CUNY Hunter College

For Fall 2024, 32,271 first-year students applied to Hunter, 17,362 were admitted and 2,897 enrolled: an acceptance rate of 53.8%.

Source: IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2024, U.S. Department of Education (opens in a new tab), first-time, degree-seeking undergraduates. Read Oct 1, 2026.

By school or major. Freshmen are admitted to Hunter College, not to a major or program, and Hunter publishes no acceptance rate by major. It posts no Common Data Set, so these counts come from the federal IPEDS survey.

Source: Hunter College Admissions, Freshman Admission (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.

For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027

You apply through the CUNY application and may name an intended major, but freshmen are admitted to the college, not to a major. Hunter lists three selective programs:

• Music major. Listed by Hunter as a selective program for freshman applicants.
• Macaulay Honors College at Hunter. Its own deadlines: Early Decision by October 26 (binding) or regular admission by November 16, both at 6 pm and both hard deadlines.
• Freshman Honors Scholar Programs. Application and supporting documents by November 16 at 6 pm.

Source: Hunter College Admissions, Freshman Admission (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.

82 majors across 33 schools. Every bachelor's major in Hunter's official undergraduate catalog, grouped by the department that owns it, with the degree it leads to. Combined bachelor's and master's programs, minors and certificates are left out.

For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027

Hunter keeps reviewing complete freshman applications after February 1 as space allows. A complete application is the CUNY application, all supporting documents and the fee or a waiver. International applicants send supporting documents by December 15; Macaulay regular applicants send them by November 30. CUNY lets New York City public school students apply free from September 15 to November 16, and other New York students from October 15 to November 16.

Source: Hunter College Admissions, Freshman Admission (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.

Macaulay Early Decision is binding: if admitted, you commit to attending Macaulay and withdraw all other college applications, and you may not defer. The general Hunter application is not binding.

Source: Macaulay Honors College, Early Decision Program (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.

For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027

Hunter is currently test-optional. It strongly encourages SAT or ACT scores, especially from students applying to merit scholarship programs such as Freshman Honors and Macaulay, but students who do not send scores are not disadvantaged. Admission rests on the whole academic record: GPA, the strength of your courses, and activities and leadership.

Source: Hunter College Admissions, Freshman Admission (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.

For students applying in fall 2027, entering fall 2028

Not announced yet. When we checked Hunter'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: Hunter College Admissions, Freshman Admission (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.

The published cost of a year at Hunter, 2026-2027:

Hunter's budget for a full-time undergraduate living away from home; its living-at-home budget is $16,318 before tuition and fees. Tuition and fees are the current rates on Hunter's Tuition and Fees page, which names no year; out-of-state tuition assumes 15 units a semester.

Source: Hunter College, Additional Costs (opens in a new tab), indirect costs, 2026-27. Read Oct 1, 2026.

Average net price per year, by family income, 2023-24:

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 Hunter's aid offer.

Source: College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.

Chosen for how close each is to CUNY Hunter College on acceptance rate, public or private, location and majors offered.

• The City College of New YorkNew York, NY · Public58% admitted$3,776 average net price
• Stony Brook UniversityStony Brook, NY · Public48.2% admitted$18,784 average net price
• Rutgers University-New BrunswickNew Brunswick, NJ · Public58.1% admitted$24,406 average net price
• Pennsylvania State UniversityUniversity Park, PA · Public55.3% admitted$32,875 average net price
• CUNY Baruch CollegeNew York, NY · Public47.5% admitted$3,033 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.