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New York · State guide

Community college transfer in New York

A complete guide to how to transfer from a community college to a university in New York — including the state's 30 accredited community colleges, the major receiving universities, and the statewide articulation programs that govern credit transfer.

30
Community colleges
26%
Avg transfer rate
$3,608
In-state tuition / yr
44%
Completion rate

How transfer works in New York

Two-year colleges in New York serve as the primary on-ramp to a bachelor's degree for tens of thousands of in-state residents each year. The state's 30 accredited community colleges enroll a median of 8,108 students each, charge an average of $3,608 per year for in-state residents, and transfer roughly 26% of incoming degree-seeking students into a four-year institution within six years.

Like most U.S. states, New York coordinates community-college-to-university transfers through a combination of statewide articulation agreements, common course-numbering schemes, and institution-specific transfer pathways. A student who completes the state's transfer-oriented associate degree — typically an AA or AS bearing a "transfer" or "university parallel" designation — usually receives junior standing at the receiving public university, with all general-education requirements considered satisfied.

Statewide articulation programs in New York

Several formal agreements govern how credits move between New York community colleges and the state's four-year institutions. Understanding which one applies to your intended major is the single most important planning step in your first semester.

SUNY Seamless Transfer

Min GPA: 2 · State University of New York

Statewide SUNY Transfer Paths guarantee that credits earned in 50+ majors transfer between SUNY community colleges and four-year SUNY campuses.

CUNY Pathways

Min GPA: 2 · City University of New York

Common general-education framework across all CUNY colleges; courses completed at a CUNY community college transfer one-for-one to any CUNY senior college.

Top receiving universities for New York transfer students

The most common 2+2 destinations for community college students in New York are the state's flagship and regional public universities. Each has a published transfer-admission policy with a minimum GPA, a credit-hour cap, and an application deadline distinct from the freshman cycle.

UniversitySystemMin transfer GPAApplication window
Stony Brook University SUNY 2.5 Mar 1 (fall) / Nov 1 (spring)
University at Buffalo SUNY 2.5 Mar 1 (fall) / Nov 1 (spring)
Binghamton University SUNY 3 Mar 1 (fall) / Nov 1 (spring)
Hunter College, CUNY CUNY 2.5 Feb 1 (fall) / Sep 15 (spring)
Baruch College, CUNY CUNY 3 Feb 1 (fall) / Sep 15 (spring)
City College of New York, CUNY CUNY 2.5 Feb 1 (fall) / Sep 15 (spring)

Costs and aid in New York

Community college tuition in New York averages $3,608 per year for in-state residents and $12,308 for out-of-state students. Most colleges layer the federal Pell Grant — worth up to about $7,400 per year for the lowest-income students — with state need-based aid, institutional scholarships, and federal Direct Loans where required. Roughly two of every three community college students in the state receive some form of grant aid, and a substantial minority pay nothing at all out of pocket for tuition once aid is applied.

The practical playbook is the same in every New York city: pick a target four-year institution before you finish your first semester at the community college, find that school's articulation agreement on the receiving registrar's website, and lock in your course selections accordingly. Skipping this step is the single most common reason transfer students lose credit on the way to the bachelor's degree — surveys regularly find that around forty percent of transfer credit is wasted nationally, almost always because the student picked courses without checking the articulation table first.

Largest community colleges in New York

Suffolk County Community College

~10,105 students · transfer rate 28%

North Country Community College

~9,621 students · transfer rate 18%

SUNY Broome Community College

~9,401 students · transfer rate 32%

Westchester Community College

~9,298 students · transfer rate 19%

Mohawk Valley Community College

~9,242 students · transfer rate 17%

Clinton Community College (New York)

~9,238 students · transfer rate 19%

Plan your New York transfer by program area

Each program-area page below combines New York's state-specific articulation rules with the typical two-year coursework for that major. Use it to confirm prerequisites and the most common receiving universities for your intended bachelor's.

Every community college in New York