Numerous world-renowned educational institutions call New York City home, including libraries, archives, and museums. You can find more than 200 private colleges and universities, including Columbia University, a beloved Ivy League school on the list of the world’s top institutions. Because of how well-known universities and some locations, like the Statue of Liberty or Broadway, are for many tourists and locals alike in this state, it’s no wonder that the fees in these schools can get expensive compared to other schools in the United States.
Education is a fundamental right everyone should enjoy. The high tuition costs of most higher education institutions, unfortunately, remain one of the biggest hurdles to pursuing a college degree. In most cases, students would have to accrue massive debt to cover the cost of attendance. However, this isn’t always the case because there are always cheaper alternatives to many universities.
That’s why we listed some of the recommended, most affordable schools in New York you can enroll in as an international student. Read the article below to learn more!
Affordable Schools in New York for International Students
1. New York City College of Technology
We start our list of cheap schools in the state with City Tech, which stands for the New York City College of Technology. This institution is the City University of New York’s public technological college in Brooklyn. It was founded in 1946 after World War II to answer the demand for technical education for returning GIs.
Today, the college offers more than 50 degree programs ranging from computer science and engineering to education and liberal arts. Annually, the college enrolls around 17,000 students and has a faculty of around 1,000, which gives a ratio of 17:1, which means that you will stay aware of the crowd of humanity.
2. College of Staten Island
The College of Staten Island opened in 1976 after merging two existing institutions, Staten Island Community College and Richmond College. In 1994, CSI opened a 204-acre campus on Station Island, making it a perfect getaway for students looking for open spaces in the middle of the city. The institution has four primary schools: humanities, technology, business, and education.
When it comes to academic programs, the College of Staten Island offers a variety of associate, undergraduate, master’s, and doctorate programs. In research, the school contains nearly 80 science labs; among them, its High-Performance Computing Center, or HPCC, is home to one of the most powerful computers in the world.
3. York College
The following cheap higher education institution in New York is York College, which opened its doors with only 371 students. Today, the college has over 8,000 students, with a small percentage of international students. Despite its humble beginnings, it has emerged as a beacon in the New York college system or the CUNY system.
York College mainly offers degrees in health-related fields, but it also provides exciting fields like aviation management. This institution is academically separated into the School of Arts & Sciences, Business & Information Systems, and Health Sciences & Professional Programs.
4. City College of New York
Established in 1847, the City College of New York has a proud history of providing generations of New Yorkers with affordable, accessible, and quality education. As a cheap college in the state, CCNY remains steadfast in its role as an agent for social change by empowering its students and their local communities. This tradition continues to be upheld while being at the forefront of innovation.
CCNY currently offers baccalaureate programs in the liberal arts and sciences, encompassing traditional and newly emerging fields of study. So, whether you want to pursue a degree in education, philosophy, architecture, or engineering, it remains a viable option. The institution also has been known to produce trailblazers and leaders of all types.
Since the students have access to many of the top researchers in the country, many move on to prestigious schools such as MIT. If you are looking for a college with a historical flair and prestigious scholars, this is the one for you. Several graduates of this institution have become Nobel Prize winners, Pulitzer Prize finalists, and Rhodes scholars.
5. Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College was founded over 85 years ago as a beacon for immigrants looking to better themselves through education. Currently, this institution is a public college located in New York. When it comes to numbers, the student body is comprised of nearly 20,000 students, and the majority of its students are undergraduates. As the first co-educational liberal arts institution in New York, Brooklyn College started as tuition-free.
However, after facing near bankruptcy in the 1900s, it changed its policy to charging tuition, a policy that continues even today. Despite this, the Princeton Review in 2023 has ranked the school 14th in financial assistance among the Best Value Colleges for the past five years.
6. Lehman College
The next cheap school in New York is Lehman College, a four-year institution in the Bronx that is part of the City University of New York system. With an annual average of 14,000 students and no less than 81,000 graduates, it’s integral to the borough’s intellectual, economic, and cultural life. It does so by providing residents of the Bronx and nearby areas access to quality education.
Lehman currently boasts around 90 undergraduate and graduate programs. Its programs focus on the liberal arts, the sciences, and professional education, strongly emphasizing a solid research environment. The college gives students a wide array of choices with degree programs, including majors in anthropology, gender studies, biology, chemistry, and more.
Moreover, this institution takes pride in being a social catalyst for its students by giving them the economic and social mobility they need. Through its progressive policies and affordable rates, Lehman helps its students achieve success without going into debt.
7. Queens College
In an increasingly globalized society, Queens College has made its mission to prepare its students to become active and empowered citizens. It seeks to empower its students by letting them think so that they can face society’s complex problems while also considering the realities of cultural diversity and the pluralism of values. The institution does so by providing its diverse student body with a rigorous education in the liberal arts and sciences, effectively instilling in them the importance of knowledge, academic excellence, and service to the community.
Through its various baccalaureate and graduate programs, students are taught the underlying principles in the fields of the arts, mathematics, the sciences, the humanities, and the social sciences. The college made possible through a conducive working environment based on a highly structured curriculum and a collegiate culture of mutual respect.
As a public institution, this affordable college in New York serves the larger community by providing cheap and accessible higher education. At the end of the day, its graduates are crucial to New York’s vitality and economic prospects.
8. John Jay College of Criminal Justice
John Jay College of Criminal Justice is more than a higher education institution. This affordable institute in New York is also a diverse community of committed individuals looking to explore the meaning of justice and all its aspects from many perspectives. It seeks to foster an inclusive, socially conscious, and intellectually prepared environment for its students by focusing its energies towards providing quality education for traditionally underrepresented groups.
This institution also offers twenty-one fields of study with diverse options for liberal arts majors and minors. Its curriculum is designed to impart to its students the necessary critical thinking skills to grasp the concepts behind criminal justice fully. Concurrently, it equips them with the knowledge they need to pursue their goals. That’s why graduates of this college have pursued meaningful and rewarding careers in the public and private sectors.
9. Hunter College
We end our list of cheapest New York schools with Hunter College. Established in 1870, it is a distinguished public college that has served the city of New York for 150 years. As a learning institution, it prioritizes developing its students as individuals, effectively molding them into proactive and informed citizens pursuing a just and inclusive society. Since its founding, Hunter has sought to transform the lives of its students by prioritizing their success. It continues to uphold this rich tradition while also forging into the future.
Furthermore, this affordable New York institution fosters intellectual and cultural growth through its undergraduate programs, offering degrees in many fields in the arts and sciences — from art studies to biophysics and everything in between. Whichever degree they pursue, students receive an education that prioritizes research, recognizes societal diversity, and promotes innovative solutions to existing problems.
FAQs: Studying at a University in New York
What is the Cheapest University in New York City?
The cheapest university in NYC would be all the colleges in the City University of New York. Also called short as CUNY, some of the colleges in this system are New York City College of Technology, College of Staten Island, York College, and more! Since all the institutions in this school system charge the same fees, just take your pick according to your personal preferences.
Which Institution in the U.S. is the Cheapest for International Students?
Berea College is the most affordable college for international students in the United States. For all attendees, this college awards full-ride scholarships to all incoming students, and this award covers your full tuition, living expenses, and any fees that might come your way. For more information regarding Berea College, check out its different scholarships and tuition fees.
It’s nice to dream of pursuing your chosen degree in an excellent and culture-rich state, especially New York, because of the numerous educational and work prospects you can get there. Since institutions in such a famous state can get costly for international students, it’s helpful to learn about the most affordable schools you can find in New York, which are already listed above for your reference. Take advantage of the opportunity to enroll in quality education and experience the vibrant life in NYC!
We hope this article on the cheap universities in New York was helpful. To learn more information on studying in the United States, feel free to check out our Study in the USA Page and the Available USA Programs for International Students.
