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Cost & financial aid brief

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# CUNY City College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

[Overview](/school/cuny-city-college/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/cuny-city-college/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/cuny-city-college/admissions/)[Majors](/school/cuny-city-college/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/cuny-city-college/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does CCNY cost after financial aid?

The published cost of attendance at CUNY City College is $14,403. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $6,930 and required fees of $410 for the 2026-27 academic year, with on-campus food and housing at $19,552.

Out-of-state students face a published tuition of $18,600. For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what students pay after grants and scholarships—is $3,776.

That is $11,858 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Financial aid reduces the published cost by an average of $10,627.

Azimuth ranks the university #21 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid recipients at CUNY City College pay an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $3,776, below the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $11,858. Azimuth assigns the university a percentile of 99th for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The lowest-income band sees an average net price of $1,251, while the highest-income band sees $12,806. Median federal student debt at completion is $11,990, below the peer median of $20,076 by $8,086.

CUNY City College enrolls a student body where 60.5% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s move from $1,251 for families earning under $30,000 up to $12,806 for those earning over $110,000, passing through $2,990 in the $30,001–$48,000 band, $6,811 in the $48,001–$75,000 band, and $9,982 in the $75,001–$110,000 band. The distance from the lowest to highest band average is $11,555.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$1,251

**$30–48K**
$2,990

**$48–75K**
$6,811

**$75–110K**
$9,982

**$110K+**
$12,806

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$3,776**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

At CUNY City College, grants and scholarships lower the $14,403 sticker price to an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$17,460

**Estimated parent payment**
$222/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=cuny-city-college#parent-tool). [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  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.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

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](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=cuny-city-college#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

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.