A private R1 research university in New York City, admitting 9.23% of applicants with campuses in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai.
New York, New York
New York University is a private R1 research university in New York City, founded in 1831. It enrolls 28,663 undergraduates and 27,772 graduate students across schools and colleges including the College of Arts and Science, the Stern School of Business, the Tandon School of Engineering, the Tisch School of the Arts, the Gallatin School of Individualized Study, the Silver School of Social Work, the Rory Meyers College of Nursing, and several other schools and colleges.
Social sciences, business, visual and performing arts, and communication account for the largest shares of bachelor's degrees. NYU holds a Doctoral University: Very High Research Activity (R1) Carnegie classification and is accredited through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). NYU is test-optional; submitting SAT or ACT scores is not required. NYU operates residential campuses in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai in addition to its main Washington Square campus in Manhattan, and the Tandon School of Engineering in Brooklyn.
Official website: nyu.edu
UCD scores every college on four pillars: Outcomes, Value, Affordability, and Selectivity. Within peer group A (four-year selective institutions), NYU scores 71.08 overall, rated Good. Selectivity scores 97.83, reflecting a 9.23% admit rate. Outcomes (94.89) reflects an 87.57% six-year graduation rate and solid but not top-decile earnings. Value scores 29.22 and Affordability scores 10.18, the weakest pillars, driven by an average net price of $37,050 and a federal loan rate of 19.08%. All scores use verified federal data only.
NYU is among the most selective universities in the country, admitting 9.23% of applicants. NYU is test-optional; submitting SAT or ACT scores is not required. Students who submit scores typically average 1,520 on the SAT, with the middle 50% ACT range between 34 and 35. NYU uses the Common App with required supplemental essays.
The Early Decision deadline is November 1 (binding); a second Early Decision round closes January 1 (binding); the Regular Decision deadline is January 1. Applicants apply directly to a school or college within NYU; transfer between schools after enrollment is possible but not guaranteed. Stern School of Business, Tisch School of the Arts, and the Tandon School of Engineering are the most applied-to schools within NYU.
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether New York University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
NYU charges $62,796 in tuition plus $23,530 in room and board in New York City, bringing the estimated total cost of attendance to approximately $86,000 before aid. Room and board in New York City are among the highest of any university in the country. The average net price after all grants and scholarships is $37,050. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $16,977.
For families earning between $30,001 and $48,000, the net price averages $14,017. For families earning between $75,001 and $110,000, the net price averages $32,766. For families earning above $110,000, it averages $66,876. NYU does not meet 100% of demonstrated financial need and does not have a no-loan aid policy; the average net price of $37,050 is the highest among selective private universities in this peer group.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Application fee: $80 (one-time, due at submission)
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
NYU completes most of the students it enrolls. The six-year graduation rate is 87.57% for full-time, first-time bachelor's-seeking students. The four-year rate is 72.33%, lower than the six-year rate partly because NYU serves a population including transfer students and students in extended professional programs. First-year retention stands at 95.63%. NYU's federal loan rate of 19.08% and median debt of $20,500 are consistent with aid packages that include loans and a high average net price.
NYU graduates earn above the national median for private research universities. Median earnings are $64,543 six years after first enrolling and $82,509 at ten years. At the ten-year mark, 82.83% of former students earn more than a typical high school graduate. The earnings figure is lower than at peer schools with heavier engineering or finance concentrations, reflecting NYU's large programs in arts, humanities, social work, education, and media.
Stern School of Business, Tandon engineering, and pre-law graduates typically earn well above the institutional median; Tisch arts and social work graduates vary significantly by career path. New York City location creates exceptional access to employers in finance, media, technology, law, and the arts.
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
NYU enrolls 28,663 undergraduates, primarily at Washington Square in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, with the Tandon School of Engineering in Brooklyn's MetroTech Center and global campuses in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai. Asian students account for 22.24% of undergraduates; white 21.96%, Hispanic 14.37%, and Black 6.85%. Eighteen percent of undergraduates receive Pell grants, and 21.49% are first-generation college students, both above average for selective private universities.
NYU is one of the most diverse universities in the country, reflecting New York City's global population. The location provides direct access to industries in finance (Wall Street), media (Times Square, Midtown), technology (Silicon Alley), and the arts (Lincoln Center, Broadway, major galleries and museums).
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
Where students live, learn, and connect at New York University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
New York University offers an extensive catalog of programs: 282 distinct programs across 28 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
NYU operates at an 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio. 100% of instruction across NYU's reporting is classified as delivered by full-time faculty in federal data, reflecting how NYU counts its large clinical and professional faculty. Instructional spending per full-time equivalent student is $37,294 per year. The endowment stands at $6.65 billion. NYU School of Law, Stern School of Business, Tisch School of the Arts, and the Grossman School of Medicine are graduate programs that contribute to the university's research output and alumni networks. NYU is the largest private research university in the United States by enrollment.
7,172 instructional faculty across 6 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
| Rank | Faculty Count | Share | Avg Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Professors | 1,544 | 22% | $266,613 |
| Associate Professors | 1,226 | 17% | $152,460 |
| Assistant Professors | 2,521 | 35% | $127,918 |
| Instructors | 588 | 8% | $84,653 |
| Lecturers | 1,291 | 18% | $117,055 |
| No Rank | 2 | 0% | — |
NYU's defining strength is its location: Manhattan access to finance, media, technology, law, and the arts is unmatched by any other university campus environment. Selectivity at 9.23% places NYU among the most competitive universities. The trade-offs are significant: Value scores 29.22 and Affordability scores 10.18, the lowest of any school in this peer group. The average net price of $37,050 is the highest of any selective private university analyzed; NYU does not meet 100% of demonstrated need and does not exclude loans from aid packages.
The federal loan rate of 19.08% and median debt of $20,500 are above the selective-school average. Ten-year earnings of $82,509 are below several less expensive alternatives. Best fit for students targeting specific NYU programs (Stern, Tisch, Tandon, Law) where the New York City network is directly career-relevant, and who either qualify for substantial aid or are full-pay.
The questions below address what students and families most commonly search about NYU: how selective admissions are, why the net price is so high, how Stern and Tisch compare to peer programs, and whether the New York City location justifies the cost.
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