Address: 70 Washington Square South, 10012 New York City, New York, United States
Arts (Tisch School), Business (Stern School), Law
Established in 1831, NYU is a large private research university in New York City, with campuses and academic centers worldwide. It is known for its strong programs in arts, business (Stern), law, medicine, and Tisch School of the Arts.
New York University was founded in 1831 as the University of the City of New York, with Albert Gallatin, a former treasury secretary, among its backers, to offer a modern education open to students of different religions and means. Its heart is Washington Square in Greenwich Village, where the university buildings surround the park and the marble arch. It has about 60,000 students and 20,000 staff, which makes it one of the largest private universities in the country.
NYU is organised in more than a dozen schools and colleges, including the College of Arts and Science, the Stern School of Business, the Tisch School of the Arts, the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, the Tandon School of Engineering, the Grossman School of Medicine and the School of Law. The Tisch School, founded in 1965, trained many film directors, and Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee are among its graduates. The Courant Institute is a leading centre for applied mathematics and computer science.
Samuel Morse, the inventor of the telegraph and Morse code, was a professor of painting and sculpture at the university in the 1830s and carried out his early telegraph experiments in the building on Washington Square. The university has also built a global network, with degree-granting campuses in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai and academic centres in cities such as Berlin, Paris, London, Florence and Buenos Aires, and many students spend a semester abroad.
The city is the campus, with museums, theatres, libraries and companies a short walk away. The Bobst Library in red sandstone, designed with a central atrium, is the main library. The athletic teams are the Violets, and the university colour is violet. Admission is selective, and financial aid is largely need-based. Check the current tariff for tuition, which is high. Teaching is in English.
Housing in Manhattan is expensive, and the subway reaches every part of the city.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Data Analytics, Industrial Design, Software Engineering, Sound Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Private
Partnerships:
Located in Greenwich Village, NYC, with a global network of campuses and study-abroad sites. Highly ranked schools of arts, business, and law. Member of AAU.
Research:
A leading research university with strengths across arts and humanities, social sciences, business, law, medicine, and data science. Very high research activity.
Famous Alumnis:
Martin Scorsese, Lady Gaga, Alec Baldwin, Spike Lee, Anne Hathaway, Woody Allen
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
20000
Current students***:
60000
Foreign students***:
30%
Cumulative former students***:
500000
Pros
Unparalleled location in NYC for arts, culture, and global industries; world-renowned programs in arts, business, and law; extensive global network.
Cons
Extremely expensive tuition and cost of living, very large and decentralized urban campus, can be impersonal.
Best For
Students seeking a premier education in arts, business, law, or other disciplines, valuing unparalleled access to New York City’s cultural, professional, and global opportunities.
University of Southern California works in much the same fields, chiefly sound engineering, industrial design and data analytics, and it is also a private institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
For students who like the data analytics, AI and machine learning and software engineering focus of this university but want another option nearby, Columbia University fits well: it covers project management and physics as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 34,200 students against roughly 60,000 here.
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor is the closest domestic counterpart for data analytics, AI and machine learning and software engineering; it is slightly smaller, at about 51,200 students against roughly 60,000 here, and is public, whereas this institution is private.
Temple University overlaps with this institution on industrial design, data analytics and AI and machine learning, so the two are easy to compare, and it is smaller, enrolling about 35,000 students against roughly 60,000 here, and is public, whereas this institution is private.
University of Pennsylvania sits close to this university on data analytics, AI and machine learning and software engineering; it is also a private institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
For a study option in Saudi Arabia with a comparable spread of industrial design, data analytics and software engineering, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University is the reference point: it does not run the mba programmes found here and covers finance and life sciences as well.
The University of Edinburgh offers an international parallel to this university, with data analytics, AI and machine learning and software engineering as common ground; it covers robotics and physics as well, and is slightly smaller, at about 46,000 students against roughly 60,000 here.
Goldsmiths, University of London in the United Kingdom is the nearest foreign match on sound engineering, industrial design and data analytics; it does not run the mba programmes found here and covers ergonomics and UX as well.
Students considering a move abroad can look at Oslo Metropolitan University in Norway, where sound engineering, industrial design and data analytics also form the core, and it covers ergonomics and UX and project management as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 22,000 students against roughly 60,000 here.
For a study option in South Korea with a comparable spread of data analytics and software engineering, Yonsei University is the reference point: it is smaller, enrolling about 29,832 students against roughly 60,000 here, and is also a private institution.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is NYU?
Around Washington Square in Greenwich Village, New York City.
When was it founded?
In 1831, as the University of the City of New York.
How large is it?
About 60,000 students and 20,000 staff.
What are its main schools?
Among others, the College of Arts and Science, Stern, Tisch, the Courant Institute, Tandon, the medical school and the law school.
Who studied at Tisch?
Film directors including Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee.
What is the Courant Institute?
A leading centre for applied mathematics and computer science.
What is the link with Samuel Morse?
He was a professor of painting and sculpture at the university in the 1830s and carried out early telegraph experiments there.
Does NYU have campuses abroad?
Yes. Degree-granting campuses in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai, plus academic centres in other cities.
What is the Bobst Library?
The main library of the university, a red sandstone building with a central atrium.
How is financial aid decided?
It is largely need-based. Check the current tariff for tuition, which is high.
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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