York College, City University of New York

York College enriches lives and enables students to grow as passionate, engaged learners with the confidence to realize their intellectual and human potential as individuals and global citizens.

York College enriches lives and enables students to grow as passionate, engaged learners with the confidence to realize their intellectual and human potential as individuals and global citizens.

The office of Admissions is dedicated to inspiring students to pursue their Academic goals at York College. We recruit, admit, and encourage the enrollment of applicants from diverse populations, locally, nationally, and internationally.

York College's hallmark academic programs in liberal arts and sciences will be recognized as centers of excellence within CUNY, attracting and graduating some of the best and most highly-motivated students from New York City and the greater New York area. We will be the first choice for prospective CUNY students interested in the health professions, allied health sciences, and business, including aviation management. York College will also establish itself as a model for enabling first generation college students to earn an undergraduate degree and will fulfill students' individual academic goals while preparing them for graduate education and the competitive marketplace. Students are at the center of their own learning at York College. We offer multiple opportunities for student engagement, inquiry and research-based scholarship, and experiential learning. York maintains a vibrant campus where students actively participate in extra-curricular programs and collaborate with faculty and academic peers whose backgrounds are distinctly different from their own. The College has a dynamic student life with athletic and visual/performing arts programs, special interest clubs and social organizations where students develop enduring relationships and refine interpersonal skills.

The College will enable faculty and students to pursue their highest goals and foster their development as individuals and professionals. York College will be an attractive place to work, which will draw highly qualified candidates for its academic, executive, professional and administrative positions. The multicultural nature of our sustainable academic and social environments enriches the collegiate experience for all students, faculty, and staff.

York College will be a magnetizing institution within the Queens community where students and graduates are mobilized as advocates/participants in continuous civic engagement. Our strong alumni network supports our programs, serves as ambassadors and donates time, talent and capital to advance our mission. Our Continuing and Professional Education function attracts students, graduates, individuals and professionals in pursuit of continued personal and professional development. Our business outreach activities engage the business community to strengthen our town-grown relationships.

The Honors Program at York College seeks to provide academic, cultural and social opportunities to enhance the intellectual development of serious, highly able and motivated students. Students accepted to the program will be engaged in challenging classroom discussions within designated honors courses, and will be introduced to a wide array of topics by means of their attendance at seminars, lectures and cultural programs, both on and off campus. The Honors Program at York College is designed to provide students opportunities for research and exploration in a wide array of courses, in multiple disciplines as well as interdisciplinary learning experiences.

The mission of the Financial Aid Office is to ensure that every eligible York College student has access to the financial resources needed to meet educational costs from admission through graduation. Several financial aid programs exist to help students offset the cost of attendance at York College. These include federal and New York state grants, programs for part-time study, work-study, programs for veterans, loans, and institutional assistance & scholarships.

The mission of the Division of Student Development is to integrate, engage, involve and validate students at York College. By developing, operating and implementing effective programs and services, we enable and empower students to become self-actualized, passionate, and engaged learners in a global society.

The City University of New York System (CUNY) owes its existence to Townsend Harris, a New York merchant, minor politician, and the first United States Consul General to Japan. He founded the Free Academy (later the City College of New York) in 1847 to provide free higher education for New York City's burgeoning working population.

Over a hundred years later, in 1961, Governor Nelson Rockefeller signed the New York State Education Law to deal with a similar increase in students. The law established the Board of Education (now Board of Trustees) of the City University of New York and tasked it to oversee City College and the other constituent units, including Hunter, Brooklyn, Queens College and the Graduate Center.

Today, the City University of New York is the largest city university system in the world. More than 200,000 students are enrolled at campuses throughout the five boroughs of New York City.

York today would be unrecognizable to an observer from 1967. The College has grown to more than 8,300 students from 120 countries of origin, speaking more than 83 native languages. Despite a variety of new programs, including Nursing, Pharmaceutical Science and Journalism, many of York's biggest changes are still to come. The College plans to build major additions to its campus, including a state-of-the-art Academic Village and a CUNY School of Pharmacy, to further improve the opportunities for students.