Affordable, Accessible Higher Education at Queens College
CUNY Queens College appears in our ranking of 100 Affordable Public Schools With High 40-Year ROIs.
Ranked America’s 93rd best public institution by Forbes, CUNY Queens College is a senior, four-year AASCU member in the Kew Gardens Hills neighborhood that offers 76 bachelor’s and 58 master’s degrees plus the College Now Program for NYC high school seniors with a 16:1 student-faculty ratio. For example, the B.S. in Dietetics has a 120-credit, ACEND-accredited pathway led by Dr. Ashima Kant with an 80 percent CDR exam pass rate after new Registered Dietitian-Nutritionists finish 1,300 field practice hours. Chaired by Dr. Edward Powers, the 120-credit B.A. in Art History gives opportunities to intern at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, earn the Leonard Slatkes Scholarship, pursue an Accelerated 4+1 B.A./M.A., exhibit at Kupferberg Center, summer in Florence, and join Ceramics Club.
Online on Blackboard or in-person at Powdermaker Hall, the M.A. in Urban Affairs provides a 30-credit, 15-month track advised by Dr. Brian Rosa with flexible Web courses like Governing the City and Public Policy in Practice plus capstone projects for 88 percent three-month job placement. Directed by Dr. Lenwood Gibson, the M.S.Ed. in Special Education builds a 36-credit, CAEP-accredited sequence with opportunities for certified K-12 teachers to earn Board Certified Behavior Analyst credentials, join the New York Deaf-Blind Collaborative, and intern at Louis Armstrong Middle School.
Other Queens degrees include the B.A. in Labor Studies, B.A. in Chinese, B.A. in Comparative Literature, M.L.S. in Library Science, M.S. in Photonics, M.A. in Music Performance, and M.S. in Risk Management.
About CUNY Queens College
CUNY Queens College originated in 1839 when Jamaica Academy opened at a one-room schoolhouse on Flushing-Jamaica Road with poet Walt Whitman in its faculty. In 1909, Jamaica Academy merged with the New York Parental School. In 1934, both were closed down and their land was acquired by Randall’s Island Hospital. In 1937, the NYC Board of Education repurchased the property to build a free college envisioned by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. That October, an inaugural class of 400 freshmen enrolled at Queens College. In 1955, Klapper Hall established QC’s first library. By 1970, QC had started an open admissions policy that made enrollment soar above 30,000. In 1976, the tuition-free programs ended as financial struggles ensued. One decade later, the CUNY system bounced back and invested $175 million in its Queens branch. In 1990, CUNY Queens College opened the Neuroscience Research Center.
Endowed for $50.2 million, CUNY Queens College now employs 1,527 faculty educating 16,620 undergrad and 3,126 post-grad Knights from 170 countries online, on its 80-acre Queens Community District 8 campus, or at the Flushing location with 120+ clubs like the Theatre Guild. In 2018, QC received an Insight Into Diversity Higher Education Excellence Award. In 2010, CUNY Queens won the Borough Chamber of Commerce Excellence in Design Award. The U.S. News & World Report named Queens College the North’s 29th best for vets and ninth top public school. On Niche, QC boasts America’s 176th best English degree, 191st top anthropology major, and 246th best teaching program. Money magazine crowned CUNY Queens College the 100th top value. The Princeton Review noticed QC for the 16th most religious students. The Center for World University Rankings picked Queens 223rd nationally.
