College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

CUNY Bernard M Baruch College

NYLarge public institution · Overall rank #2 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth's #2 university nationally, built on access in the 99th percentile and affordability in the 99th percentile.

Who it’s a good fit for

CUNY Bernard M Baruch College is a public university in New York where the degree mix is dominated by Business programs, and access is among the highest we track. Most graduates are estimated to go into jobs rather than on to further study.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them, and the model attributes more of that gain to the factors it measures than to what it cannot explain. The typical graduate also earns above the median at comparable schools, so the raw and adjusted pictures point the same way.

Students who arrive with Pell Grants finish below the rate for the entering cohort as a whole. Families at the bottom of the income scale pay very little, while those at the top pay closer to the published cost.

The admission rate is below the median for comparable institutions, and the degree mix is concentrated in business fields.

Baruch College at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
47.5%
Six-year completion[2]
72.1%
Four-year earnings[3]
$82,748

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$6,312
Median student debt[4]
$11,512
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$20,000

Baruch College rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

CUNY Bernard M Baruch College, a public university, enrolls 16,154 undergraduates in New York, New York. The college sits near the very top of the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions (99th percentile).

The university admits 47.5% of applicants, against a peer median of 78.1%, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size). First-year retention is 88.6%, against a peer median of 83.1%.

The six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort is 72.1%, compared with a peer median of 65.0%. An estimated 39.8% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so much of the student body did not begin here as freshmen.

Access is the strongest of the four and return is the weakest, with affordability and mobility sitting between them. The four sit close together near the top of nonprofit four-year institutions.

Azimuth ranks CUNY Bernard M Baruch College #2 among 1,467 nonprofit four-year institutions. The strongest pillar is access, at the 99th percentile, followed closely by affordability at the 99th percentile and mobility at the 98th percentile.

The return pillar, while still strong, is the weakest at the 92nd percentile. This profile reflects a public university that delivers broad financial access and high mobility alongside solid earnings outcomes.

The middle 50% of submitted SAT scores fell between 1,100 and 1,400. 56.9% of the undergraduate population receives federal Pell Grants.

Azimuth places CUNY Bernard M Baruch College at #13 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Six-year completion for the Pell cohort is 64.8%, a level that is 7.3 percentage points below the entering cohort’s overall rate (72.1%).

Azimuth assigns the university a mobility rank of #28 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $23,537 more than the model expects for similar students.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Baruch College rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#2

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 98
Access & reach
National percentile: 99
Affordability
National percentile: 99
Return on investment
National percentile: 92

Top-ranked majors

  1. Business/Corporate Communications#2
  2. General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations#2
  3. Public Administration#6

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / Baruch College briefing

Baruch College cost & financial aid[6][7]

CUNY Bernard M Baruch College publishes a cost of attendance of $14,170, but the average aid recipient pays far less. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported sticker charges for the 2025-26 academic year of $6,930 in-state tuition, $531 in required fees, and $18,600 out-of-state tuition.

After aid, the average net price across all recipients is $3,033, an offset of $11,137 from the published total. That figure sits below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $12,601.

Azimuth ranks the university #20 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. For families earning under $30,000, the drops to $607, well below the overall average.

Pell Grant recipients make up 56.9% of undergraduates, so the lowest-band figure applies to a large share of the student body.

CUNY Bernard M Baruch College publishes a cost of attendance of $14,170. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $607; for the $48,001–$75,000 band it is $6,312; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $12,314.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,707. Azimuth ranks CUNY Bernard M Baruch College #20 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 79% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average offset of $11,137. The average net price across all aid recipients is $3,033.

Among comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $15,634, which puts Baruch below by $12,601. The median federal student loan debt at completion is $11,512, with about 21.2% of federal aid recipients borrowing.

The peer median debt for comparable institutions is $20,076, so Baruch graduates carry below debt by $8,564. Median Parent PLUS borrowing stands at $20,000.

The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $131 a month if repaid over ten years.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$6,312

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Baruch College

Borrowing at CUNY Bernard M Baruch College is concentrated among a small share of students: 21.2% of undergraduates take federal loans, and the median federal debt at completion is $11,512. Compared with the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size), the university's median is below by $8,564.

For a separate population of parent borrowers, the median Parent PLUS loan is $20,000. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 13% of bachelor's graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative principal of $3,810 per borrower.

Of those graduates, 12% held federal loans averaging $3,298, while 2% held private loans averaging $5,495.

