The City University of New York is the nations largest urban public university, a transformative engine of social mobility that is a critical component of the lifeblood of New York City. Founded in 1847 as the nations first free public institution of higher education, CUNY today has seven community colleges, 11 senior colleges and seven graduate or professional institutions spread across New York Citys five boroughs, serving 500,000 students and awarding 55,000 degrees each year. CUNYs mix of quality and affordability propels almost six times as many low-income students into the middle class and beyond as all the Ivy League colleges combined. More than 80 percent of the Universitys graduates stay in New York, contributing to all aspects of the citys economic, civic and cultural life and diversifying the citys workforce in every sector. CUNYs graduates and faculty have received many prestigious honors, including 13 Nobel Prizes and 26 MacArthur Genius Grants. The Universitys historic mission continues to this day: provide a first-rate public education to all students, regardless of means or background View More