Getting in
For Fall 2025, 34,284 first-year students applied to City College, 19,880 were admitted and 2,700 enrolled: an acceptance rate of 58%.
Source: City College Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), section C1. Read Oct 1, 2026.
By residency, first-year applicants, Fall 2025
| Applicants | Applied | Admitted | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-state | 31,076 | 18,479 | 59.5% |
| Out-of-state | 2,038 | 1,084 | 53.2% |
| International | 1,170 | 317 | 27.1% |
Source: City College Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), section C1, residency table. Read Oct 1, 2026.
By school or major. City College's Common Data Set reports one first-year acceptance rate for the whole college, with no rate by school or major.
Source: City College Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Early decision and early action. City College has no early decision or early action plan; the Common Data Set answers no to both.
Source: City College Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), sections C21 and C22. Read Oct 1, 2026.
Programs with extra requirements
For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027
City College reviews your overall high school average, your grades in core subjects such as math, English and science, and SAT or ACT scores if you send them, with an eye to your intended major. Some programs ask for more:
- Grove School of Engineering. An overall high school average of 85 or better; four years of high school math, including pre-calculus, averaging 80 or better; a year of physics and a year of chemistry, each at 80 or better (a year-long college course can stand in for either); and two years of English.
Source: Grove School of Engineering, Admissions: Overview (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
- Spitzer School of Architecture (B Arch). The Creative Challenge, due February 1 along with the CUNY application, for fall entry only. The school looks for at least an 80 overall high school average, and decisions come in March. Challenges received after February 1 and through May 1 go straight to the waitlist.
Source: Spitzer School of Architecture, Undergraduate Application Instructions (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
- BS/MD (Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education). A December 1 deadline and a supplemental application on the college's website.
Source: CUNY Admissions, How to Apply (Deadlines and Notification Dates) (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Advertising and Public Relations, Electronic Design and Multimedia, Music, Premedical Studies and Sonic Arts also list additional materials or steps on City College's freshman page.
Source: City College Admissions, Freshman Students (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Majors
71 majors across 1 school. Every bachelor's program in City College's official undergraduate catalog, A to Z, with the degree it leads to. Minors, certificates and combined bachelor's and master's programs are left out.
Bachelor's programs, A to Z71
- Anthropology (BA)
- Architecture (BARCH)
- Architecture (BS)
- Art (BA)
- Art K-12 Teacher (BA)
- Area Studies: Asian - Latin American and Latino - Russian (BA)
- Area Studies: Black-Puerto Rican-Jewish (BA)
- Bilingual Childhood Education (BSED)
- Bilingual Childhood Education, Grades 1-6 (BSED)
- Biology for Allied Health Professions (BA)
- Biochemistry (BS)
- Biology (BS)
- Biology Teacher, Grades 7-12 (BS)
- Black Studies (BA)
- Biomedical Engineering (BE)
- Biomedical Science (BS)
- Biotechnology (BS)
- Childhood Education (BSED)
- Chemistry (BS)
- Chemistry Teacher, Grades 7-12 (BS)
- Chemical Engineering (BE)
- Computer Engineering (BE)
- Computer Science (BS)
- Communications (BA)
- Comparative Literature (BA)
- Civil Engineering (BE)
- Digital Game Development (BS)
- Earth Science Teacher, Grades 7-12 (BS)
- Early Childhood Education (BS)
- Economics (BA)
- Electronic Design and Multimedia (BFA)
- Electrical Engineering (BE)
- English (BA)
- English Teacher, Grades 7-12 (BA)
- Entrepreneurship (BBA)
- Environmental and Earth Systems Science (BS)
- Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (BA)
- Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (BS)
- Earth Systems Science and Environmental Engineering (BE)
- Film (BFA)
- Finance (BBA)
- History (BA)
- Interdisciplinary Liberal Arts and Sciences (Worker Education) (BA)
- International and Global Studies (BA)
- Jewish Studies (BA)
- Jazz Studies Instrumental (BMUS)
- Jazz Studies (Vocal) (BMUS)
- Romance Languages: French, Italian, Spanish (BA)
- Linguistics (BA)
- Spanish Teacher, Grades 7-12 (BA)
- Mathematics (BS)
- Mathematics (BA)
- Mechanical Engineering (BE)
- Management and Administration (BA)
- Mathematics Teacher, Grades 7-12 (BA)
- Applied Mathematics (BS)
- Philosophy (BA)
- Physics Teacher, Grades 7-12 (BS)
- Physics (BS)
