Education is a fundamental right that everyone should enjoy. However, it seems this principle no longer applies when it comes to tertiary education. This is unfortunate considering that a college education is one of the most important things a person could have nowadays. After all, it is the best investment one can make on themselves.
The high tuition costs of most higher education institutions remain one of the biggest hurdles that stop people from pursuing a college degree. In most cases, students would have to accrue massive debt in order to cover the cost of attendance. However, it would please readers that this isn’t always the case. There are always cheaper alternatives. Listed here are the cheap schools in New York.
Check Also: Available Programs for International Students
Cheap Universities and Colleges in New York
1. New York City College of Technology
- Domestic Tuition Fees – $3,470 Per Semester
- International Tuition Fees – $620 Per Credit
We start out a list of cheap universities in New York with The New York City College of Technology (located in Brooklyn). This institution was founded in 1946 after the wake of World War II to answer the demand of returning GIs for education in the technical field.
Today, the college offers 53 degree programs ranging from computer science and engineering to education and liberal arts. Annually, the college enrolls around 17,000 students and has a faculty of around 1,000 which gives a ratio of 17:1, which means that you will not get lost in the crowd of humanity.
2. College of Staten Island (CSI)
- Domestic Tuition Fees (Undergraduate) – $3,470 Per Semester
- International Tuition Fees (Undergraduate) – $620 Per Credit
- Domestic Tuition Fees (Graduate) – $5,545 Per Semester
- International Tuition Fees (Graduate) – $855 Per Credit
The College of Staten Island opened in 1976 by the merger of two existing colleges- Staten Island Community College and Richmond College. In 1994, the college opened a 204-acre campus on Station Island making it a perfect getaway for students looking for open spaces in the middle of the city.
The college has four major schools, which are humanities, technology, business, and education. When it comes to academic programs, CSI offers a variety of selections of associate, undergraduate, master’s, and doctorate programs. In research, the College of Staten Island contains nearly 80 science labs, and among them, the High-Performance Computing Center is home to one of the most powerful computers in the entire world.
3. York College
- Domestic Tuition Fees (Undergraduate) – $3,465 Per Semester
- International Tuition Fees (Undergraduate) – $620 Per Credit
- Domestic Tuition Fees (Graduate) – $5,545 Per Semester
- International Tuition Fees (Graduate) – $855 Per Credit
The next cheap university in New York is York College, which opened its doors with only 371 students. Today, the college has over 8,000 students with a small percentage of international students. Despite or because of the college’s humble beginnings, it has emerged as a beacon in the New York college system (CUNY).
York College mainly offers degrees in health-related fields, but it also provides exciting fields like aviation management. This institution is academically separated into the School of Arts & Sciences, School of Business & Information Systems, and School of Health Sciences & Professional Programs.
4. City College of New York
- In-State Tuition – $305 per credit hour
- Out-of-State Tuition – $620 per credit hour
- International Tuition – $620 per credit hour
- Tuition Link
Established in 1847, the City College of New York has a proud history of providing generations of New Yorkers with affordable, accessible, and quality education. As an affordable college in New York, CCNY remains steadfast in its role as an agent for social change by empowering its students and their local communities. This is a tradition that CCNY continues to uphold while being at the forefront of innovation.
CCNY currently offers baccalaureate programs in the liberal arts and sciences, encompassing traditional and newly-emerging fields of study. So, whether you are looking to pursue a degree in the fields of education, philosophy, architecture, or engineering, CCNY remains a viable option. This is because the institution has been known to produce trailblazers and leaders of all types.
Since the students have access to so of the top researchers in the country, many move on to prestigious schools such as MIT. If you are looking for a college with a historical flair and prestigious scholars, this is the one for you since several graduates of this institution have become Nobel Prize winners, Pulitzer Prize finalists, and Rhodes Scholars.
5. Brooklyn College
- Domestic Tuition Fees (Undergraduate) – $3,465 Per Semester
- International Tuition Fees (Undergraduate) – $620 Per Credit
- Domestic Tuition Fees (Graduate) – $5,545 Per Semester
- International Tuition Fees (Graduate) – $855 Per Credit
Brooklyn College was founded over 85 years ago as a beacon for immigrants looking to better themselves through education. Currently, this institution is a public institution that is located in New York, and when it comes to numbers, the student body is comprised of nearly 20,000 students, where the majority of its students are undergraduates.
Being the first co-educational college in New York, this liberal arts institution started out as a tuition-free institution, but after facing near bankruptcy in the 1900s, Brooklyn College changed its policy to charging tuition, which is a policy that is continued even today.
