CUNY York College: Cost, Admission Odds And Payoff
- York College admitted 9,976 of 15,563 first-year applicants for fall 2024, and 8% of the students it admitted enrolled.
- New York residents with household income of $125,000 or less can have their remaining tuition covered by the Excelsior Scholarship if they study full-time and stay in New York after graduating.
- 8% of students take out federal student loans, and the typical borrower leaves owing $11,350.
Is York College Worth It? The College Investor Rating
| Family | What They Pay | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | D | |
| Low-Income Families | Average $572 a year | D |
| Middle-Income Families | Average $6,552 a year | D |
| High-Income Families, In-State | $13,293 a year | D |
| High-Income Families, Out Of State | $21,243 a year | D |
How Hard Is It To Get Into York College?
York College accepted 64% of first-year applicants for fall 2024: 9,976 admits from 15,563 applications. 766 of those students enrolled, a yield of 8%.
What York College Weighs In Admissions
York College rates class rank, academic GPA and test scores as very important. Demonstrated interest counts for nothing: campus visits won't change your odds. Legacy status doesn't count.
Very Important
Important
Not Considered
What Will York College Actually Cost Your Family?
The average in-state York College student receiving financial aid paid $1,956 a year after grants.
That's against a sticker price of $13,293 a year for in-state students. Out-of-state tuition alone runs $15,308. New York residents with household income of $125,000 or less can have their remaining tuition covered by the Excelsior Scholarship if they study full-time and stay in New York after graduating. York College is one of a growing number of colleges offering free tuition by family income.
| Total Borrowed Over Four Years | $0 |
| Within Federal Student Loan Limits | $0 |
| Beyond Federal Student Loan Limits | $0 |
| Monthly Student Loan Payment, 10-Year Plan | $0 |
| Expected Pay In Your Major | $0 |
How York College Meets Financial Need
York College reports meeting 47% of demonstrated financial need on average. In 2024-2025, 2,641 of York College's 3,225 full-time undergraduates had financial need, and their average need-based grant was $8,728. York College determines financial need with the FAFSA, so how your assets are counted affects what you pay. York College awards essentially no merit scholarships.
Grants made up 90% of York College's need-based financial aid in 2024-2025. The rest came from student jobs, including Federal Work-Study, and $1,491,000 in student loans.
| Source | Need-Based | Not Need-Based |
|---|---|---|
| York College Grants | $14,865 | $501,117 |
| Federal Grants | $15,427,409 | $16,974 |
| State Grants | $7,949,780 | $1,035,237 |
| Outside Scholarships | $5,375 | $643,287 |
| Student Jobs And Work-Study | $972,819 | |
| Student Loans | $1,491,000 | $1,396,291 |
| Parent Loans, Including Parent PLUS | $16,300 |
Families Cover Part Of Their Financial Need
York College met an average of 47% of financial need in 2024-2025. The rest falls to families as savings, income, Parent PLUS loans or private student loans. Read your financial aid award letter carefully and appeal it if the numbers don't work.
| Measure | All Undergrads | First Year |
|---|---|---|
| Students With Financial Need | 2,641 | 648 |
| Share Of Financial Need Met | 47% | 51% |
| Average Need-Based Grant | $8,728 | $9,365 |
| Average Financial Aid Package | $6,937 | $6,061 |
| Average Student Loan | $4,237 | $3,249 |
| Students Without Financial Need Receiving Merit Scholarships | 12 | 7 |
Does A York College Degree Pay Off?
For many students, it's hard to justify. That's why York College earns .
York College students earn a median of $62,351 ten years after starting college, and 78% out-earn a typical high school graduate. 8% take out federal student loans, and the typical borrower leaves owing $11,350, about 18% of one year's pay. Earnings still depend heavily on major: Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research And Allied Professions graduates earned a median of $122,313 four years after graduating, compared with $52,679 for Public Health graduates.
How We Graded York College
The overall grade weighs payoff, price, graduation and student debt. Price counts what low-income families pay (5 points), what middle-income families pay (10 points) and the sticker price high-income families pay (10 points). Each income grade swaps in that family's price alone.
Grade Checks
Financial Aid Check
York College met 47% of financial need on average, so families with need should expect to cover part of it with savings, income or student loans.
Financial Health Check
No federal heightened cash monitoring and no closure, merger or financial exigency announcements.
Earnings Floor
78% of students out-earn a typical high school graduate. Schools where most don't are capped at a D.
York College In The News
We haven't covered York College in the news yet. These stories help families weighing a school like it.
More For York College Applicants
Compare York College With Similar Schools
Sources And Methodology
The College Investor Rating scores every four-year college from 0 to 100 on payoff (30%), price (25%), graduation (20%) and student debt (25%) using U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data. An earnings floor and a financial health check can cap the grade at D, and a financial aid check flags concerns without changing it. Price is judged on its own, without earnings. The grade measures financial return for families, not teaching quality, campus life or a school's mission.
Notes On The Data
- Low-income families earn under $48,000. Middle-income families earn $48,000 to $110,000. Their prices are federal averages for first-time, full-time students who received financial aid.
- High-income families are those who get no grant aid, so they pay the sticker price (cost of attendance). Out-of-state families pay the in-state cost of attendance plus the difference in tuition.
- Paying full price is the share of undergraduates who received no grant aid from any source in 2022-23, from the Education Department's IPEDS survey. The chance of merit aid divides merit scholarship recipients by full-time undergraduates without financial need, from the Common Data Set.
- Earnings by major are medians four years after graduation. Majors with too few graduates for the government to report earnings are left out. Debt by major is median federal student loan debt among borrowers.
- Admissions, financial aid and class of 2024 student loan figures come from the York College Common Data Set 2024-2025. Student loan debt at graduation excludes Parent PLUS and other parent loans, and students who transferred in.
- The calculator uses federal net price averages for in-state students and adds the tuition difference for out-of-state students. Borrowing up to the $27,000 federal limit for dependent undergraduates uses the 2026-27 undergraduate rate of 6.52%, and anything above it uses the 9.07% Parent PLUS rate. Parent PLUS loans are capped at $20,000 a year and $65,000 per student. See all federal student loan interest rates. York College's own net price calculator gives a personal figure, and College Aid Pro can compare costs across schools.
Data years: Earnings follow students who started college in 2011-12 and 2012-13, measured 10 years later. Net price and borrowing rates are for 2024-25. Graduation rates follow students who started in fall 2019. Median debt covers borrowers who left school in fiscal 2024 and 2025. Full-price shares are for 2022-23.
Work at York College? If a figure looks wrong, send us the source and our editors will review it.
Sources: York College Common Data Set 2024-2025. U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, data updated November 2, 2026. News from The College Investor.