Facts at a Glance

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Baruch College

Baruch College is a dynamic community of scholars and distinguished professionals who educate one of the most diverse student populations in the United States. The College dates back to the founding in 1847 of the Free Academy, the first free public college in the nation, and has carried on a tradition of academic excellence, accessibility, and opportunity for students from every corner of New York City, the metropolitan region, and around the world.

The Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs

The Marxe School offers BSPA, MPA, Executive MPA, MIA, and MS in Education degrees while serving as a research engine for governmental and nonprofit entities at the local, state, and national levels

The George and Mildred Weissman School of Arts and Sciences

The Weissman School has more than 50 areas of study that blend rigorous theory with practical experience. Degrees include the BA, BS, MA, MS, and PhD.

Zicklin School of Business

The Zicklin School has renowned faculty experts across the business spectrum and acclaimed AACSB-accredited programs leading to BBA, MBA, MS, Executive MBA and MS, and PhD degrees.

President S. David Wu, PhD

President Wu joined Baruch College on July 1, 2020 as the eighth president. An accomplished scholar, a technology innovator, and a bold and visionary academic leader, Dr. Wu’s career spans over 30 years at major private and public institutions. He holds a professorial appointment in the Zicklin School of Business, with areas of expertise in optimization, game theory, and econometrics.

As he leads Baruch into a new era, Dr. Wu’s aim is to challenge higher education isomorphism—the gravitational pull toward status quo and stagnation, rather than change and innovation—and expand Baruch’s national reach. The College offers a rare amalgam of academic achievement and upward mobility for diverse students from all echelons of society. With national rankings and accolades affirming what is now a distinctive niche, he believes that Baruch will emerge as a new model for higher education: Institutions that insist on academic excellence at the highest level while concurrently expanding their base to support historically under-served students to succeed in such a rigorous intellectual environment.

Interdisciplinary Centers and Institutes

• Baruch College Survey Research
• Baruch Performing Arts Center (BPAC)
• Bernard L. Schwartz Communication Institute
• Center for Educational Leadership
• Center for Nonprofit Strategy and Management
• Center for Teaching and Learning
• CUNY Institute for Demographic Research
• Graduate Career Management Center
• International Student Service Center
• Lawrence N. Field Center for Entrepreneurship
• New York Confucius Institute for Global Finance
• New York Federal Statistical Research Data Center
• Robert A. Schwartz Center for Trading and Financial Markets Research
• Robert Zicklin Center for Corporate Integrity
• Sandra Kahn Wasserman Jewish Studies Center (JSC)
• Starr Career Development Center
• Steven L. Newman Real Estate Institute
• Wasserman Trading Floor/Subotnick Financial Services Center
• Weissman Center for International Business

Academic Excellence and Access

Baruch College is respected throughout the U.S. for making rigorous academic programs affordable for students who have been historically under-served by higher education. Combining excellence and access, Baruch is a recognized leader in advancing student, social, and economic mobility. For the sixth year in a row, CollegeNET ranked Baruch #1 out of more than 1,400 U.S. colleges on its annual Social Mobility Index, which analyzes “how effectively they enroll students from low-income backgrounds and graduate them into well-paying jobs.” Money magazine ranked the College #1 among the “Best Colleges” in New York, and U.S. News & World Report placed Baruch #3 for “Least Amount of Debt at Graduation” among regional universities in the north.

Academic Excellence

#1     Best Colleges in New York, among public and private institutions: Money
#1     Best Colleges for Business Majors in the U.S.: Money
#1     Best Financial Engineering Program in the U.S. for 2021: QuantNet
#4     Best Regional Universities-North, among public institutions: U.S. News & World Report 
#4     Best Colleges in Northeast, among public institutions: Money
#12   Most Innovative Schools, among Regional Universities-North: U.S. News & World Report
✔       Best 386 Colleges guidebook: The Princeton Review

Access and Value

#1     Top Public College for Value: Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education
#1     Best Colleges in America, Ranked by Value in the tri-state region, among public institutions: Money
#1     Best Bang for the Buck Colleges in New York: Washington Monthly
#2     Public Institutions for Return on Investment: CNBC
#3     Least Student Loan Debt, among Regional Universities-North: U.S. News & World Report
✔       Best Value Colleges guidebook: The Princeton Review

Social Mobility for Our Students

#1      Four-Year Public Colleges as Engine of Economic Mobility: Brookings Institution
#1      Social Mobility Index, sixth consecutive year: CollegeNET
#2     Top Performers on Social Mobility, among Regional Universities-North: U.S. News & World Report