6. Lehman College
- In-State Tuition – $305 per credit hour
- Out-of-State Tuition – $620 per credit hour
- International Tuition – $620 per credit hour
- Tuition Link
The next cheap college in New York is Lehman College, which is a four-year college in the Bronx that is part of the City University of New York system. With an annual average of 14,000 students and no less than 81,000 graduates, this higher education institution plays an integral role in the borough’s intellectual, economic, and cultural life. It does so by providing residents of the Bronx and nearby areas with access to quality education.
Lehman currently boasts of around 90 undergraduate and graduate programs. Its programs focus on the liberal arts, the sciences, and professional education with a strong emphasis on a strong research environment. It gives students a wide array of choices with degree programs that include majors in Anthropology, Gender Studies, Biology, Chemistry, and so much more.
Lehman takes pride in being a social catalyst for its students by giving them the economic and social mobility they need. Through its progressive policies and affordable rates, Lehman helps its students achieve success without going into debt.
7. Queens College
- In-State Tuition – $305 per credit hour
- Out-of-State Tuition – $620 per credit hour
- International Tuition – $620 per credit hour
- Tuition Link
In an increasingly globalized society, Queens College (QC) has made it its mission to prepare its students to become active and empowered citizens. QC seeks to empower its students by letting them think critically so that they can face society’s complex problems while also taking into account the realities of cultural diversity and the pluralism of values. It does so by providing its diverse student body with a rigorous education in the liberal arts and sciences, effectively instilling in them the importance of knowledge, academic excellence, and service to the community.
Through its various baccalaureate and graduate programs, students are taught the underlying principles in the fields of the arts, mathematics, the sciences, humanities, and the social sciences. This is made possible through a conducive working environment that is based on a highly-structured curriculum and a collegiate culture of mutual respect.
As a public institution, this cheap college in New York serves the larger community by providing higher education opportunities that are both affordable and accessible. At the end of the day, its graduates play a crucial role in New York’s vitality and economic prospects.
8. John Jay College of Criminal Justice
- In-State Tuition – $305 per credit hour
- Out-of-State Tuition – $620 per credit hour
- International Tuition – $620 per credit hour
- Tuition Link
John Jay College of Criminal Justice is more than a higher education institution. This cheap college in New York is also a diverse community of committed individuals looking to explore the meaning of justice and all its aspects from a multitude of perspectives. It seeks to foster an inclusive, socially-conscious, and intellectually-prepared environment for its students by focusing its energies towards providing quality education for traditionally underrepresented groups.
John Jay College of Criminal Justice currently offers twenty-one fields of study with a diverse array of options for liberal arts majors and minors. Its curriculum is designed to impart its students with the necessary critical thinking skills to fully grasp the concepts behind criminal justice. Concurrently, it equips them with the knowledge they need to pursue their goals.
Graduates of this college have gone on to pursue meaningful and rewarding careers both in the public, and private sectors.
9. Hunter College
- In-State Tuition – $305 per credit hour
- Out-of-State Tuition – $620 per credit hour
- International Tuition – $620 per credit hour
- Tuition Link
We end our list of cheapest New York colleges with Hunter College. Established in 1870, Hunter College is a distinguished public university that has served the City of New York for 150 years. As a learning institution, it gives premium to the development of its students as individuals, effectively molding them into proactive and informed citizens in pursuit of a just and inclusive society. Ever since its founding, Hunter has sought to transform the lives of its students by prioritizing their success. It continues to uphold this rich tradition while also forging forward into the future.
Hunter fosters intellectual and cultural growth through its undergraduate programs, offering degrees in a multitude of fields in the arts and the sciences – from art studies to biophysics and everything in between. Whichever degree they pursue, students are given the type of education that prioritizes research, recognizes societal diversity, and promotes innovative solutions to existing problems.
FAQs about Studying in New York
What Is the Cheapest University in NYC?
The cheapest university in NYC would be all the colleges in the City University of New York. Also called for short as CUNY, some of the colleges in this system are New York City College of Technology, College of Staten Island, York College, and more! Since all the institutions in this school system charge the same fees, just take your pick according to your personal preferences.
Which Institution in the USA Is the Cheapest for International Students?
For international students, the cheapest college in the United States is Berea College. For all attendees, Berea College awards full-ride scholarships to all incoming students, and this award covers your full tuition, living expenses, and any fees that might come your way. For more information regarding Berea College, check out the Berea College Scholarships and tuition fees.
We hope that this article on the cheap universities in New York was helpful. To know more information on studying abroad, check out the Available Programs for International Students.
