The City University of New York

The City University of New York (CUNY), of which the College of Staten Island is a part, traces its beginning to 1847 and a public referendum that provided tuition-free higher education for residents of New York City. The municipal college system grew rapidly and its various colleges were consolidated as The City University of New York by an act of the New York State Legislature in 1961. CUNY is comprised of 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E. Macaulay Honors College at CUNY, the Graduate School and University Center, the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, the CUNY School of Law, the CUNY School of Professional Studies, and the Sophie David School of Biomedical Education. It is the largest municipal college system and the third largest university in the nation.