City College of New York
City College of New York at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
City College of New York Featured Rankings
- #1 Most Affordable Colleges in New York 2026
- #1 Best Public Colleges in New York 2026
- #1 Most Affordable Master's in Counseling Degree Programs
- #4 Best Colleges in New York 2026
- #4 Best Grad Schools in New York 2026
- #4 Best Research Universities in New York 2026
- #11 Best Public Colleges
- #11 Best Public Grad Schools
- #26 Best Undergrad Research Universities 2026
About City College of New York
Featured Alumni
Allen J. Bard ranks among our Top Influential Chemists Today.
Leonard Susskind ranks among our Top Influential Physicists Today.
According to Wikipedia, The City College of the City University of New York is a public research university within the City University of New York system in New York City. Founded in 1847, City College was the first free public institution of higher education in the United States. It is the oldest of CUNY's 25 institutions of higher learning and is considered its flagship college.
City College of New York Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Annual Applications | Acceptance | Retention Rate | Graduation Rate | Median SAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31,988 | 60% | 79% | 50% | 1250 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does City College of New York Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $7,340 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do City College of New York Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former City College of New York students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $69,594 a year, and 90% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
City College of New York's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads | Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 17,741 | 14,566 | 3,175 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is City College of New York?
City College of New York is located at 160 Convent Ave, New York, NY 10031.
How Safe is City College of New York?
Relative to its enrollment, City College of New York has a violent crime rate of 0.07% and a property crime rate of 0.03%. New York has a violent crime rate of 0.69% and a property crime rate of 2.42%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is City College of New York Known For?
City College of New York is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Psychology
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Literature
- Communications
- Economics
- Sociology
- Mathematics
- History
- Education
- Anthropology
- Chemistry
- Computer Science
- Political Science
- Engineering
- Law
- Social Work
- Business
- Medical
- Earth Sciences
- Biology
- Nursing
- Religious Studies
City College of New York's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much City College of New York's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
City College of New York ranks #21 in the U.S. and #33 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesCity College of New York ranks #25 in the U.S. and #76 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesCity College of New York ranks #25 in the U.S. and #85 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesCity College of New York ranks #28 in the U.S. and #78 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesCity College of New York ranks #29 in the U.S. and #80 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesCity College of New York ranks #29 in the U.S. and #79 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesCity College of New York ranks #29 in the U.S. and #77 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesCity College of New York ranks #30 in the U.S. and #97 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesCity College of New York ranks #34 in the U.S. and #91 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesCity College of New York ranks #38 in the U.S. and #125 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesCity College of New York ranks #38 in the U.S. and #103 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesCity College of New York ranks #41 in the U.S. and #164 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesCity College of New York ranks #45 in the U.S. and #108 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesCity College of New York ranks #46 in the U.S. and #148 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesCity College of New York ranks #51 in the U.S. and #172 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesCity College of New York ranks #54 in the U.S. and #165 worldwide for influence in Law.
City College of New York ranks #55 in the U.S. and #93 worldwide for influence in Social Work.
social-work DegreesCity College of New York ranks #58 in the U.S. and #141 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesCity College of New York ranks #61 in the U.S. and #177 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesCity College of New York ranks #68 in the U.S. and #253 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesCity College of New York ranks #77 in the U.S. and #223 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesCity College of New York ranks #124 in the U.S. and #294 worldwide for influence in Nursing.
nursing DegreesCity College of New York ranks #129 in the U.S. and #567 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
religious-studies-hub DegreesWho Are City College of New York's Most Influential Alumni?
City College of New York's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Psychology, Sociology, and Philosophy. Here are some of City College of New York's most famous alumni:
- Kenneth Arrow
- An American economist .
- Abraham Maslow
- An American psychologist .
- Julian Schwinger
- An American theoretical physicist.
- Leonard Susskind
- An American physicist.
- Leonard Kleinrock
- An American computer scientist.
- Bob Kahn
- An American Internet pioneer, computer scientist.
- Jonas Salk
- An Inventor of polio vaccine .
- Upton Sinclair
- An American novelist, writer, journalist, political activist .
- William Friedkin
- An American director and producer.
- Robert Aumann
- An Israeli-American mathematician.
- Daniel Bell
- An American sociologist, writer, editor, and professor emeritus at Harvard University .
- Seymour Martin Lipset
- An American sociologist .
Who Are City College of New York's Most Influential Faculty?
City College of New York's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Psychology, Sociology, and Philosophy. Here are some of City College of New York's most famous faculty: