R1 ResearchPublic

CUNY Graduate School and University Center

New York, New York·Public, 4-year or above·Mid East·gc.cuny.edu
Total enrollment
9,536
peer median 24,399
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AboutAdmissionsProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeCommon Data SetDocuments

About

The Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York is a public research institution and postgraduate university in New York City. Formed in 1961 as Division of Graduate Studies at City University of New York, it was renamed to Graduate School and University Center in 1969. Serving as the principal doctorate-granting institution of the City University of New York (CUNY) system, CUNY Graduate Center is classified as "R1: Doctoral University–Very High Spending and Doctorate Production".

Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

IPEDS
Applied
146
146 candidates competed
Admitted
100
68.5% acceptance rate
Enrolled
12
12.0% yield

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 109 Title IV programs, 22 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 87 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
109
Passing
22
20.2% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

109programs
  • Passing22 · 20.2%
  • No Data87 · 79.8%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
3
Safe
19
No data
87

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

22
Urban Studies/Affairs
Master's Degree · Social Sciences
+17.0%
$74,689 vs $63,816
Social Sciences Other
Master's Degree · Social Sciences
+17.5%
$74,962 vs $63,816
Music
Doctoral Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+23.8%
$59,802 vs $48,304
Ethnic Cultural Minority Gender and Group Studies
Master's Degree · Area, Ethnic, Cultural, And Gender Studies
+33.7%
$68,933 vs $51,545
Radio Television and Digital Communication
Master's Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+37.5%
$80,809 vs $58,761
English Language and Literature General
Doctoral Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+52.2%
$75,306 vs $49,483
Public Health
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+52.9%
$94,566 vs $61,854
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Master's Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+56.0%
$72,860 vs $46,700

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

10
Radio Television and Digital Communication
Master's Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
38%
$30,500 debt · $80,809 earn
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Master's Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
32%
$23,200 debt · $72,860 earn
Public Health
Master's Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
29%
$27,156 debt · $94,566 earn
Communication and Media Studies
Bachelor Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
21%
$15,250 debt · $72,564 earn
Health and Medical Administrative Services
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
20%
$15,922 debt · $81,184 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
19%
$12,375 debt · $64,619 earn
Business/Commerce General
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
15%
$12,500 debt · $83,561 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
14%
$14,650 debt · $108,087 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Accredited since 1961Next review Jan 2028

Programmatic accreditations · 6

Action history · 6

  1. Apr 2025Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Middle States Commission on Higher Education
  2. Apr 2025Grant Substantive Change: Degree
    Middle States Commission on Higher Education
  3. Apr 2023Initial Accreditation
    American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · Clinical Psychology (CLPSY) - PhD Doctoral programs
  4. Mar 2021Renewal of Accreditation
    Middle States Commission on Higher Education
  5. Oct 2019Loss of Accreditation or Preaccreditation: Voluntary Withdrawal
    American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation · School Psychology (SCPSY) - PhD Doctoral programs

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard
Net price by income not reported.
Federal loans
14.2%
In-state tuition
$7,235
Out-of-state
$15,185

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 1,911 students received $8.7M in Pell grants, alongside $19.7M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
1,911
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$8.7M
$8,678,034 total
Direct Loans
$19.7M
1,848 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
’20
1k
’21
1k
’22
2k
’23
2k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$1.7M
403 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.8M
368 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$13.4M
893 loan awards
Grad PLUS$2.8M
184 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 624 borrowers who entered repayment, 3 (0.4%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.4%
-1.9pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
624
Defaulted
3
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
4.6%
2017
4.6%
2018
3.9%
2019
0.4%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at CUNY

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs218
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

2,052 total completions
01Health Professions
60029.2%
02Psychology
25312.3%
03Computer Sciences
24311.8%
04Social Sciences
21910.7%
05Business
1919.3%
06Communication
1406.8%
07Physical Sciences
1236.0%
08Area/Ethnic Studies
1095.3%
09Liberal Arts
984.8%
10Multi/Interdisciplinary
763.7%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
9,536
12-mo unduplicated
11,693
Undergraduate
4,797
Graduate
6,896

