I am not going to tell you whether NYU is the right school for your child. No one knows that yet, not even you. But if you are going to put it on the list, you should truly understand it before falling in love with the name.
What This University Is, in Simple Terms
Let us start with the basics, because the basics matter more than they might seem.
New York University is a private, nonprofit institution offering programs of four years or more. The Carnegie system, which is how the country classifies its universities according to what they do, places it among doctoral universities with the highest level of research activity. It is also a large and primarily residential school: during the period Carnegie used for that classification, between 25 and 49 out of every 100 undergraduate students lived in institution-owned housing, and at least half studied full time.
In the same system, it also appears among universities with more selective admissions. I want to pause here for a moment because this word—selective—can be confusing. Being more selective does not mean that it teaches better. It describes whom it lets in, not how well it educates students once they are inside. The label also does not tell you how many out of every hundred applicants are admitted; that number exists separately, and you will see it later when we discuss admissions. Make sure this is not the only school on your child’s list.
Geographically, NYU is in New York, within New York County, in the New York–Newark–Jersey City metropolitan area. That does not automatically mean the campus is right downtown; the census code places it in a principal city with 250,000 residents or more, but how to get there and what living options are available nearby are questions that no federal data answers. If your child plans to live at home, do not trust the map: drive the route on a weekday at the exact time of your child’s classes. The actual travel time is almost never what Google Maps promises.
IPEDS—the system the United States government uses to collect these data—records the doctorate as the highest level NYU reports offering and classifies it as an institution primarily offering bachelor’s degrees or higher. This is institutional information: it does not tell you whether the exact major your child is interested in exists or whether it connects to a graduate program. That must be checked program by program.
One point worth clarifying right away: NYU does not appear in the federal directory with any of three specific designations—it is not a historically Black college or university (HBCU), it is not a tribal college or university, and it is not a land-grant institution. Of the 3,012 universities in this census, 138 have at least one of the three. NYU’s absence from that list says nothing about which students it serves, how many Latino students are on campus, or how your child will feel there. Ask directly which cultural centers currently exist and which student organizations are active, and better yet, speak with someone who already studies there.
And since we are on the subject of list price versus actual price—something that will come up repeatedly in this article—do not rule out or choose this school based on what it costs on paper. Ask in writing how much your family would pay after scholarships and aid. That is the number that should actually be compared across universities, not the sticker price.
A City Within a University
If there is one word to describe NYU’s size, it is enormous. In the official fall count, the university reported an enrollment of 57,335, a figure that falls within the highest band the government uses to classify institutions: 20,000 students or more. Compared with the 941 selective-admission, private four-year schools in this census that report this information, it is among the largest: at most one in ten has more students.
But that large number conceals something important: it is divided between 29,760 undergraduate students and 27,575 graduate students. Nearly half of NYU’s community has already completed a degree and returned for more education. If your child is entering a bachelor’s degree program, the number that truly matters is 29,760, not the overall total of 57,335. The overall total is inflated by including graduate enrollment.
Within the undergraduate population, the student community looks like this: 16 out of every 100 students identified as Hispanic or Latino in the fall of 2023. They are not the majority, but neither are they a rarity, and compared with 941 similar schools in this census, that share places NYU in the top quarter—meaning that three out of every four similar schools reported an equal or smaller Latino presence.
There are more women than men: out of every 100 students, 59 are women. There are almost no adult students—only 3 out of every 100 are between 25 and 64 years old—so if your child enrolls right after high school, your child will be surrounded by people at the same stage of life.
One fact worth keeping in mind if you are thinking about distance: fewer than 25 out of every 100 first-time students had a reported permanent residence in New York State; the exact figure was 23 out of every 100. The rest come from other states or other countries, or their residence was not clearly reported. This does not measure actual distance or travel costs, but if it applies in your case, it does tell you that most of the student community came from elsewhere. IPEDS includes a transportation estimate within the general cost of attendance without separately itemizing flights or moving expenses. If your child would come from far away, build the budget around the actual trips, not the government average.
How Academics Work
NYU organizes its academic year by semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each, with uniform dates for everyone.
Regarding prior credit, the university checked both available boxes in its report: it accepts credit from AP exams, and it also accepts what IPEDS calls credit for life experience—learning acquired through independent study, adult courses, work experience, a portfolio, previous licenses, or military or professional opportunities, as well as through an examination program. It also enrolls high school students in college courses for credit outside a formal dual-enrollment program, treating them as regular students in those courses.
