Queens College (QC) is a four-year college that belongs to the City University of New York (CUNY) system. Spanning 80 acres of land located in the Kew Gardens Hills area of Queens, the school has a diverse student body that represents more than 170 countries. The campus consistently ranks as one of the leading institutions in the United States for the quality of its faculty and academic programs, affordability, and the achievement of its students.
On the athletic front, the Queens College Athletics and Recreation department sponsors 15 men’s and women’s championship-eligible varsity teams.
Queens College Acceptance Rate
Queens College Acceptance RateFor the 2017 to 2018 admissions cycle, Queens College had an acceptance rate of 48%. This means that out of every 100 students who sent over their applications, only 48 students were accepted by the school—making the admissions process in QC competitive.
Admission is based largely on high school performance and SAT or ACT scores. Students are required to have a high school curriculum of math, English, social studies, science, and foreign language. Applicants who enrolled at a different university or students who already possess a bachelor’s degree can still enroll in QC but only as a visiting, non-degree student.
Admitted Students Profile
A total of 19,866 students have enrolled in CUNY Queens College—out of that number, 16,680 students were enrolled in undergraduate programs and 3,186 students took up graduate programs. Based on gender distribution, QC has 8,530 male and 11,336 female students. When categorized according to race or ethnicity, 6,006 White, 1,749 Black, and 5,251 Asian students out of total 19,866 are attending the school.
Tuition Figures
2019 data show that the undergraduate tuition and fees of CUNY Queens College amount to $7,338 for New York residents and $15,008 for those living out of state. Meanwhile, graduate students pay tuition and fees amounting to $11,292 for New York residents and $20,442 for others. 9,458 students or 56.70% of the enrolled undergraduate students have received financial aid in the form of grants or scholarships aid with an average amount of $7,697.
For students interested in receiving financial assistance to pay for their college education, they may complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online. Applicants may check the status of their aid through the official FAFSA website.
Different kinds of financial aid are available for eligible students such as grants, loans, scholarships, and work-study jobs. Students are advised to send in their application ahead of time as the slots of these aids get filled quickly.
Location
Queens College is located at 65-30 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, NY 11367—about 10 miles east of Manhattan. While the campus is just one subway ride away from the culturally-rich Manhattan, students no longer need to go too far if they want world-class art and music.
The campus houses the Kupferberg Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, which has the Aaron Copeland School and the Louis Armstrong House Museum and Archives. It also serves as the location of the renowned Godwin-Ternbach Museum that has a collection of fine art with works by masters like Rembrandt, Rubens, Picasso, Matisse, and Morisot.
Academics
Queens College is widely recognized for being a liberal arts college that offers undergraduate degrees in 78 majors, master’s degrees in 24 departments, 20 doctoral degrees through the CUNY Graduate Center. There are also multiple advanced certificate programs. The school belongs to the seven participating schools in the CUNY Honors College.
Aside from a Freshman Honors Program, QC has a program referred to as TIME 2000 for future math educators. In addition, the Professional & Continuing Studies program provides students with non-credit courses in fields including health care, paralegal studies, real estate, and risk management.
The college has several educational hubs that focus on their research concerning different pressing social issues that affect the local communities, students, faculty and the many ethnic and religious groups of the Queens area.
Student Life
Queens College has an active student life. Prominent writers typically visit the campus for the Evening Reader’s Series, an event in which famous individuals share their words with the public and students. Margaret Atwood, Toni Morrison, and Frank McCourt are some of the authors who have already visited the school.
The Asian American Center, John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Center for Jewish Studies, and the Michael Harrington Center for Democratic Values and Social Change area few examples of centers in the campus focusing on certain social issues. There’s also a college newspaper known as The Knight News.
Athletics
The QC Knights are a participant of the NAIA. Sports fielded by the athletic department in the men’s division include teams in baseball, basketball, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, and water polo. For the women’s division, there are teams in baseball, fencing, soccer, softball, swimming, and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and lacrosse.
Students may also participate in an extensive intramural sports program with teams on flag football, dodgeball, indoor volleyball, basketball, indoor soccer, badminton, and ping pong.
Notable Alums
Some of the most well-known individuals who studied and graduated at Queens College are:
- Jerry Seinfeld – Actor and Comedian (’76)
- Jon Favreau – Actor and director, director of Iron Man & Iron Man 2
- Adrien Brody – Actor, Academy Award winner
- Joy Behar – Comedian and co-host of The View (’64)
- Gary Ackerman – NY State Congressman (’65)
- Paul Simon – Musician, Simon and Garfunkel (’63)
- Robert Moog – Inventor of the Moog synthesizer (’57)
- Andrew Goodman – Civil rights activist that was a victim in the murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner in 1964
- Carole King – Composer, singer and songwriter
- Kema Chikwe – National Women Leader of the Nigerian political party PDP, former aviation minister
- Anthony Como – NYC Council Member
- Costa Constantinides – NYC Council Member
- Joseph Crowley – United States Representative, New York’s 7th congressional district, Queens County Democratic Chairman
- Mark Danish – Florida House of Representatives
- Adriano Espaillat – Politician
- Rafael Espinal – NYC Council Member
- Arthur J. Finkelstein – GOP political consultant
- Marvin E. Frankel – litigator, judge, legal scholar, and human rights activist
- Helen W. Gillmor – U.S. Federal Judge
- Deborah J. Glick – NY State Assemblywoman
