The campaign for a New Deal for CUNY has led to important victories and invigorated the fight for our great, struggling, public university. But there is much more to do to realize the dream of a fully funded, free and quality CUNY in the next five years.
CUNY enrollment is up two years in a row after its pandemic dip. With student headcounts rising, it’s critical that Albany makes the investments needed to help keep CUNY students enrolled and on pace to graduation. Our underfunded senior colleges have a 6-year graduation rate of just 62%, well below the national average; our community college 3-year graduation rate of 23% also trails the national average.
Retention and graduation rates improve as students have more contact with full-time faculty, academic advisors, and mental health counselors, and a safe, welcoming learning environment.
Funding the New Deal for CUNY will reverse years of disinvestment and empower CUNY to fulfill New York’s most pressing economic and social needs. Because of CUNY,
- families can remain in New York: 80% of graduates stay in the state.
- low-income students expand their earning capacity: no university in the nation generates more economic mobility than CUNY.
- New York can fill critical workforce deficiencies in nursing, education, computer science, and related tech fields. CUNY graduates half of NYC’s new nurses and a third of its new public school teachers each year.
