Not knowing what you might want to study in college, or what college you want to go to, is totally understandable! It is a big decision.

If you are undecided, starting out with CUNY Pathways (general education) courses is a great plan. Once completed, Pathways credits move seamlessly across the CUNY system – in other words, they are accepted across all CUNY colleges and majors. Completing these requirements in high school is a great way to get a head start on your college degree, even if you are unsure of which CUNY college you will attend, or what you will study there.

Absolutely not! Most students who enroll in an associate degree program at a community college intend to get their bachelor’s degree. For many students, starting at a community college is a good next step after high school and CUNY community colleges have many support programs to help students succeed.

Each CUNY college has a slightly different process, but typically after applying and being admitted, students receive instructions via email about the steps they need to take to ensure all incoming credits are evaluated. If you do not see something like this shortly after you have accepted your offer of admission and committed to the college, you should get in touch with the Admissions office for further guidance.

This depends on the type of credit and where you enroll in college. For credits earned in a dual enrollment program, like College Now or an Early College High School, you are directly earning credits at a particular CUNY college. Depending on the course(s) you take and the grades you earn, those credits may fulfill different types of requirements (e.g., general education, major).

You came to the right place! As a first step, use the High School to CUNY Explorer to see which CUNY College Now courses have historically been offered at CUNY. You can explore how those courses apply to CUNY degree requirements for specific majors and colleges.

Next, speak to your high school counselor or the College Now liaison at your high school about how to apply and take the courses you are interested in. Your liaison can also help you learn more about CUNY colleges and majors.

For a course or exam to be awarded credit, a passing grade has to have been earned.

When you transfer credits, the credits you earned from one college move with you when you start at a new college. But it’s not always that simple. Within CUNY, all courses will transfer, but how a course transfers is what matters the most. You want to know if the course will count for a Pathways credit, major credit, or elective credit. Transfer Explorer can help you explore how college credit is awarded and how it transfers all across CUNY to meet degree requirements, so you can plot the best course.

A college degree is typically made up of three main components: a general education core, major specific requirements, and electives.

• General Education Requirements are a broad core curriculum usually taken by all students at an institution that includes courses in English, science, math, and liberal arts. At CUNY this is called CUNY Pathways.
• Major Requirements are a set of specific courses required to complete a major at a college. These are usually subject-area focused (e.g. engineering, education, etc.).
• Elective Requirements are a non-specific set of courses that allow a student to broaden their learning in a major or non-major area. Students have some freedom to choose the courses that meet these requirements.

In general, CUNY accepts AP exams with a score of “3” or higher, but how those credits apply vary. CUNY colleges set different minimum grade requirements for what kind of credit they will award. For example, Baruch College will award a liberal arts elective credit for a score of 3 on the AP Biology exam, but a biology credit for a score of 4. You can check how CUNY colleges award AP credit here by following the steps noted.