Colleges, Universities & Online Colleges in New York

Learn More about Online Colleges & Universities in New York

Despite its small geographical space, New York City’s college choices are broad and varied, offering a wide range of options to college-bound students. Across its five boroughs and 300 square miles, New York City crams at least 100 colleges for practically every academic program imaginable.

Colleges in New York

Each borough in New York City has at least one community college that offers a range of academic majors at a relatively affordable cost. For example, the Borough of Manhattan Community College lists tuition for its NYC and non-NYC resident students as $2250 per semester. Many of NYC’s community colleges are extensions of its public City University of New York (CUNY) system, which contains 25 distinct schools providing undergraduate, graduate and/or doctoral degrees and is the third largest university system in the U.S. by enrollment. Some standout options include CUNY’s Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, which sets high school graduates on the fast track to medical school. The John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Hunter College, and Baruch College are also popular choices for students interested in pursuing higher education in New York City. Additionally, the city is also home to many of New York’s State University of New York (SUNY) campuses.

New York City’s private colleges run the range including the top-ranked Ivy League institution, Columbia University, it’s ever-growing, highly-competitive downtown contemporary, New York University to Fordham University, St. Johns University, Pace University, New York Institute of Technology, Yeshiva University, and the School of Visual Arts, to name a few. On top of that, there are also a number of private colleges that have made a name for themselves in specific academic areas such as the Juilliard School for its strength in the Performing Arts, Cooper Union for its architecture and engineering, and Parsons The New School for Design.

Online Colleges in New York

City University of New York – New York, New York

The vast network of the City University of New York (CUNY) comprises community colleges, senior colleges, graduate and professional schools, and other institutions throughout New York City's five boroughs. CUNY maximizes student access to education by offering classes at a multitude of campuses as well as distance learning programs. Various individual colleges offer web-based classes, however, the CUNY School of Professional Studies (SPS) provides the lion's share of online degrees and certificates.

The School of Professional Studies created the first fully online programs within the CUNY system. SPS undergraduate students can choose from five online minors and eight online bachelor's degree programs, in areas such as business, communications and media, and sociology. Some programs focus on computer science or health care, or a combination of the two, for example, health information management. SPS is part of CUNY's Graduate School and University Center, which holds accreditation from the Middle States Associations of Colleges and Schools.

Graduate students can select among three online certificates and two online master's degree programs covering specialized topics such as immigration law and disability studies. Specific online graduate degrees and certificates are also available at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, a CUNY senior college. John Jay College of Criminal Justice offers online master's degree programs in the areas of public administration and security management. Online certificates include a for-credit program in terrorism studies and a noncredit option focused on homeland security. John Jay also features a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in the literature and law of slavery in the U.S.

CUNY reaches out to both traditional and nontraditional learners: students can earn up to 45 college credits through an assessment of previous learning. Individuals who are not enrolled in CUNY can still sign up for courses within the online bachelor's degree programs. Prerequisites for admission vary according to the program—an online graduate program in data analytics, for example, requires a background in statistics, linear algebra, computer programming, relational databases and other areas.

For fully online and hybrid classes, CUNY uses Blackboard as a course management system and instruction tool. Students log in through the CUNY Portal to attend classes or network with faculty and peers via discussion boards, ePortfolios, email and instant messaging. Diverse online student resources encompass a bookstore, a handbook on Netiquette, and no-cost access to market research analysis and statistics about information technology and e-commerce. Additionally, the Virtual Campus site serves as a communication hub for CUNY students, alumni, faculty and staff.

Many New York City colleges offer online courses and degrees. Some schools with notable online programs include St. John’s University where students can earn bachelor’s degrees online in a variety of subjects such as criminal justice or liberal studies, to name a few. The New School also offers select undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs fully online, including bachelor’s in liberal arts, certificate in fashion business, and master’s in media management, to list a few.

Many of NYC’s top colleges offer fully online degrees and courses as well. New York University, for example, offers an online bachelor’s degree program in social sciences and a master’s in management and systems, in addition to other academic areas. Columbia University offers more courses and degrees online than any other Ivy League school through its Columbia Video Network. Some New York City colleges also offer transfer credits from online coursework, depending on its registrar’s policy.

Top Industries, Careers and Employers

With New York City being the country’s largest city, it stands to reason that it’s also the largest regional economy in the U.S. The city is home base to many industries including finance, real estate, media, advertising, journalism, publishing, and the arts. The insurance, law, retail, and health care industries also have a large presence in the metropolitan area.

Home to Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange, and the Nasdaq exchanges, the finance sector is a major employer in the state. All the major investment houses and commercial banks maintain a sizable share of operations in the city, including Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, and UBS, to name a few. In fact, the 340,000 plus employees in finance account for more than half of the wages paid in Manhattan alone, according to the New York Times.

Also known for its heavy advertising, broadcasting, and media industry presence—employing some of the most competitive graduates across the country—graduates in NYC can enjoy the proximity to a range of employers across these industries.

More recently, NYC has developed itself as a destination for tech start-ups and established players, making it a strong competitor to California’s Silicon Valley. So much so that it’s often colloquially referred to as "Silicon Alley". Google, Yahoo, LinkedIn and a slew of rising tech start-ups have made a home or a second home in the NYC.

Colleges & Universities in New York

Community Colleges and Vocational Schools in New York