New York City Universities and Colleges

City University Nearby Hotel University Timeline Academic Programs

Columbia University. Columbia University was founded in 1754 as King’s College by royal charter of King George II of England. It is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York and the fifth oldest in the United States. From its humble beginnings in a schoolhouse in lower Manhattan, Columbia University has grown to encompass two principal campuses: the historic campus in the Morningside Heights neighborhood and the modern Medical Center further uptown in Washington Heights. One of the top academic and research institutions in the world, Columbia is renowned for conducting leading research in medicine, science, the arts, and the humanities. The university is comprised of three undergraduate schools, thirteen graduate and professional schools, and a school of continuing education. For more information, visit www.columbia.edu.

City University of New York. The nation’s largest urban public university with 23 schools, University of New York (CUNY), serves more than 226,000 degree-credit students and 230,000 adult, continuing and professional education students. College Now, the University’s academic enrichment program for 32,500 high school students, is offered at CUNY campuses and more than 280 high schools throughout New York City. The University offers an on-line baccalaureate degree through the School of Professional Studies and a new Teacher Academy with free tuition for highly motivated mathematics and science majors who seek teaching careers in the city’s public schools. For more information, visit www.cuny.edu.

Columbia University Medical Center. Situated on a 20-acre campus in Washington Heights in the northern part of Manhattan, Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) provides world-class leadership in scientific research, health and medical education and patient care. The medical center encompasses four schools: College of Physicians & Surgeons, College of Dental Medicine, School of Nursing, and Mailman School of Public Health. The importance of CUMC can be attested to in financial terms–its budget is roughly half of Columbia University’s nearly $2 billion annual budget. For more information, visit www.cumc.columbia.edu/.  [Top]

Columbia University Timeline

1754	Royal Charter establishes King's College under King George II of England.
1784	Renamed Columbia College by New York State Legislature.
1810	Final revisions are made to the Charter under which the University operates today.
1849	College moves from Park Place, near present City Hall, to 49th and Madison.
1889	Barnard College for women becomes an affiliate of Columbia.
1896	Trustees formally designate Columbia as a university.
1897	The University moves from 49th and Madison to its present site in Morningside Heights.
1928	Opening of the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, the first such center to combine teaching, research, and patient care.
1947	Nevis Laboratories is founded in Irvington, New York, offering facilities for experimental physics research.
1949	The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, a world-renowned research center dedicated to understanding the natural world, opens in Palisades, New York.
1954	Columbia's Bicentennial Celebration.
1983	The first Columbia College class to include women arrives on campus in September.
2002	Lee C. Bollinger begins term as Columbia's 19th president.
2004	Commemoration of Columbia's 250th Anniversary.

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City University of New York Academic Programs. CUNY provides post-secondary learning opportunities at every level–from certificate courses to the Ph.D.–in a single integrated system. The university offers approximately 1,400 academic programs, more than 200 majors leading to associate and baccalaureate degrees, and more than 100 graduate degree majors.

City University of New York Institutions
CUNY’s 23 schools include

• 11 Senior Colleges
• 6 Community Colleges
• William E. Macaulay Honors College
• Graduate School and University Center
• CUNY Graduate School of Journalism
• CUNY School of Law at Queens College
• CUNY School of Professional Studies
• Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education  [Top]