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 comprises 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, a graduate school, a law school, and a medical school. It is the largest municipal college system and the third largest university in the nation.