Just for a little balance, and knowing that I'm the exception to the rule, NYU was cheaper for me to attend than The College of New Jersey would have been. I earned a bit of a scholarship, and their Financial Aid office was fairly helpful whenever I needed it to be and duly adjusted my aid package when my mother lost her job. Yes, there are loans still, but my colleagues who went to college in the SUNY system have good-sized, outstanding loans.

That's not to say it wasn't expensive or that I didn't have plenty of problems with the bureaucracy during my time there: just that maybe I've been out of there long enough now to remember that they weren't evil incarnate.

First off, regarding Columbia, which someone mentioned as another expensive school. Assuming the person meant either of Columbia's primary undergrad schools (College or Engineering) the unaffordability claim is complete nonsense. Now especially, with the under 60k families sending kids for free, but even before that, where such families paid very little. Columbia and all the Ivies tend to give just about as much as a family needs. Yes, that means that there is a need to stretch resources, especially if someone falls into the unfortunate bracket where tuition starts rising faster even though income still isn't "high" (think 80k-150k or so household, this is from personal experience). However, that's a matter of the parents perhaps being unable to afford that vacation over the next 4 years, and having to take out a reasonable amount of loans / being a little more frugal. It tends toward the manageable however; people who "can't" go typically have parents who don't "want" to pay, rather than being outright unable to find funds to write the check, whatever the amount may be.

Now regarding NYU: it being overpriced is relative given the fact that the market bears it; nobody "has" to go to NYU, and if they want to, they can weigh whether it's worth it or not for them to go. I'm sure the NYU experience is just as valid as any other.

Finally, given a significant other who is a part of CUNY's honors program, no less, I do get the impression that the academic environment, assuming that's all you care about in a school (you shouldn't), is less than optimal. Given the lower level preparation of the student body as a whole, I have heard of instances where the professors clearly don't respect their students and have very low expectations, where the class discussions seem to be far less "profound" than the ones at Columbia. Furthermore, the fact that the vast majority of students commute takes away campus vibes, and the schools aren't really more "diverse" than the Ivies (the Ivies tend upper middle class, the CUNYs tend lower middle class). It's cheaper, certainly, but it's very much a "you get what you pay for" thing: yes, you will come out having learned and earned your degree, especially in some departments which happen to be stellar, and generally in the scientific fields where from my experience, it doesn't matter as much what the undergrad location is, because the material is the same. However, in humanities classes, and a sense of a college experience, the CUNY system is lacking. I'm pretty sure that most people who would choose CUNY over Columbia would do so because they can't get into the latter, or are somehow uninformed about the Financial Aid policy.

to answer whoever asked why John Sexton's flying to Abu Dhabi all the time: as I understand it, the prince of Abu Dhabi gave NYU a significant amount of money to start a university there, and JSex plans on teaching a class there when it opens in 2010. Which means he'll be flying over every week.

notes about the Abu Dhabi offer: the prince had made the same offer to several other schools, including Yale, Harvard, and Princeton (as far as I know,) and they all turned it down. Seems like other universities don't feel the need to open a new franchise abroad while their students are drowning in debt. Smart!

NYU pulled its typical financial aid bait and switch with me after my freshman year. Consequently I am happy to have Hunter as my alma mater, and not be hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt! I kept my city and my money! I love CUNY!

LOL @ sheer amount of delusion in every sentence of post 16.

sounds like a lot of you didn't get into NYU.

I am about to graduate from NYU and while I was lucky enough to be awarded both academic scholarships and a financial aid package from the university, I completely understand people's various sources of irritation about the university. But I'd like to point out 3 things:

1) NYU has a relatively small endowment when spread across the number of students: $52,000/student --

compared to $252,000/student at the University of Pennsylvania, $280,000/student

at Columbia, and $1.9 million/student at

Princeton in 2007.

2) Yes, there are many "prissy" and spoiled NYU students. But they certainly do not make up ALL of the student population and I personally hate fighting against that stereotype every damn time I tell someone I go to NYU.

I'm smart, don't have a lot of money, and have maintained a 20+ hour work schedule throughout my four years at NYU so I could afford to the enjoy the city I live in. If that's too much for your mind to handle, that's not my fault.

3) The prissy students aren't the ones who are going to be switching over to the CUNY schools. Your moral standards are safe.

Prank or not, it's true. There's nothing wrong with CUNY. If more good students opted out of the prestigious schools and went to CUNY schools, the whole quality of the university system might rise.

As it is, they laughed at my New School BFA in France, when I applied for a masters there. They figured it was worth a BAC (their equivalent of prep school), and me start from freshman level. And I soon saw why.

(I got my five years of university education for free, in their state system.)

Nobody is very impressed with a NYU degree in any discipline - with the exception of the business school.

You didn't major in mathematics otherwise you would know better than to say what you just said.

But for $50K/year tuition, NYU buildings (except for Stern) seem old and outdated. Where does all their money go to?

NYU can go to fucking hell

Who wants to go to a school where the fundraising begins before you even show up there? NYU got fat on all those rich Baby Boomer parents whose stock portfolios made them rockstars in their own minds. Well guess what? Aside from the usual Stuyvvies and Ridgeleys, those rich assholes are freaking out and even if they still have the money, they're going to trot their brats around every financial aid angle until they either just give in or junior's off to SUNY, CUNY, or Starbucks.

I couldn't get financial aid from NYU so I went somewhere else. And my life didn't end.

Boo fucking hoo.

I agree that CUNY provides a great education, but there's no need for someone from Pratt to spit on it. I'm so glad that your apparent knowledge of EVERY discipline that NYU has to offer has made you so prescient so as to know that 'nobody is very impressed' except for Stern. Everywhere. In any topic.

You do realize that NYU law is arguably the best law school in the country, right? Or NYU Medical? And that Tisch has produced how many artists/musicians/writers/directors/etc of note, at both undergraduate and graduate levels? Gallatin, CAS, Steinhardt all have their own merits and have great programs; NYU's Italian department and its philosophy department for instance are viewed as the best in the country and that's just for starters.

Don't slam things groundlessly, you just look like a pathetic twat.

Correction: NYU's Law School is one of the best. Not the best. Tisch is overrated - people go there for the connections not necessarily to polish their craft unless it's hands on art (directing, writing, photography). There are better acting conservatories than Tisch (Julliard), also. The other departments you list can be compared to Columbia and Fordham. Overall, NYU is riding on hype and the city's hype. You only go to NYU for a few select programs in undergraduate. Besides its graduate programs in business, international affairs, and medicine NYU is over hyped and overrated. Those who know better seek other institutions when it comes to undergrad work. Lawyered.

This whole (fake) plan would assume NYU would take all the CUNY credits.

Hmmm.. Three years CUNY, one year NYU.. an NYU degree on the cheap! Could it work in reality?

But screw that. I'm taking classes at CUNY now and the schooling has been (mostly) excellent. Now if they could paint the walls every couple of years...

The poster states:

"I mean, we're like dead last among private universities for financial aid,..."

If this is indicative of the writing skills of NYU student satirists, does anyone wonder why they are disdained?

Bad enough they speak that atrocious Valleyspeak, can they not even write a spoof of a University document, without the ubiquitous "I mean" and "like".

On the other hand, perhaps John Sexton flies to the Abu Dhabi NYU campus every other week to try to find out why they continue to admit NO JEWS or GAYS as students there.

What the story, President Sexton?

Everyone always seems to forget about Fordham. Want a real college experience (read: campus!) in New York City? Look no further!

I'll admit I was lured by the glitz and glamour of NYU back when I was applying. My acceptance packet even came with a $15,000/year scholarship. When I appealed to the finaid department, saying I couldn't afford the rest on my father's bartending salary, they said, "Be grateful." Not kidding. I sent my deposit over to Fordham instead, which gave me full tuition.

I've never looked back. No classes with more than 25 students. No TAs to be found. Two beautiful campuses. Not to mention that the students are much more down to earth at Fordham than at NYU ("Where's my allowance, daddy?").

Oh, and about that financial aid? Fordham professors are personally reminding students to have their finaid packages reevaluated to see they are eligible for more assistance in the current economic climate.

Don't forget the other NYC alternatives--there are some schools here that have a heart.

I'm an NYU grad and if I had to do it all over again I'd skip the whole thing and go to the New School or Fordham instead. Big waste of money. Anyone struggling to pay for NYU should look elsewhere, as the school suggests. The quality of education I got there was definitely not worth the loans I'm now paying off.

Yeah CUNY! NYU is a highly overrated institution and as mentioned above a very bad neighbor.

Have to say I went to a very expensive undergrad school with little FA - Pratt Institute. It was worth every dime - I got lots of connections which have served me well for years. Nobody is very impressed with a NYU degree in any discipline - with the exception of the business school.

Got my graduate degree from City. I think it's a great school if you get engaged in what you are studying. City's biggest drawback is that ugly NAC building.

"It's just as good as NYU, but without the premium cost and name recognition"

I agree, but with certain programs, name recognition matters most, especially when it comes to business schools.