Gender split

Men
32%3,796
Women
68%7,897

Race / ethnicity composition

Hispanic
33.6%
Black
29.2%
White
18.3%
Asian
12.8%
Two or more
3.9%
Non-resident
1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.3%

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
4.72
43 offenses · 9,116 students

3-year trend

4.212 yrs ago5.381 yr ago4.72Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
128
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
5
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
1
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Aggravated assault
24
Robbery
13
Rape
3
Motor vehicle theft
3

By location

43total
  • Public property43

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
1
Stalking
1 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Race1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons160
Drugs290
Liquor00

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
13.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
236

CUNY vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions CUNY selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectCUNY Graduate School and University Center
——9,536—R1 Research
Arizona State University Campus Immersion
68%89.9%79,818$14,967R1 Research
Claremont Graduate University
——1,771—R2 Research
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
72%47.5%20,081$3,033Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
CUNY Brooklyn College
54%58.4%14,390$3,103Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
CUNY City College
57%60.0%15,544$3,776R2 Research
CUNY Hunter College
57%53.8%22,538$2,984Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
CUNY Lehman College
51%56.6%13,324$3,148Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
CUNY Queens College
53%64.3%15,965$4,195Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
94%14.1%53,363$12,116R1 Research
Georgia State University
53%55.4%34,944$15,931R1 Research
Idaho State University
35%—13,061$12,193R2 Research
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
96%4.5%11,886$20,111R1 Research
North Dakota State University-Main Campus
64%95.0%11,952$15,543R1 Research
Northcentral University
——9,489$24,198Doctoral/Professional
The University of Texas at Austin
89%26.6%53,864$19,857R1 Research
University at Albany
61%69.1%17,560$17,167R1 Research
University of Arkansas
71%74.3%33,610$18,209R1 Research
University of California-Riverside
76%76.4%26,384$14,304R1 Research
University of California-Santa Barbara
83%33.0%26,133$16,109R1 Research
University of Central Florida
78%40.1%69,713$10,411R1 Research
University of Colorado Boulder
74%78.1%38,799$25,346R1 Research
University of Delaware
83%70.6%24,412$17,799R1 Research
University of Houston
65%73.9%47,980$14,276R1 Research
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
83%59.7%31,726$22,383R1 Research
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
67%87.5%24,393$17,747R1 Research
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus
75%76.6%30,851$15,300R1 Research
University of Oregon
72%88.3%24,404$22,182R1 Research
Peer group median71%62.2%24,399$15,422

Institutions like CUNY

Explore the federal data for institutions in CUNY's comparison group.

IPEDS

CUNY Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Team
4 members
  • Tammie Cumming
    Associate Provost, Institutional Effectiveness and Accreditation
  • John Choonoo
    Director, Office of Institutional Research
  • Hsueh Leung
    Associate Director, Office of Institutional Research
  • Trang Nguyen
    Data Scientist, Office of Institutional Research

Common Data Set

CUNY's own annual Common Data Set: the most detailed self-reported reference for selectivity, cost, outcomes, and the student body.

Student–faculty ratio
null
01

Affordability & Value

Cost of attendance

G

Total sticker cost of attendance is $0 (2024-2025).

02

Academic Experience

Faculty profile

I
Student–faculty ratio
null

Key faculty indicators.

Source publications

Reports & documents (6)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Frequently asked questions about CUNY Graduate School and University Center

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about CUNY.

How many students attend CUNY Graduate School and University Center?

CUNY Graduate School and University Center reports a total enrollment of 9,536 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the yield rate at CUNY Graduate School and University Center?

CUNY Graduate School and University Center's yield rate is 12.0%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is CUNY Graduate School and University Center located?

CUNY Graduate School and University Center is located in New York, New York 10016.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
U.S. Department of Education
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
U.S. Department of Education
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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