CUNY City College vs University of Massachusetts-Amherst (UMass)

When it comes to choosing the right college, CUNY City College and University of Massachusetts-Amherst stand out as two excellent options. Both offer a wide range of academic programs, vibrant campus life, and opportunities for personal growth. However, there are some key differences between the two institutions that prospective students should consider. CUNY City College, located in the heart of New York City, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on urban studies, while UMass-Amherst, nestled in the scenic Pioneer Valley, offers a more traditional college experience with a focus on research and agriculture. With different acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, it's important to delve into the comparison table to find the institution that best aligns with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	CUNY City College	University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Overview
Location	New York, New York	Amherst, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	81.0%	91.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.1%	65.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $85
SAT range	N/A	1250 - 1460
ACT range	N/A	28 - 33
Students submitting SAT score		26.0%
Students submitting ACT score		5.0%
Total number of applicants	31,175	42,540
Total number of admissions given out	19,972	27,877
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,565	4,872
Yield rate	12.8%	17.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $31,655 Out of state: $39,605	In state: $32,434 Out of state: $52,959
Average net price	$4,213	$17,291
Tuition	In state: $6,930 Out of state: $14,880	In state: $15,791 Out of state: $36,316
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $7,611 Meal plan: $5,984
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	97.0% Average amount $9,267	86.0% Average amount $10,662
Students receiving federal student loan	3.0% Average amount $4,548	39.0% Average amount $5,123
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $15,273	7.0% Average amount $15,924

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	12,364 Men 46.0% Women 54.0%	24,231 Men 48.8% Women 51.2%
Graduate students	2,667 Men 38.4% Women 61.6%	7,814 Men 47.9% Women 52.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	5.6%	11.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	589	13,582
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	New York New Jersey Connecticut California New Hampshire

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Engineering Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Computer and Information Science	Business Engineering Health Professions Multidisciplinary Studies Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	57.4%	83.7%
Dropout rate	11.6%	5.1%
Transferred out	26.6%	10.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $122,779 Year 2: $115,339 Year 3: $121,665 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $98,974 Year 3: $112,277 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,920 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $78,724 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,296 Year 2: $68,618 Year 3: $78,361 Sustainability Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,692 Year 2: $68,219 Year 3: $74,855 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,506 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $73,872 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,145 Year 2: $52,733 Year 3: $73,209 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,822 Year 2: $59,169 Year 3: $72,866 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,686 Year 2: $64,706 Year 3: $71,839 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,049 Year 2: $65,170 Year 3: $70,644	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $112,236 Year 2: $99,741 Year 3: $118,959 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $97,497 Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $105,578 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $79,216 Year 2: $78,232 Year 3: $95,030 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,683 Year 2: $75,518 Year 3: $94,055 Education, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $71,391 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $79,970 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,906 Year 2: $67,202 Year 3: $79,007 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,222 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $76,636 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,607 Year 2: $68,647 Year 3: $74,913 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,719 Year 2: $65,594 Year 3: $74,578 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,571 Year 2: $63,646 Year 3: $73,746

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CUNY City College

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