CUNY Lehman College

The City University of New York is one of the nation's largest public school systems and maintains a number of campuses in New York. One of those campuses is Lehman College in the Bronx. In the 1930s, Hunter College opened in the borough and had several years of success before turning over its campus to the Navy. The Navy used that campus as a training center for soldiers during World War II before ending its operations. The new college that opened on that campus became Lehman College and later CUNY Lehman College. Established in 1967, most still refer to the campus by the shorter name of Lehman College. The campus, which measures more than 35 acres in size, is home to a number of historic buildings and more modern structures built to keep up with the demands of newer students.

Lehman Colleges offers two different scholar programs for students entering the college. One of these programs awards them a $7,500 scholarship for travel or research opportunities, a scholarship that covers their entire tuition and a brand new computer. Its Lehman Scholar Program allows students who pass an extensive assessment test to design and develop their own curriculum. Lehman College is also unique because of its Freshmen Year Initiative. This allows incoming students to take longer classes and work with the same group of students and professors as they make the transition from high school to college.

CUNY Lehman College Accreditation Details

When you choose CUNY Lehman College, you can rest assured that it has all the accreditation you need. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) granted the college accreditation during its early years and still ensures that it meets the needs of its students with regular checks that it does before renewing its accreditation. While regional accreditation is important, you may want to look at where the program that interests you has its own accreditation as well. The American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association accredited its speech and hearing pathology program. Lehman College has accreditation for its nursing program as well from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, Council on Social Work Education Office of Social Work Accreditation and the Council on Education for Public Health accredited some of its degree programs too.

CUNY Lehman College Application Requirements

Before enrolling at CUNY Lehman College, you might attend one of its open house events. These events let prospective students take a tour of the campus, meeting with admissions and financial aid counselors and even sit in on classes. Those counselors will help you understand the steps you need to take to apply and give you some tips on the application. If you cannot attend one of those events, you can still apply online. While most students can use the general online application, those applying to the School of Public Health must go through the SOPHAS online system. The basic application is similar to others you completed and asks for an overview of your education and professional experience.

All applicants applying to the graduate school must have a bachelor's degree or will have one of those degrees when classes start. You must also have a 3.0 grade point average across all courses relating to your field of study and a 2.7 in all other classes. The college charges a $125 application fee that it will waive for undergrads currently enrolled on campus. You also need to submit scores from a graduate examination, an official college transcript and a 500 word essay. Use this essay to explain why you chose Lehman College, how your experience will help you at the graduate level and how you plan to use your graduate degree. All grad school applicants must submit a minimum of two letters of recommendation too.

Tuition and Fees

As a CUNY school, Lehman College offers reduced tuition for New York residents. Part time students pay fees of around $132 a semester and $425 per credit hour for each class they take. Full time students who are also residents of New York pay fees of around $214 a semester and a total tuition rate of $5,065. Depending on the credit hours of your classes, you may take between four and five classes a semester for this rate. Residents from outside of New York pay fees of around $214 a semester and a tuition rate of $560 per credit hour.

The sooner that you file the FAFSA, the sooner you will find out the amount of financial assistance the college will give you. Graduate students often qualify for unsubsidized student loans, but you can also apply for alternative or private student loans from other lenders too. You will also want to ask the college about the steps required to apply for a fellowship or assistantship. Assistantships are open to students who are in graduate school and have strong research or teaching skills. Both of these programs will pay a significant portion of your tuition or all of your tuition, and some come with a stipend too.

CUNY Lehman Graduate School

CUNY Lehman College offers around 37 graduate programs and 13 certificate programs. Its certificate programs allow professional students to obtain certification in a field like gifted and talented education or mathematics education without completing an entire degree program. One of the top programs offered by this college is its Master of Social Work. Introduced in the early 1980s, this accredited program consists of courses like human behavior, working in an urban environment, agency practice and social work research. The program requires that students spend four semesters doing fieldwork for a social work agency in the area. Lehman College lets students take two years of part time classes and a third year of full time classes or two single years of full time classes.

Of the many educational programs that the college offers, one that ranks among the best is its graduate childhood education program. Students typically take two classes over three semesters in their first year, three courses in the fall and spring of their second year and two classes in the following summer. Those classes include child study and development assessment, social studies education, music in education and childhood art. CUNY Lehman College also requires that grad students do supervised fieldwork and take at least one seminar.