City University of New York (CUNY) is the public university system of New York City, and the largest urban university in the United States. With 24 campuses across all five boroughs of New York City, CUNY is the third-largest university system in the United States by enrollment, after State University of New York (SUNY) and California State University (CSU). Founded in 1847 as The Free Academy, CUNY is one of America’s oldest public universities. Its flagship campus—Lehman College—was founded as a Normal school in 1931 and has been part of CUNY since 1961.
The mission of The City University of New York is to educate for life. It fulfills this mission by offering accessible educational opportunities to a diverse student population throughout its twenty-four institutions which comprise eleven senior colleges, seven community colleges, one undergraduate honors college, the Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College, Graduate School and University Center; four professional schools located at our senior colleges; a School of Labor and Urban Studies; a High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College; an advanced certificate program at hosts Lehman College for veterans returning from combat zones; John Jay College houses eight research centers that focus on specific areas such as forensics or international relations; Queensborough Community Colleges offers two-year programs that prepare students for employment or transfer to four-year colleges while also providing continuing education opportunities for business people and others in our community.