All topics / Building Human Potential
City University of New York
CUNY's origins go back to 1847, when the Free Academy — the nation's first free public institution of higher education — opened so that, in founder Townsend Harris's words, "the children of the rich and the poor take their seats together." The City University of New York was formally established by state legislation in 1961, uniting the city's existing municipal colleges into a single system. CUNY today comprises 26 colleges and professional schools across the five boroughs, serving roughly 247,000 degree-seeking students and remaining a primary engine of upward mobility for New Yorkers.
What's working
Nothing stands out as a clear win right now.
What's getting worse
- What percent of six-year systemwide graduation rate (%) – CUNY associate degree students?: 36.5% — decreasing since FY23, alongside a steep enrollment slide and City budget cuts to CUNY
- What percent of six-year systemwide graduation rate (%) – CUNY baccalaureate students?: 57.9% — decreasing since FY22, alongside a steep enrollment slide and City budget cuts to CUNY
- What percent of three-year systemwide graduation rate (%) – CUNY Accelerated Study in Associate Programs students?: 38.5% — decreasing overall since FY22, though FY25 shows a partial recovery tied to cohort mix
Critical indicators
Without a numeric target
What percent of six-year systemwide graduation rate (%) – CUNY associate degree students?
36.5% — decreasing since FY23, alongside a steep enrollment slide and City budget cuts to CUNY
What percent of six-year systemwide graduation rate (%) – CUNY associate degree students?
36.5% — decreasing since FY23, alongside a steep enrollment slide and City budget cuts to CUNY
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual | Target |
|---|---|---|
| FY22 | 38.9% | 37% |
| FY23 | 39.8% | Not available |
| FY24 | 37.6% | Not available |
| FY25 | 36.5% | Not available |
| FY26 (YTD) | Not available | Not available |
CUNY's six-year graduation rate for associate degree students peaked at 39.8% in Fiscal 2023 before declining two years straight to 36.5% in Fiscal 2025. The decline follows a broader enrollment slide — CUNY community college enrollment sat at just 66% of pre-pandemic levels, per the City Comptroller's analysis — and comes as the City enacted $155 million in cuts across Fiscal 2023 alone (235 lost positions), plus a further $41 million in permanent annual cuts proposed for Fiscal 2024–2026, threatening completion programs like ASAP that have historically driven CUNY's graduation-rate gains.
Researched July 17, 2026 — NYC Comptroller, "Cuts to CUNY", Center for an Urban Future, "Closing NYC's College Attainment Gap"
Why this is tracked
CUNY traces back to the Free Academy, chartered in 1847 with founder Townsend Harris's mandate to "open the doors to all" regardless of wealth, at a time when higher education was reserved for the affluent. Tuition stayed free for 129 years until New York City's 1975-76 fiscal crisis forced the policy's end. Today, nearly half of CUNY students come from households earning less than $20,000 a year, and research has found CUNY propels roughly six times as many low-income students into the middle class and beyond as all Ivy League colleges combined. Programs like CUNY ASAP have shown dramatically higher graduation rates than the university average, which is part of why the University has continued to invest in closing equity and completion gaps.
Origins and Formative Years - The City University of New York, New Study Confirms CUNY's Power As National Engine Of Economic Mobility - CUNY
What percent of six-year systemwide graduation rate (%) – CUNY baccalaureate students?
57.9% — decreasing since FY22, alongside a steep enrollment slide and City budget cuts to CUNY
What percent of six-year systemwide graduation rate (%) – CUNY baccalaureate students?
57.9% — decreasing since FY22, alongside a steep enrollment slide and City budget cuts to CUNY
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual | Target |
|---|---|---|
| FY22 | 62% | 60% |
| FY23 | 61.9% | Not available |
| FY24 | 60% | Not available |
| FY25 | 57.9% | Not available |
| FY26 (YTD) | Not available | Not available |
CUNY's six-year graduation rate for baccalaureate students has declined in each of the past three years, from 62.0% in Fiscal 2022 to 57.9% in Fiscal 2025. As with CUNY's other completion metrics, the decline coincides with a steep enrollment drop — community college enrollment fell to 66% of pre-pandemic levels — and City budget cuts of $155 million in Fiscal 2023 alone (235 lost positions), with a further $41 million in permanent annual cuts proposed for Fiscal 2024–2026 that the City Comptroller's office warns will further reduce course offerings and student support.
Researched July 17, 2026 — NYC Comptroller, "Cuts to CUNY", Center for an Urban Future, "Closing NYC's College Attainment Gap"
Why this is tracked
CUNY traces back to the Free Academy, chartered in 1847 with founder Townsend Harris's mandate to "open the doors to all" regardless of wealth, at a time when higher education was reserved for the affluent. Tuition stayed free for 129 years until New York City's 1975-76 fiscal crisis forced the policy's end. Today, nearly half of CUNY students come from households earning less than $20,000 a year, and research has found CUNY propels roughly six times as many low-income students into the middle class and beyond as all Ivy League colleges combined. Programs like CUNY ASAP have shown dramatically higher graduation rates than the university average, which is part of why the University has continued to invest in closing equity and completion gaps.
Origins and Formative Years - The City University of New York, New Study Confirms CUNY's Power As National Engine Of Economic Mobility - CUNY
What percent of three-year systemwide graduation rate (%) – CUNY Accelerated Study in Associate Programs students?
38.5% — decreasing overall since FY22, though FY25 shows a partial recovery tied to cohort mix
What percent of three-year systemwide graduation rate (%) – CUNY Accelerated Study in Associate Programs students?
38.5% — decreasing overall since FY22, though FY25 shows a partial recovery tied to cohort mix
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual | Target |
|---|---|---|
| FY22 | 44% | 50% |
| FY23 | 39.4% | Not available |
| FY24 | 36.2% | Not available |
| FY25 | 38.5% | Not available |
| FY26 (YTD) | Not available | Not available |
CUNY's ASAP three-year graduation rate fell from 44.0% in Fiscal 2022 to 36.2% in Fiscal 2024 before recovering somewhat to 38.5% in Fiscal 2025. The Fiscal 2024 low matches ASAP's own documented decline for its fall 2020 entering cohort, which graduated at a three-year rate of 36.2% compared to 39.3% for the fall 2019 cohort — a drop tied to pandemic-era enrollment disruption. ASAP remains one of CUNY's most effective programs, roughly doubling graduation rates versus similar students outside it, but the City's proposed $41 million in permanent annual cuts for Fiscal 2024–2026 threatens the program's further expansion.
Researched July 17, 2026 — NYC Comptroller, "Cuts to CUNY", CUNY ASAP & ACE Fast Facts, April 2024
Why this is tracked
CUNY traces back to the Free Academy, chartered in 1847 with founder Townsend Harris's mandate to "open the doors to all" regardless of wealth, at a time when higher education was reserved for the affluent. Tuition stayed free for 129 years until New York City's 1975-76 fiscal crisis forced the policy's end. Today, nearly half of CUNY students come from households earning less than $20,000 a year, and research has found CUNY propels roughly six times as many low-income students into the middle class and beyond as all Ivy League colleges combined. Programs like CUNY ASAP have shown dramatically higher graduation rates than the university average, which is part of why the University has continued to invest in closing equity and completion gaps.
Origins and Formative Years - The City University of New York, New Study Confirms CUNY's Power As National Engine Of Economic Mobility - CUNY