

What is the CUNY Hunter College acceptance rate?

CUNY Hunter College accepts 54% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 17,087 of 31,614 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1100–1420 on the SAT.

How much does CUNY Hunter College cost per year?

The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $13,905 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $2,984 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $1,029 and families earning $110k+ pay $12,259.

How much do CUNY Hunter College graduates earn?

Former CUNY Hunter College students earn a median $63,163 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.

What is the CUNY Hunter College graduation rate?

57% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 78% return for their second year.

How long does a CUNY Hunter College degree take to pay off?

For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at CUNY Hunter College costs about $26,533 after grants ($6,003 a year for 4.4 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $63,163 ten years after starting, $28,530 more than high school graduates in New York ($34,633), so the cost is repaid in under 1 year 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 Hunter College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/cuny-hunter-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).