- Popular Music Studies (BA)
- Political Science (BA)
- Psychology (BA)
- Psychology (BS)
- Science Learning & Public Engagement (BS)
- Social Justice and Urban Life (BA)
- Sociology (BA)
- Sonic Arts (BMUS)
- Social Studies Teacher, Grades 7-12 (BA)
- Strategic Management (BBA)
- Theatre (BA)
- Urban Studies and the Built Environment (BA)
Source: City College Undergraduate Catalog, Programs (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Deadlines for Fall 2027
For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027
| Plan | Apply by | Decision | Binding |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-year (U.S. educated) | February 1 | Rolling, January to July | No |
| Macaulay Honors College | November 16 | March 15 | No |
| BS/MD program | December 1 | not published | No |
| Spitzer School of Architecture | February 1 | not published | No |
You apply through the CUNY application, which takes up to six CUNY colleges; the freshman fee is $65. February 1 is the priority deadline for the application and supporting documents; after it, colleges that still accept applications decide as space allows. Applicants educated outside the U.S. apply by December 1, with documents by December 15. Macaulay applicants hear first about general admission, from mid-February, and about Macaulay on March 15. Macaulay also has an Early Decision deadline of October 26.
Source: CUNY Admissions, How to Apply (Deadlines and Notification Dates) (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Testing
For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027
CUNY is test-optional: you choose whether to send SAT or ACT scores, and leaving them out cannot be used to deny you admission. Decisions rest mainly on your high school record: your average, your course grades and the rigor of your courses.
Source: CUNY Admissions, Standardized Testing Policy (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
The Common Data Set also marks the SAT or ACT as considered if submitted, not required, for fall 2027 applicants, with scores due by February 1.
Source: City College Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), section C8. Read Oct 1, 2026.
Applying next year?
For students applying in fall 2027, entering fall 2028
Not announced yet. When we checked City College's admission pages on October 1, 2026, we found no announced changes for fall 2028 entry. The deadlines and rules above are for fall 2027 entry.
Source: City College Admissions, Freshman Students (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Cost, and what families paid after aid
The published cost of a year at City College, 2026-2027:
| Item | In-state | Out-of-state |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $6,930 | $18,600 |
| Required fees | $410 | $410 |
| Food and housing (campus housing) | $19,552 | $19,552 |
| Books and supplies | $1,500 | $1,500 |
| Other expenses | $6,283 | $6,283 |
| Transportation | not published | not published |
| Total | $34,675 | $46,345 |
For a student in campus housing. The Common Data Set lists these 2026-2027 figures while marking its final 2026-2027 costs as not yet available, so they are shown as published. It gives no transportation figure, so the totals leave it out. Out-of-state tuition applies to students who are not New York State residents.
Source: City College Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), sections G1 and G5. Read Oct 1, 2026.
Average net price per year, by family income, 2023-24:
| Family income | Paid after grants |
|---|---|
| $0 to $30,000 | $1,251 |
| $30,001 to $48,000 | $2,990 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $6,811 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $9,982 |
| Over $110,000 | $12,806 |
| All incomes | $3,776 |
What first-year, full-time in-state students who received federal aid paid after grants and scholarships, by family income, in 2023-24, the latest year the Department of Education publishes. Your own price comes from City College's aid offer.
Source: College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Similar schools
Chosen for how close each is to The City College of New York on acceptance rate, public or private, location and majors offered.
CUNY Hunter CollegeNew York, NY · Public53.8% admitted$2,984 average net price
Rutgers University-New BrunswickNew Brunswick, NJ · Public58.1% admitted$24,406 average net price
University of PittsburghPittsburgh, PA · Public59.4% admitted$30,434 average net price
Stony Brook UniversityStony Brook, NY · Public48.2% admitted$18,784 average net price
University at AlbanyAlbany, NY · Public70.4% admitted$17,167 average net price
Admitted: each school's latest first-year acceptance rate, so the year can differ from school to school; each school's page names its year and source. Average net price: what federal aid recipients paid per year after grants, 2023-24, and the in-state figure for a public university.