CUNY Bernard M Baruch College combines earnings that outpace the model's prediction with borrowing that runs well below the peer median. The result is a return pillar at the 92nd percentile, even as affordability and access sit higher.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $82,748. Graduates earn about $23,537 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome at the 98th percentile.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $65,093 in a downside case to $89,537 in an upside case, with $82,748 as the typical outcome. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $11,512 in federal student loans, $8,564 below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $131 a month.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $20,000. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $131.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$11,512
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$20,000

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$131/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$254/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Baruch College briefing

Baruch College career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

CUNY Bernard M Baruch College reports median earnings of $82,748 four years after completion. That institution-wide figure is a starting point; results for particular fields can differ.

Read earnings alongside retention and completion. Earnings among completers do not include every student who entered the institution, while the lower and higher planning estimates describe modeled mixes of program outcomes rather than observed salary percentiles.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$13,987
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$9,550
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$23,537

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Baruch College briefing

Baruch College acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

CUNY Bernard M Baruch College admits 47.5% of applicants, well below the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
47.5%
Approximate lower endpoint
1100
Reported average
1280
Approximate upper endpoint
1400

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Baruch College briefing

What are the largest majors at Baruch College?[12]

The largest program records at CUNY Bernard M Baruch College, by reported degrees awarded, are: Finance and Financial Management Services (986 awards); Accounting and Related Services (608 awards); General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations (507 awards); Information Science/Studies (274 awards); Business Administration, Management and Operations (235 awards). These counts describe degree output in the source reporting period, not current enrollment or unique people.

Among those larger programs, reported median earnings four years after completion include Finance and Financial Management Services at $84,956; Accounting and Related Services at $90,104; General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations at $76,565. Program size and earnings answer different questions; the largest program need not have the highest earnings.

Keep individual program records separate from broader degree categories and from records for other reporting periods. Those views can describe different parts of the university’s academic mix.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Finance and Financial Management Services 986 degrees awarded
$84,956
Accounting and Related Services 608 degrees awarded
$90,104
General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations 507 degrees awarded
$76,565
Information Science/Studies 274 degrees awarded
$85,870
Business Administration, Management and Operations 235 degrees awarded
$73,619
Business/Corporate Communications 212 degrees awarded
$69,215

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Baruch College briefing

How does Baruch College serve students from different backgrounds?

The university's mobility pillar sits in the 98th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Pell recipients in the first-time full-time cohort complete at 64.8%, while the overall six-year graduation rate is 72.1% — a gap of 7.3 percentage points below the broader figure.

Four years after completion, graduates earn about $23,537 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that lands in the 98th percentile nationally.

Azimuth places the access pillar of CUNY Bernard M Baruch College in the 99th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The public university admits 47.5% of applicants, and Pell Grant recipients make up 56.9% of its 16,154 undergraduates. An estimated 39.8% of undergraduates arrive as transfers or part-time students.

06 / Baruch College briefing

What colleges are similar to Baruch College?[15]

The comparisons for CUNY Bernard M Baruch College cover higher reported admission rates, similar admissions profiles and options in the same state or region. The similar-schools brief keeps these questions in separate groups, with related institutional profiles shown as another comparison.

Each group has its own candidate list and ordering. A high position within one group is not a rank against all the schools in the other groups, and a school can appear more than once for different reasons. Check the source definition and earnings period for the comparison you choose.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Baruch College.

Admissions peerMarist University56.5% admitted
Comparison with Baruch College
MeasureBaruch CollegeMarist University
Peer earnings · 4 years$82,748$78,561-$4,187 vs Baruch College
Average annual net price$3,033$41,544+$38,511 vs Baruch College · higher cost
Admission rate47.5%56.5%
Explore Marist University →
Higher-admission alternativeSaint Joseph's University - Philadelphia88.8% admitted
Comparison with Baruch College
MeasureBaruch CollegeSaint Joseph's University - Philadelphia
Peer earnings · 4 years$82,748$84,010+$1,262 vs Baruch College
Average annual net price$3,033$29,689+$26,656 vs Baruch College · higher cost
Admission rate47.5%88.8%
Explore Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia →
Nearby alternativeFordham UniversityNearby option · NY
Comparison with Baruch College
MeasureBaruch CollegeFordham University
Peer earnings · 4 years$82,748$84,203+$1,455 vs Baruch College
Average annual net price$3,033$44,338+$41,305 vs Baruch College · higher cost
Admission rate47.5%59.3%
Explore Fordham University →
Similar profileStony Brook UniversityMatched across several measures
Comparison with Baruch College
MeasureBaruch CollegeStony Brook University
Peer earnings · 4 years$82,748$81,850-$898 vs Baruch College
Average annual net price$3,033$18,784+$15,751 vs Baruch College · higher cost
Admission rate47.5%49.0%
Explore Stony Brook University →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings