CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies (CUNY BA, estab. 1971) is a University-wide, individualized degree.  It’s an exciting, versatile, rewarding degred route for highly-motivated, self-directed students whose academic goals transcend traditional majors. CUNY BA attracts many of the best students from within and from outside the University.

• Enrollment and Retention
• Admissions and Recruitment
• Graduation Rates
• After Graduation
• Faculty Mentors

Enrollment and Retention

• About 600 students, both full-time and part-time, are enrolled.
• Over half of are women or minorities, and roughly three-quarters of the students are over the age of 24.
• CUNY BA students can be matriculated in a community college; at 68 credits, they transfer to one of CUNY’s senior colleges.
• Students often report that before finding this individualized degree they were considering leaving CUNY because they could not achieve their academic goals.

Admissions and Recruitment

• Minimum eligibility requires at least 12 college credits complete with at least a 2.8 GPA and, of course, an idea for one (or two) viable individualized area(s) of concentration.
• Almost 30% of students enroll in CUNY specifically to join the program.
• The average GPA of admits has risen each year over the past 10 years. Cohorts now enter, on average, with a transfer GPA of 3.25 and 70.5 credits.

Graduation Rates

• On average, students graduate in 2 years.
• The graduation rate for more than 20 years has been between 65 and 72%.
• Over 50% of students graduate with academic honors.

After Graduation

• Since 1991, 47% of CUNY BA alumni have continued to graduate school; about half of those have attended a CUNY graduate program. A majority of graduates surveyed say their undergraduate education adequately prepared them for graduate school.
• 80% of graduates hold jobs in fields related to their areas of concentration.
• More than half of the graduates report receiving promotions or raises in their current positions or starting new careers upon earning the degree.
• Close to 80% live in New York.
• The vast majority of graduates say CUNY Baccalaureate exceeded their expectations and that they would recommend it to others.
• For more on career and graduate school prospects, go to http://cunyba.gc.cuny.edu/future-employment-and-graduate-school/

Faculty Mentors

• Approximately 400 full-time CUNY faculty members are serving as mentors to CUNY Baccalaureate students at any given time.
• Mentors frequently report that working with their CUNY BA mentees is one of the most rewarding aspects of their careers.
• CUNY-wide, more than 80% of the senior college faculty hold Ph.D.s or other highest degrees in their fields. CUNY’s full-time teaching faculty of 6,100 includes world-renowned experts in virtually every field of human endeavor.