New York University (NYU) is a private research university located primarily in Manhattan's Greenwich Village neighborhood, with the Tandon School of Engineering in Downtown Brooklyn. Today it is the largest private university in the United States, enrolling 53,576 students and employing 19,000 New Yorkers. In addition to its NYC campuses, NYU has campuses in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai.
NYU in New York offers over 400 programs of study, from bachelor's degrees to post-doctoral fellowships.
NYU (or University of the City of New-York, as it was then known) was founded in 1831 by a group of prominent New Yorkers led by Albert Gallatin, an immigrant from Geneva (now Switzerland). He had served as Secretary of the Treasury under presidents Jefferson and Madison. The founders' goal was to create an institution of higher education that served the "rising mercantile class" of the city by providing both a practical and professional education and training in the arts and sciences. Initial enrollment was 158 white, male students. It moved to Washington Square East in 1835.
NYU soon distinguished itself through its graduate and professional programs, including law, medicine, dentistry, and education. In 1900 it added one of the nation's first university-affiliated business schools. For a time, all undergraduate programs were held in the University Heights section of The Bronx. NYU sold that campus and consolidated downtown in 1973 as a result of ongoing financial deficits due to declining enrollment.
NYU has since restored its balance sheet and expanded to include degree-granting campuses in Shanghai and Abu Dhabi, as well as six additional international study locations. Enrollment is currently over 50,000.
Interested in studying Aegean Art or Information Law? How about Ballet Pedagogy or Latino Studies? The dizzying array of over 400 academic specialties offered by NYU is organized into 17 schools: Arts & Science, College of Dentistry, Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Gallatin School of Individualized Study, Grossman School of Medicine, The Institute of Fine Arts, Institute for Study of the Ancient World, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, Rory Meyers College of Nursing, School of Global Public Health, School of Professional Studies, School of Law, Silver School of Social Work, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, Tandon School of Engineering, and Tisch School of the Arts.
Undergraduate admission to NYU is selective: only about 12% of the 105,000 applicants for the 2022-23 school year received offers to attend. NYU is seeking diversity in its student body. In the class of 2023, no one race makes up more than 22% of students. 22% of students are international. Undergraduate tuition is $56,500 per year.
NYU offers 350+ master's and doctorate programs, including several online, part-time programs. Admission rates and tuition vary by school and program. NYU is noted for its research focus on Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Humanities, Cybersecurity, Quantum Phenomena, STEM Learning, and Strategies to Reduce Inequality.
NYU boasts high-profile faculty, including 24 highly-cited researchers who have had a significant impact on their field of study, 16 MacArthur Genius Grant recipients, and five Nobel Laureates.
NYU has long been committed to creating an inclusive community. With years of effort in building and strengthening a university-wide culture of global inclusion, diversity, belonging, equity, and access (GIDBEA), NYU has achieved high diversity among its student body and faculty. For the Fall Freshman Class of 2023, 24% are international students, 20% white, 19% Asian/Pacific Islander, 19% Hispanic/Latino, 9% Black/African American, and 9% other.
With over 50,000 students, NYU has a busy and varied campus life that spills over into the surrounding neighborhoods. The Center for Student Life offers over 300 clubs, and the school has an active Greek life with 23 fraternities and sororities on campus. Students can participate in intramural or club sports from badminton to water polo to dance team or work out at one of the school's three fitness centers. Varsity athletes compete in the NCAA's Division III. The school mascot is the Bobcat, though teams are referred to as the Violets.
NYU boasts over 500,000 alumni from the United States and 183 foreign countries. Notable graduates from the school include playwright and 2016 MacArthur Fellowship recipient Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, former chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan, founder of MTV Tom Freston, and the real estate developer and owner of the World Trade Center site Larry Silverstein.
