Cost & financial aid brief
CUNY City College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does CCNY cost after financial aid?
At CUNY City College, grants and scholarships lower the $14,403 sticker price to an average net price of $3,776, covering about 74% of the cost. That is what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships.
After grants and scholarships, the lowest income band averages $1,251 and the highest averages $12,806. The gap between those two bands is $11,555.
Every income band remains below the sticker price. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that for the 2025-26 academic year, 2,041 first-year students were determined to have financial need.
The average need-based grant was $11,704, the average share of need met was 52%, and 69 had their need fully met. For the 2025-26 academic year, merit aid went to 30 first-year students at an average of $6,049.
CUNY City College carries a published cost of attendance of $14,403, a figure that shrinks dramatically once aid is applied. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $1,251.
For those in the $48,001–$75,000 band, it is $6,811, and for families earning over $110,000, the average net price is $12,806. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,555.
Azimuth ranks CUNY City College #21 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 74% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $10,627 against the sticker price.
The average net price across all aid recipients is $3,776, which sits below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $11,858. Median federal student debt at completion is $11,990.
About 22.6% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That median debt is below the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions by $8,086.
The estimated payment if repaid over ten years is $136 a month. Median Parent PLUS borrowing among parent borrowers is $17,460.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing at CUNY City College is light: only 22.6% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and the median federal student debt among completers is $11,990. That median is below the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $8,086.
For parent borrowers, a separate population, the median Parent PLUS loan is $17,460. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 14% of its 1,147 bachelor's graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative principal of $7,849 per borrower.
Of those graduates, 13% held federal loans, averaging $6,141, and 2% held private loans, averaging $1,708.
The median federal debt among CUNY City College graduates who borrowed is $11,990, a level that sits below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The estimated monthly payment if repaid over ten years is $136.
Four years after completion, graduates earn a median of $67,740, placing the university in the 72nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions by $2,130.
Graduates earn about $8,767 more than expects for similar students, an outcome that ranks in the 80th percentile nationally. Anchored on the university's program mix, earnings scenarios span from $49,212 on the downside to $97,579 on the upside, with $67,740 representing the typical case.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate federal population of parent borrowers, stands at $17,460. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $136.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $17,460
- Estimated parent payment
- $222/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 13.1% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 5.9% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 2.8% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.8% | Safe |
The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. Open the parent tool for your own numbers. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $11,990
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $17,460
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $136/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $222/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $358/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $67,740, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
3.7% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
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.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
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. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.