Here is a hard truth that should be stated plainly: the university’s declaration that it accepts AP does not mean it will give your child credit for every exam. The report does not say what scores are required, how many credits are awarded, or whether those credits count toward the specific major your child will study. Ask for the equivalency evaluation in writing before enrolling. Do not budget for the savings until you have it in hand.
As for the range of majors, NYU awarded 7,005 bachelor’s degrees in a recent year, distributed across 23 program families—what the government calls CIP families. No family accounted for a large share: the most popular was visual and performing arts, and even it represented only 17 out of every 100 degrees awarded that year. Compared with 942 similar schools, NYU is in the quarter with the most program families represented in its reported offerings. In other words, its offerings are broad and distributed across many different fields.
But be careful: 23 families represented in the report do not mean 23 majors, and a row may report no degrees awarded that year. A CIP family groups several programs together. Verify the exact program your child is interested in, not the general category.
One number that often looks impressive on paper is the student-to-faculty ratio: NYU reports 8 full-time-equivalent students for every full-time-equivalent member of its instructional staff. Compared with 941 similar schools, it falls in the bottom quarter—meaning its ratio is lower than that of three out of every four similar schools. It is one of the lowest ratios reported among this type of institution.
But a low ratio does not guarantee small classes. The number compares full-time-equivalent students with full-time-equivalent instructional staff; it does not count seats in a classroom. If this matters to you, the right question is not “What is the ratio?” but “How many students are in first-year classes?”
Academic Pathways the University Reports Offering
NYU reports that it offers several structured academic opportunities: study abroad, cocurricular undergraduate research, and several pathways related to teacher certification—preparation below the postsecondary level, preparation in certain teacher-specialization areas, whether completed at the institution itself or elsewhere, and state approval of its program for initial teacher certification.
The appearance of these pathways in the institutional report is useful for knowing where to begin asking questions. It does not say how many people participate, how competitive admission is, or how the pathways work in practice for your child’s specific major. Ask the appropriate department directly.
Getting Into NYU: What It Requires and Who Gets In
We have reached one of the most important parts of this entire article because it is probably the question that keeps you awake most often: how realistic is it for my child to get in?
Let us start with policy. NYU stated in its official report that it does not have open admission. It reviews several components before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations evaluated in this report—not including standardized tests or legacy status—it marked five as required: the high school record, high school GPA, the personal essay, letters of recommendation, and a formal demonstration of what the student can do, whether a portfolio or a competency exam.
In practical terms for a family, simply gathering paperwork is not enough here. The essay is required, so your child has to write and write well. Your child should start that essay during the summer, not during the week of the deadline. The first draft is never the one that should be submitted.
There are also other components that are not required but that the university considers if you submit them: completion of the college-preparatory curriculum the university requests, work experience, and an English proficiency exam for applicants. The published undergraduate application fee is $80.
Now for the part you have probably been waiting for: how selective NYU is in practice. In the 2023 cycle, NYU reported 113,578 first-time applicants and offered admission to 10,693. That is 9 out of every 100. On the other side of that calculation are 102,885 applicants who did not receive an offer of admission. Compared with 942 selective private schools in this census, NYU is among those admitting the smallest share: nine out of every ten similar schools, or more, admitted a larger percentage of their applicants.
I need to tell you this directly, without dramatizing it but also without softening it: this number says how many offers of admission were made. It says nothing about your child’s worth. A low percentage does not mean the school is better; a high one does not mean it is worse. It measures how many offers were made relative to how many people applied. Make sure your child’s list includes schools on both sides—some where admission is highly competitive and at least one where most applicants are admitted.
Of those who received an offer in 2023, 54 out of every 100 decided to enroll at NYU. The other 46 did not. Compared with similar schools, that proportion is high—a smaller share of admitted students enroll at most of them. This percentage does not measure quality, prestige, or satisfaction; it only counts how many admitted first-time students ultimately enrolled that fall. When your child’s admission letters arrive, this number is not what decides anything. Put the letters side by side and compare net price, major, and distance before the deposit deadline.
Regarding standardized tests, NYU reported that the SAT and ACT are not required. If your child submits them, NYU considers them; if your child does not, the application remains valid. Among those who enrolled and submitted SAT scores—27 out of every 100 in the enrolled cohort—the middle half scored between 720 and 770 in reading and writing and between 760 and 800 in mathematics. Note that these numbers describe students who had enrolled and chose to submit their scores. They do not represent all applicants, and they do not prove that the score was decisive in anyone’s admission. That 720 is not a minimum, and that 770 is not a guarantee either.
One final fact about movement between universities: of the cohort that entered in 2017 as full-time bachelor’s-degree-seeking students, only 5 out of every 100 are reported as having transferred to another school without completing their studies at NYU. That is a low share compared with similar schools. Under a different measure—students arriving—in the fall of 2023, NYU enrolled 1,141 undergraduate students who had previously studied at another institution. This number counts how many entered as transfer students, not how many courses NYU accepted for credit. If your child arrives through that route, ask for the credit evaluation in writing, with the course list in hand, before making the move.
The List Price: What It Costs Before Any Aid
At New York University, among 509 first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $16,816. Among 370 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $18,555; among 910 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $59,931. For dependent students, the income band combines their parents’ income with their own.
The difference between the average for the lowest-income band, which included 509 students, and the average for the highest-income band, which included 910 students, is $43,115. These are group averages, not a prediction of your family’s price. Among first-year students who received any grant or scholarship aid, the average was $30,730.
$16,816 was the average net price for families in the lowest-income band in the 2022-23 academic year. That does not mean it is what your family will pay. It helps you determine whether it is worth requesting the financial aid letter.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, correctly identifying yours is the first step. The income bands in this profile describe first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the in-state or in-district rate. The overall average for students receiving grant or scholarship aid, when shown, describes first-time, full-time, credential-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional grants or scholarships. The financial aid letter you receive is what governs.
Scholarships, Pell, and Loans: How Students Pay in Practice
Now let us look at how an NYU education is actually financed beyond the list price.
Among degree-seeking students, 46 out of every 100 received some form of grant or scholarship aid that does not have to be repaid. The other 54 received none of that type of aid. Compared with 942 similar schools, NYU falls in the quarter where grant or scholarship aid reaches fewer students. Among those who received it, the annual average was $40,311. In addition, only 19 out of every 100 students received Pell, the federal grant for low-income families.
I want to be completely honest here: at this university, aid that does not have to be repaid reaches fewer than half of degree-seeking students, and Pell reaches very few. Do not assume it will be available. Before applying, ask for the list of available scholarships, who qualifies for each one, and when the application is due. When your letter arrives, remember that a high average among those who received aid does not mean your aid will be that large. Find out how much your family would have to pay out of pocket and compare that number across schools—not the size of the discount they advertise.
Now we come to one of the most revealing facts in this entire article and one of the most important to remember: in the 2022-23 school year, only 22 out of every 100 NYU undergraduate students received a federal student loan. Most of this undergraduate community did not receive a federal loan that year. Compared with 942 similar schools, federal loans are used less here than at almost all of them: nine out of every ten similar schools, or more, had a larger share of students borrowing from the government.
Among those who did borrow, the average received by each borrower was $6,420 that school year. But I want you to keep these two figures clearly separated in your mind: the 22 out of every 100 refers to the entire undergraduate population; the $6,420 applies only to those who received a loan. They are not the same population.
The fact that most NYU students did not use federal loans does not mean they made it through the year without difficulty. This information does not show how everyone else managed: they may have used scholarships, work income, family savings, or another type of debt not recorded in this report. And that average of $6,420 tells you nothing about the debt a student carries upon graduation because it covers only one year and only federal loans in the student’s name—it does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes end up signing for, bank debt, or credit card debt. Determining total debt accumulated over four years would require adding everything together, and that number is not in this report.
Regarding payment administration, NYU reports offering a prepaid tuition plan and an installment tuition payment plan. It is worth asking about both if paying all at once is not feasible for your family.
Campus Life, Learning Modality, and Support
NYU has institution-controlled housing, but it does not require all first-time, full-time students to live there. That rules out a universal requirement; it does not mean that no particular student or program has such a requirement. It also offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week varies according to the selected plan. IPEDS reports a maximum institutional housing capacity of 12,577 students, either on or off campus.
The existence of housing does not guarantee a bed for your child. The existence of a meal plan does not mean it is included in the price. Before removing housing and food from your budget on the assumption that they are covered, ask in writing for this year’s rate, the housing application deadline, and whether your child is guaranteed a place or placed on a waiting list.
Regarding ROTC, NYU reported that it offers this opportunity, with two branches marked: Army and Air Force. The Navy branch is not marked. If your child is interested in this route, those are the two places to start asking questions. Being marked in the report is not the same as being accepted, and the report also does not clarify whether the program is offered on this specific campus or another one. Ask about that by name before building your child’s plan around ROTC.
In sports, NYU competes at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NCAA—the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The institution reports membership for basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track and field. This membership belongs to the school, not your child: if your child is interested in competing, write directly to the coach of that sport, ask whether there is a place on the team, which division it competes in, and whether that sport awards athletic scholarships. Get the answer in writing.
Regarding distance learning, NYU offers distance education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. In practice, however, only 1 out of every 100 undergraduate students took all their classes through distance education in the most recent count; the other 99 took at least one class in person. The university also reported having at least one complete program that can be completed entirely through distance education, although that report does not specify whether the program exists at the undergraduate level. If this interests your family, confirm the exact level and major.
NYU’s library operates with paid staff, and its annual expenditures exceeded the $100,000 threshold recorded by the government. It has physical and digital collections, and it participates in interlibrary lending. That threshold is only the minimum the government asks about; exceeding it does not guarantee that the library has specific databases for your child’s major. Ask about that by the name of the major, not in general.
Finally, the university reports several support services: combined academic and career counseling, employment services for current students, placement services for graduates, participation in the Yellow Ribbon program, a dedicated point of contact for veterans and military service members, a student veterans’ organization, and a published webpage for disability services. The fact that these services are reported does not say how accessible they are or how effective they are in practice; verify that by speaking directly with those offices.
Those Who Stay and Those Who Finish
We have reached the part that probably matters most to you as a parent: if your child gets in, how likely is it that your child will stay and finish?
Let us begin with first-year retention. Of a cohort of 6,092 first-time, full-time bachelor’s-degree-seeking students who entered in the fall of 2022, 5,818 were still enrolled at NYU or had already completed their degrees one year later: 96 out of every 100. That is a very high result, and compared with 930 similar schools, NYU is among those that retain the largest share of their cohorts—nine out of every ten similar schools, or more, retained an equal or smaller share.
But we must be precise about what this number measures: it combines those who were still enrolled with those who had already graduated. It does not separate the two groups or say what happened to the remaining 4 percent.
Regarding graduation, out of every 100 students who entered a bachelor’s degree program in 2017 as full-time students with no previous attendance at another university, 89 graduated within six years—5,276 out of 5,955 people. Under the four-year timeframe, the figure falls to 76 out of every 100; the difference between the two timeframes is 13 points. Compared with 920 similar schools, NYU is among those graduating the largest shares of students.
This is a notable result, and it is worth saying with the emphasis it deserves: nearly 9 out of every 10 students in that cohort who entered full time left with a degree. But I also need to tell you the hard truth that accompanies every high number: it does not mean the same thing will happen to your child. It describes what happened to that specific cohort at that school. What is in your hands—and this does depend on your family—is making sure your child enters with credits in order and knows from the first semester who the academic advisor is and when registration opens for courses in the major.
There is an even broader measure: the cohort that entered between July 2015 and June 2016—including full-time and part-time students, first-time students, and those who already had prior college experience—totaled 7,236 students. As of August 2023, eight years later, 87 out of every 100 had earned an NYU degree or certificate. Among Pell Grant recipients, the figure was 85 out of every 100, just 3 points below the group without Pell. Compared with 935 similar schools, NYU is among those graduating the largest shares of students within eight years.
A separate fact: 6 out of every 100 appear in the indicator for students who had not received a credential from this institution. The definition has an inconsistency worth noting: it describes students as enrolled as of August 31, 2023, but the count of those who enrolled at another institution includes enrollment at any time through that date. Therefore, this number does not support a claim about how many were still enrolled at that exact cutoff, nor does it rule out the possibility that some had already earned a credential at another school.
A high percentage, here as everywhere else, does not predict one person’s outcome. It describes what happened to a specific cohort that entered several years ago. If this matters to you, the useful question is not to repeat the percentage but to ask about current support within the program and the outcomes of more recent cohorts.
What This Article Cannot Tell You
No official report provides information about what happens after graduation: how much graduates earn, what jobs they hold, or how much debt they carry when they leave. That information requires another source, and it is not authorized here. Do not invent or assume it.
Putting the Pieces Together
The other two pieces are not found in any government report, and only your family has them. One is what your child wants: which major truly interests your child, how far away your child is willing to live, and what type of community your child is looking for. The other is what you can and are willing to pay, something you will know with certainty only when the financial aid letter arrives with actual numbers rather than averages from a federal report.
Your child’s job is to study, write that essay well in advance, explore, and decide what to seek from college life. Your job is to understand the family’s finances, help navigate the major decisions, and make sure no path is overlooked along the way simply because you did not know the map. The university’s job is to admit, deny, and offer—or not offer—the aid that makes the decision possible.
None of the three parties does the work of the other two. But together, the three pieces do form a plan.
Source: The information in this article comes from IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) and reports that New York University submits to the United States Department of Education, primarily covering the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles. Best College Aid does not represent New York University or the United States government, and this article is not a substitute for direct verification with the university’s admissions or financial aid office.