How to get into CUNY City College
How to get into CUNY City College: the CUNY application, Grove School of Engineering, and the Macaulay Honors pathway
60%
Acceptance rate
$7,340
In-state cost
$15,290
Out-of-state cost
What makes CUNY City College admissions different
City College of New York (CCNY) is the flagship of the CUNY system, sitting in Harlem with around 12,500 undergraduates. Acceptance rate around 60%. CCNY is the historic source of more Nobel Prize winners than any other public university in the country and the Grove School of Engineering is one of the strongest public engineering programs in the Northeast. The CUNY common application means you can list CCNY among multiple CUNY colleges.
What an actually competitive application looks like
- 1.
Apply through the CUNY application by the CUNY priority deadline (typically February 1 for fall). List CCNY among your CUNY choices.
- 2.
Submit transcripts. CCNY is test-optional for most majors.
- 3.
Apply to the Macaulay Honors College if your stats qualify. Macaulay covers full tuition plus an academic stipend at CCNY.
- 4.
Apply to the CCNY Honors Center (separate from Macaulay) on the application.
- 5.
Grove School of Engineering applicants: separate program admission with meaningfully tighter standards. Math preparation through calculus is expected.
- 6.
BS/MD applicants: CCNY's Sophie Davis BS/MD program (Seven-Year Medical Program with CUNY School of Medicine) is highly competitive — separate application step.
- 7.
New York State residents: file FAFSA and TAP. Many students attend tuition-free with Pell + TAP + Excelsior.
Common mistakes that hurt applicants here
- ✕
Listing CUNY colleges in arbitrary order. Your preference order matters.
- ✕
Skipping Macaulay when stats qualify. It's the most generous CUNY award.
- ✕
Missing the Sophie Davis BS/MD application step if you're pre-med and a strong applicant.
- ✕
Missing the FAFSA + TAP filing window.
The specifics for CUNY City College
Application deadlines
- CUNY Priority DeadlineFebruary 1, 2026Single CUNY application; list CCNY among your choices
What makes this admissions process distinctive
Grove School of Engineering
One of the strongest public engineering programs in the Northeast. Separate program admission with meaningfully tighter standards.
Sophie Davis BS/MD program
Seven-Year Medical Program with CUNY School of Medicine. Highly competitive, separate application step within CCNY admission.
Notable scholarships at CUNY City College
Macaulay Honors CollegeFull tuition + academic stipend
CUNY-system honors program available at CCNY.
What graduates actually do
City College (CCNY), the founding institution of the CUNY system, has produced an extraordinary number of Nobel laureates (10 alumni Nobel winners, more than any other public college in America) and remains a major engine of social mobility for first-generation and immigrant New Yorkers. Its Grove School of Engineering and CUNY School of Medicine are top feeders to NYC engineering, medicine, and architecture. CCNY alumni shaped 20th-century American physics, chemistry, and economics.
Notable alumni
- Colin Powell — Former Secretary of State
- Andrew Grove — Co-founder, Intel
- Jonas Salk — Developed polio vaccine
- Felix Frankfurter — Supreme Court Justice
- Robert Aumann — Nobel Laureate in Economics
- Henry Kissinger — Former Secretary of State (attended)
Transfer pathway
55% transfer acceptance rate
CCNY is fully integrated into CUNY Pathways, guaranteeing credit transfer across CUNY. AA/AS graduates from CUNY community colleges are guaranteed admission to a CUNY senior college, often CCNY for engineering. Borough of Manhattan Community College and LaGuardia Community College have specific articulation pipelines. Engineering, architecture, and medicine majors have selective major-specific GPA requirements (typically 3.0+).
Articulation partners
Borough of Manhattan Community College · LaGuardia Community College · Bronx Community College · Hostos Community College · Queensborough Community College
Specifics verified 2026-05-18 from the school's own admissions page + Common App. Always confirm current-year details directly on the school site before applying.
If you're on the bubble
CCNY is a target for New York State residents in the 3.3+ GPA range who want a CUNY senior college with strong engineering, science, and pre-med programs. The cost math (Pell + TAP + Excelsior) is among the most favorable in the country. Grove Engineering and Sophie Davis BS/MD are tighter sub-tracks worth treating as separate admissions.
Next steps
Last updated: November 2025. Acceptance rate and cost data refreshed nightly from college reporting.