Office of Graduate Admissions

Next Steps for New Graduate Students

REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR NEW GRADUATE STUDENTS

Welcome to the City College of New York! Now that you have decided to join our distinguished community, take a moment to become familiar with your next steps.

Registration for new graduate students for the Fall semester will open on 04/09/2024 in accordance with student registration appointment time assigned and listed in your CUNYfirst, Student Center. Verify registration permissions in accordance with your academic advisor. 

The first day of the Fall 2024 term is Wednesday, August 28th.

International Students/I-20 Process

Students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents must have a student visa status that allows study at The City College of New York. The F-1 Student Visa is obtained with an I-20 Certificate of Eligibility which is issued by The City College of New York. Certificates of eligibility are issued to international students who have accepted our offer of admission, meet the English language proficiency requirement, and verified sufficient financial resources for at least one academic year. Students who are on visas must maintain continuous, full-time enrollment and are subject to U.S. immigration laws covering such items as employment on and off campus, change of degree, transfer of school, and extension of stay. 

I-20 Application

Step 1 - Complete your Intent to Enroll

When you are ready to respond to the offer of admission, Log in to your application and navigate to your decision letter. Use the link provided to let us know that you will be joining us.

There is no deadline to complete your intent to enroll, however not doing so may delay your registration process. 

Step 2 - Provide Official Transcripts/Proof of Degree

(Non-Degree/Re-Admit students are not required to submit official transcripts, only proof of degree)

If you are applying for matriculation and uploaded unofficial transcripts to your application and did not provide official documentation, you are required to submit your official transcripts prior to registering for your second semester. 

Official transcripts can arrive electronically using an official document transfer service used by your institution or can arrive in the envelope, sealed and stamped by your Registrar’s office.  If the official transcript does not include the conferral date of baccalaureate degree, please request an official copy of the diploma or provisional certificate as well. Transcripts (and diplomas) not in English must be accompanied by an official translation.

If your degree was conferred after you were accepted and you have not yet provided evidence of your baccalaureate degree, be certain to provide updated documentation to the appropriate graduate admissions office before seeing your academic advisor.

Any fraudulent activity or discrepancies found between unofficial and official transcripts will result in the immediate revocation of the admission offer.

Step 3 - Pay your Application Fee/Commitment Deposit*

*(Commitment Deposit does not apply to PhD, Non-Degree or Re-Admit Students)

You have two options for making payments. You can pay by credit card or echeck via your application portal or you can mail a check or money order payable to The City College of New York, however please note that there will likely be a delay in processing for items mailed to us. Please include your Applicant Full Name (as written in the application), and your Applyyourself ID and mail payments to:

The City College of New York
Office of Graduate Admissions
Bursar's Office
Willie Administration Building Room 103
160 Convent Avenue
New York, NY 10031

A non-refundable commitment deposit of $250 is required. The deposit will be applied toward tuition upon enrollment for the semester you are accepted for.  Students receiving full financial aid will receive a refund upon final confirmation of aid eligibility.

The Commitment Deposit will be waived for students who file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of $3,000 or less.  SEEK students, staff members receiving tuition waivers, veterans of the U.S. armed forces, Ph.D. candidates, as well as graduate students enrolling in the NYC Teaching Fellows Program are not required to pay the commitment deposit.  Deposit waivers based on financial hardship will be considered based on demonstrated financial need.  Students will be required to document the hardship by submitting a letter of explanation along with supporting documentation to the college’s Tuition Refund Committee at the Office of the Registrar, Wille Administration Building, Rm. 102.

Step 4 - Claim your CUNYfirst Account

CUNYfirst is our student information, registration and administrative system. All students must claim their accounts in order to obtain access to  course registration, degree audit, transcripts, and other services.

If you will be joining us for the:

Fall term, claim your account in CUNYfirst, after April 1st or two weeks after the date of your acceptance letter following April 1st. 