CUNY Queens College Accreditation Details
On June 22, 2017, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) Board of Trustees voted favorably to reaffirm the Level III accreditation status for CUNY Queens College through the next 2025-26 evaluation under President Felix V. Matos Rodriguez, PhD, who earned the AHA Albert Beveridge Award. Located 107 miles down Interstate 95 in Philadelphia, this superb six-state Mid-Atlantic Region accreditor is recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and New York State Education Department (NYSED). Queens College also lists the following degree-specific approvals:
- Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation
- American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences
- Council on Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology
- Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics
- Commission on Accreditation of the American Psychological Association
- American Library Association Office for Accreditation
CUNY Queens College Application Requirements
Admission to CUNY Queens College is classified “very selective” by Peterson’s because just 8,987 of the 18,862 Fall 2018 applicants were triumphant for 48 percent acceptance. First-year Knights should finish a New York State Regents diploma or its equivalent. The Adult Collegiate Education Program will admit students age 25 or older with GED certificates though. At least B averages are required with four years of English and math. The Class of 2022 reported a mean GPA of 3.43. Freshmen need a minimum 1130 SAT or 22 ACT composite score. Transfers with 30+ accredited credits need 2.5 or better GPAs. Non-native English speakers must achieve a minimum 79 TOEFL iBT or 6.0 IELTS score. The Graduate Admissions Office mandates bachelor’s completion with a four-year GPA over 3.0. Certain programs, such as the M.A. in Applied Behavior Analysis, require 15 prerequisite field credits. M.S.Ed. cohorts must hold current K-12 certification. Some also request a minimum 300 GRE or 500 GMAT score.
CUNY Queens College enforces a freshman deadline of February 1st. Transfers are welcome until May 1st for Fall or September 15th for Spring starts. The Transfer Honors Program has a November 15th priority date. Graduate programs have wide-ranging deadlines based on major. For instance, the M.A. in French closes on April 1st and November 1st. M.S. in Mental Health Counseling cohorts must file by March 1st. The M.A. in Data Analytics considers entrants until August 1st and December 1st. Prospective Knights complete the CUNY or Common Application online for $65 ($75 if graduate). Official transcripts are mailed to 65-30 Kissena Blvd. in Queens, NY 11367. Testing reports are sent directly via SAT/GRE code 2750 or ACT code 2950. Contact (718) 997-5600 or [email protected] to inquire further.
Tuition and Financial Aid
For 2019-20, CUNY Queens College is charging New York State undergrads $3,465 per term. Non-resident bachelor’s tuition is $7,440 each semester. Studying part-time costs $305 to $620 per credit. Non-degree students spend $445 to $915 per credit. Mandatory semester fees are $303. Living on-campus at The Summit Apartments adds $6,376 to $7,996 by term. QC budgets $1,364 for books and $5,475 for personal expenses each year. Annual undergrad attendance averages $28,907 in-state and $36,577 out-of-state. Graduate programs bill New Yorkers $470 per credit or $5,545 per term. Non-resident master’s students spend $855 per credit or $10,260 by semester. Mandatory post-grad fees are $260 each semester.
According to the NCES College Navigator, the Financial Aid Office in Jefferson Hall Room 202 links 78 percent of new full-time QC Knights to tuition assistance averaging $9,421 each for $11.55 million combined. University funds include the Stephen Orphanos Scholarship, Bessie Milson Award, Linda Higgins Empowerment Scholarship, Adele Gottschalk Memorial Scholarship, Eric Altman Scholarship, Ambler Family Scholarship, Gregory Razran Research Award, Henry Morton Scholarship, Hester Gray Memorial Scholarship, Lawrence Rosenfeld Music Scholarship, Thomas Budne Mathematics Scholarship, and Claire Newman Memorial Scholarship. The Freshman Honors Scholarship gifts up to $6,030 annually for students in the top 10th percentile with minimum 1250 SAT scores. The $2,000 Ruth Gordon Norman Scholarship has an October 10th deadline for freshmen or CUNY transfers with GPAs above 2.5. Federal resources, such as the Pell Grant or Perkins Loan, necessitate FAFSA forms coded 002690. New Yorkers also pursue the Excelsior Scholarship, Tuition Assistance Program, Educational Opportunity Program, Aid for Part-Time Study, World Trade Center Memorial Scholarship, and more.
Search through four accredited divisions for 130+ diverse, in-demand degrees placed 292nd overall by The Wall Street Journal at the CUNY Queens College website.