Tisch School of the Arts has cultivated countless household names, including director Woody Allen, Academy Award and Primetime Emmy Award winner Anne Hathaway (non-graduate), actress, director, and humanitarian Angelina Jolie, Rachel Brosnahan from the Amazon show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, singer, songwriter, and winner of Academy, BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Grammy Award Lady Gaga (non-graduate), Sherwin David "Wood" Harris, who portrayed the drug kingpin Avon Barksdale on the HBO show The Wire, and actor and Tony Award recipient Jeffrey Wright.
Attending NYU is quite an experience as you'd be taking classes at the heart of one of the largest and most diverse cities around the globe. NYU has over 171 buildings in Manhattan and Brooklyn. The majority of the schools and academic buildings are located in Greenwich Village around Washington Square Park and Union Square. The famous Tisch School of the Arts is located at 721 Broadway, with the Tisch Hall being close by at 40 West 4th Street. The Stern Business School is right next to the Bobst Library (70 Washington Square South) at 40 and 44 West 4th Street. Law School students take most of their classes at 40 Washington Square South, and students attending the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development are primarily at 82 Washington Square East. A detailed NYU campus map is available here.
NYU has 22 residence halls for on-campus living. About 12,000 students live on-campus each year. The school offers apartment-style housing for upper-level students and traditional dorm-style housing for first-year students. NYU has two residence halls in Downtown Brooklyn for students at the nearby Tandon School of Engineering. There are two residential colleges, Goddard Hall and Broome Street, where students opt-in to intentional community living and participation in an interest-driven programming stream. This is in addition to the many themed engagement communities offered in halls across campus.
NYU students have a number of dining options: three full-service dining halls, four "Marketplace Convenience Stores," several food court style eateries, a kosher dining hall, and a virtual, GrubHub powered dining hall where students can order food for delivery. Students can use their dining dollars at nearby cafes as well.
Many students attending NYU prefer to live on campus as the dorms are more affordable than renting in the city. However, not everyone gets to be placed in a dorm, given the limited space. Additionally, renting in NYC could be affordable, if you know how. If you are looking to live off-campus, the first thing to consider is if you'd like to have roommates. Sharing an apartment with roommates will undoubtedly reduce the cost of living. East Village, NoHo are all popular neighborhoods among NYU students who choose to live off-campus, thanks to their proximity to the campus. If you're looking to live off-campus and stay close to public transit, check out RentHop's Subway Rent Map and see which subway stops are the cheapest.
Most NYU graduates who continue staying in the city are spread throughout Manhattan, Northwestern Brooklyn, and Northwestern Queens. Some popular neighborhoods for alumni include Hell's Kitchen, Financial District, Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Astoria, Long Island City, Williamsburg, Brooklyn Heights, and Greenpoint.
NYU is located on and around Washington Square Park, home to the iconic Washington Arch, erected in 1889 to celebrate the centennial of George Washington's inauguration. Originally a "potter's field" (a burial ground for the indigent), it became a park in 1826 and soon a fashionable district for well-off families. Today it's a hangout for both NYU students and local residents. Just off of Washington Square Park is NYU's Brown Building, formerly the Asch Building, site of the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.
Greenwich Village's historic townhouses provide a picturesque backdrop for college life. Apartment exteriors used in Friends and Sex and the City are just steps away from campus. Also in the immediate area of NYU is Stonewall Inn, the site of the 1969 protests that galvanized the gay rights movement. Julius', located on 10th Street at Waverly Place, is the city's oldest operating gay bar, dating back to 1862.
NYU's downtown location offers students easy access to all the city has to offer: the eats of Little Italy and Chinatown are within walking distance, as is SoHo shopping. The Union Square farmer's market is a few blocks north. The Comedy Cellar, The Duplex, and the Greenwich Village Comedy Club, all near campus, host some of the city's best stand-up, improv, and cabaret acts. Live music is also a neighborhood highlight, with classics Cafe Wha and The Bitter End as well as Smalls Jazz Club and Joe's Pub near campus.
For people first moving into New York City, check out the RentHop Renters Guide. The guide explains everything you need to know about renting in the Big Apple, from finding your ideal apartment to signing the lease and completing the rental process.
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