Spring term, you may claim your account in CUNYfirst, after December 15th or two weeks after the date of your acceptance letter following December 15th.  

In order to claim your account you will need:

Your Name
Your Date of Birth
The Last Four #'s of your Student ID (SSN) (
International applicants can visit the Office of Admissions in order to obtain assigned number)

Once you claim your account, write down and/or store your CUNYfirst ID (EMPLID). You will need to know your EMPLID when accessing your account.

(If you have previously attended a CUNY school and used CUNYfirst 
or have an active account, you do not need to claim your account again)

Step 5 - Viewing Financial Aid Awards

If you have completed a FAFSA application, you can view your award after claiming your  CUNYfirst account. Once you have logged in, navigate to your Student Center and follow these steps:

View Financial Aid link | Select Aid Year to View page | Award Summary page | Click hyperlinked budget amount to see your Estimated Financial Aid Budget Breakdown by term

General information about graduate aid is available at ccny.cuny.edu/financialaid/graduate-financial-aid. If you have questions, contact CCNY's Financial Aid office for more information, being sure to specify your EMPLID number.

Financial Aid Virtual Front Desk
Zoom: https://ccny.zoom.us/j/2126506656
Phone: 646 558 8656: meeting ID: 212-650-6656

If you are expecting an award but do not see one, check the "To Do" list in your CUNYfirst Student Center to see if there are any outstanding items to take care of before your financial aid package can be completed. 

You may also visit the new secure portal for verification and other documents: https://securetransfer.ccny.cuny.edu/filedrop/FinancialAid

Step 6 - Submit Immunization Information to the Student Health Center

Please visit Student Health Center website for all guidelines relating to immunization and services.

shs@ccny.cuny.edu

Step 7 - Registration/Enrollment

Advisement schedules vary by program, please check with your respective department prior to registering. Be sure to clear any outstanding holds. 

Once you have logged in to your CUNYfirst account, navigate to your Student Center where you will see your enrollment appointment. You can start enrolling into courses on or any time after your enrollment appointment date and time in accordance with your advisor.

Click the “Launch Schedule Builder” link to access the Schedule Builder application. (Be sure to allow pop-ups in the browser). Once the application opens, Schedule Builder’s Welcome page should appear. Next, select the term in which you would like to search for classes directly on the Welcome page.

Step 8 - Bill Payment and Obtaining an I.D. Card

1. Log onto your CUNYfirst account and select “Semester Bill” from the menu, click on the semester you wish to pay and, when you are ready to make your payment, click on the “Pay Now” tab at the bottom.

2. Once your bill is paid, proceed to the I.D. Office WEB page for details on how to obtain an ID Card

Step 9 – Residency Status

Verify that you are coded correctly and are paying the appropriate tuition. If you believe that there is an error, you must complete the CUNY Residency Form

Step 10 - Claiming your Email

Citymail accounts are automatically created as part of the registration process. It can take between one and three working days for accounts to be activated. Proceed to the CCNY website to log in and activate your CCNY email account. You can also view your email address in your Student Center through CUNYfirst. This address will be used for college announcements, CCNY Wi-Fi login, registrar and bursar communications. It may also be required for academic software licenses and other services. Be sure to check your CCNY email regularly.

Additional Information

  • All documents pertaining to your application, other than payments, should be sent to the appropriate admissions office:

Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership
College of Liberal Arts and Science
Division of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Center for Worker Education
Grove School of Engineering
Sustainability in the Urban Environment


The City College of New York
Office of Graduate Admissions
Marshak Science Building, Room 24
160 Convent Avenue
New York, NY 10031
graduateadmissions@ccny.cuny.edu

Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture
The City College of New York
Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture
141 Convent Avenue, Room 120
New York, NY 10031
archgrad@ccny.cuny.edu

School of Education
The City College of New York
School of Education
NAC 3/223A
160 Convent Avenue
New York, NY 10031
edgradadm@ccny.cuny.edu

Last Updated: 03/01/2024 13:48