Graduation rates have plummeted by nearly 10% at CUNY schools in the past five years, troubling new data shows.
asserted
data → plummet → years
The graduation rates for associate degrees awarded at the City University of New York’s community colleges, which are designed to be completed in two years by full-time students, dropped from 38.9% in 2022 to 35.5% in 2026, according to CUNY records provided in the Mayor’s Management Report.
uncertain
which → award → Report
The grad rate for students at CUNY’s four-year undergradate colleges meanwhile steadily fell from 62% in 2022 to 55.6% in the past academic year.
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rate → fall → year
Graduation rates for CUNY students in the system’s prestigious special three-year undergraduate Accelerated Study in Associate Programs — known as ASAP — declined even more, from 44% in 2022 to 34.5% in 2026 — or nearly 22%.
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rates → know → 2026
CUNY’s ASAP is a nationally recognized program that provides students with additional personal, academic and financial support to try to boost its graduation rates within three years.
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that → recognize → years
“It’s a two-pronged problem,” said former CUNY trustee Jeffrey Wiesenfeld to The Post.
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Wiesenfeld → ’ → Post
“The New York City school system standards dropped dramatically.
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standards → drop → ?
Most of the CUNY students come from the city public schools,” Wiesenfeld said.
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Wiesenfeld → come → schools
He also claimed that CUNY has relaxed its own standards after they were raised during the era of Mayors Rudy Giuliani and Mike Bloomberg and Gov. George Pataki.
CUNY — which consists of 26 institutions:11 four-year undergraduate colleges, seven community colleges and eight graduate, honors, and professional schools offering more than 70 doctoral programs — claimed in its report that the lingering effects of the pandemic are at least partly to blame.
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effects → claim → pandemic
“[The] graduation-rate declines are still affected by the COVID-19 pandemic disruption and also reflect changes in the freshman class composition,” the sprawling higher-education system said.
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system → affect → composition
A spokesman added that the “rate remains higher than a decade ago despite the profound disruption that the freshmen who began in 2019 faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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who → add → pandemic
“We have seen an increase in retention rates in subsequent classes and continue to expand student supports to help students stay on track to graduate in six-years or less,” the rep said.
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rep → see → years
CUNY said that since the pandemic, it has increased academic advising for freshmen, made it easier to transfer between two- and four-year colleges without losing credits and been using more data to offer students earlier interventions when they are struggling.
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they → say → interventions
The university also said the lower graduation rates reflect ASAP’s rapid expansion from serving roughly 12% of all associate-degree-seeking full-time freshmen to 40% over a three-year period.
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rates → say → period
ASAP continues to graduate students at double the rate of non-ASAP students, CUNY noted.
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CUNY → continue → students
But the percentage of students taught by full-time professors also has dropped at its colleges in the past year, going from 40.9% in 2025 to 39.7% in 2026 at four-year institutions and from 60.5% to 58.9% at community colleges.
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percentage → teach → colleges
That means many students are taught by part-time or adjunct professors.
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students → mean → professors
On the positive side, independent assessors rank CUNY colleges highly for social mobility, affordability and the graduation of students from non-wealthy families.
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assessors → rank → families
The Washington Monthly ranked six CUNY colleges in its top 40 in the Northeast — including Hunter College (No. 6), City College (19), Baruch College (20), Lehman College (26), Brooklyn College (32) and John Jay College (34).
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Monthly → rank → College
CUNY reported other bright spots in its report.
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CUNY → report → report
Enrollment has risen since the COVID-19 outbreak.
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Enrollment → rise → outbreak
Total enrollment recently increased 4%, from 237,671 in 2025 to 246,503 in 2026.
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enrollment → increase → 2026
At its community colleges, total enrollment increased 7%, from 76,432 to 81,883.
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enrollment → increase → 81,883
First-time freshman enrollment at both community and four-year colleges increased.
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enrollment → increase → colleges
Community-college freshman enrollment increased 10%, from 13,167 to 14,433, and four-year college freshman enrollment increased 1%, from 22,323 to 22,543.
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enrollment → increase → 22,543
The one-year retention rates of freshmen pursuing associate and baccalaureate degrees both increased from 61.5% to 68.7% and from 83.2% to 85.4%, respectively.
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rates → pursue → %
The Aporia
