In 2025, the City University of New York (CUNY) reported a series of initiatives and achievements aimed at strengthening its role in New York City and State. The university focused on integrating career preparation into every undergraduate degree program, expanding research efforts, increasing enrollment, and securing record philanthropic support.
A highlight of the year was “Dear CUNY,” a poem written by Borough of Manhattan Community College student and National Youth Poet Laureate Stephanie Pacheco for National Poetry Month. In her poem, Pacheco wrote:
“Dear CUNY,
I don’t know of any other school that runs its city like you …
Everywhere I turn, every building is a student
Every train car is a classroom
CUNY students are the real mayor of New York
Every leader I need already lives in me
Every philosopher I know wears a tote bag and hangs out at my library”
The university’s presence in New York City grew through cultural events such as Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny filming his “NUEVAYoL” music video at Bronx Community College and public celebrations like “CUNY Day at Yankee Stadium.” The CUNY television station marked its 40th anniversary, and Baruch College became the seventh subway station named after a CUNY institution.
Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez commented on these developments during his annual address: “All of this momentum — the enrollment gains, the expanded partnerships and the outreach to high school seniors — is about one thing: opening the doors of opportunity wider than ever before.”
Among major initiatives launched was CUNY Beyond, which aims to embed career readiness throughout college experiences. The plan seeks to triple paid internship participation among students and serve 180,000 graduates annually by decade’s end. This effort will involve early identification of career paths, integrated academic advising with industry input, paid work-based learning opportunities, and increased employer engagement.
Enrollment across CUNY rose by 4% in fall 2025—its third consecutive year of growth—with around 10,000 more students joining compared to last year. Since fall 2022, total enrollment has grown by about 9%, adding roughly 21,000 students systemwide. These increases were supported by Governor Hochul’s free community college initiative known as CUNY Reconnect, which covers tuition and other expenses for adult learners seeking their first degree in high-demand fields.
CUNY continued its partnership with New York City Public Schools by sending personalized digital “Welcome to CUNY” letters to all public high school seniors expected to graduate in 2026. These communications included individualized information on earned credits applicable toward degrees.
The university also addressed transfer challenges through the new CUNY Transfer Initiative. This reform allows students to move between colleges within the system without losing credits required for their majors—a response to national data showing many transfer students lose significant credit hours when changing institutions.
Physical expansion included transforming part of the historic Bronx General Post Office into Hostos Community College’s Allied Health and Natural Sciences Life Sciences Center—a project announced with Mayor Eric Adams—and formalizing the establishment of the independent CUNY School of Medicine as its twenty-sixth constituent school. The medical school’s first graduating class achieved a 100% residency placement rate.
Philanthropic support reached new heights with MacKenzie Scott’s foundation donating $50 million to Lehman College—the largest gift in that college’s history—and nearly $130 million given over five years across five campuses for scholarships and student services. Over $4 million was raised from more than 5,300 donors during this year’s annual GivingTuesday campaign aligned event called “CUNY Tuesday.” The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation awarded almost $1.2 million for emergency grants and food pantries.
Employment outcomes also improved as nearly 10,000 students secured jobs through partnerships with major employers via an agreement with the New York Jobs CEO Council—part of an effort aiming for 25,000 hires from among CUNY students by 2030. A collaboration with New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation & Development will provide internships related to housing survey fieldwork.
To assist immigrants within its community amid policy changes, CUNY launched Citizenship Now!’s Immigration Assistance Project (CIAP), offering free legal consultations funded by private foundations.
On national rankings lists such as those published by Wall Street Journal and Forbes Best Value Colleges, several CUNY colleges received top recognition for value offered to graduates; Baruch College led WSJ’s list for three years running while Brooklyn College topped Forbes’ payoff ranking.
Faculty achievements included Guggenheim Fellowships awarded to nine members (five faculty/four alumni), four appointments to the Academy of Arts & Sciences, and three Grammy nominations among university musicians.
Research capacity expanded further as Hunter College joined Graduate Center as a Carnegie R2 classified institution; seven colleges now hold designations reflecting public purpose research focus. Projects such as Martin S. Spergel Initiative in Computational Sciences aim to establish AI leadership within higher education circles while collaborations have yielded advances like early cancer detection tools using artificial intelligence.
