CUNY LaGuardia Community College
- Graduation Rate
- 25% F
- Lower completion rate than most colleges
- Earnings (10yr)
- $41,653 C
- Roughly in line with national averages
- Net Price
- $6,120 A-
- 64% less than the typical college
- Enrollment
- 11,254
Bottom line: A B- overall grade — strong outcomes across the board. 45.5× return on investment — every $1 spent returns $45.5 over 20 years.
Every $1 spent returns $45.5 over 20 years — debt pays back in ~under a year. Net gain: $1,089,457.
What The Data Says
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A B- overall — outcomes above the typical U.S. college.
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Graduation of 25% — 57% below the national average.
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Social mobility rate of 6.06% — an engine of upward economic mobility.
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Every $1 invested returns $45.5 over 20 years — an exceptional return.
Why CUNY LaGuardia Community College Matters
CUNY LaGuardia Community College is a public community college in Long Island City, NY and its outcomes are not an accident. They are driven by a well-connected, high-opportunity alumni network and a strong record of moving students up the income ladder. The result: durable upward mobility for the students it enrolls.
Interpretation generated from this school's federal outcomes, research, and mobility data.
Institutional Profile
- Institution Type
- Public Community College
- Carnegie Class
- Associate's College
- Enrollment
- 11,254
- Setting
- Urban
- Designations
- HSI
- Primary Strengths
- Business & Marketing, Health Professions, Computer Science & IT, Psychology
Why students choose CUNY LaGuardia Community College
CollegeRanker Report Card
Graded on outcomes, against every U.S. college.
Each grade is this school's national percentile on a real outcome — earnings, value, mobility, and more.
How we grade →Admissions
This school does not report a competitive admit rate — most qualified applicants are admitted.
Check your odds →Net price + aid
Students pay about $6,120 a year after grants and scholarships — 64% below the typical U.S. college. See net price by family income below.
See cost & aid →Earnings + debt
Graduates earn a median of $41,653 ten years after enrolling — 2% above the typical college, against $7,407 in median debt.
See outcomes →Mobility + social capital
Moves 6.1% of its students from the bottom income fifth to the top — top 1% nationally for mobility. High social capital (1.25 economic connectedness).
See mobility →Overview
With over 11,000 students, CUNY LaGuardia Community College is a vibrant hub for those looking to jumpstart their careers or explore new fields. This school is particularly well-suited for individuals interested in practical programs like Business & Marketing, Health Professions, and Computer Science. The diversity of its curriculum reflects the needs of a rapidly changing job market, making it a great choice for students who want hands-on training in their respective fields.
Graduates from LaGuardia can expect to earn an average of $41,653 within ten years of completing their studies. While the graduation rate sits at 25%, many students find value in the skills they gain, which can lead to upward mobility in their careers. The affordability of attending LaGuardia is also a plus, especially since many students receive Pell Grants, helping to ease the financial burden of education.
In terms of cost, the net price after aid is approximately $6,120, and the median debt for graduates is around $7,407. This manageable debt load makes LaGuardia an attractive option for those who want to pursue higher education without overwhelming financial pressure. Students who thrive here tend to be motivated and resourceful, ready to take advantage of the college's wide-ranging support services and community resources.
Rankings
- #15 Best Criminal Justice Colleges in New York
- #19 Most Affordable Colleges in New York
- #28 Best Education Colleges in New York
- #31 Best Computer Science Colleges in New York
- #31 Best Business Colleges in New York
- #31 Best Data Science Colleges in New York
- #45 Best Online Colleges in New York
- #46 Best Nursing Colleges in New York
Can I Get In?
How selective CUNY LaGuardia Community College is — and how your numbers stack up.
Tool
Will I Be Accepted?
Enter your credentials to see your chances at this school.
Academics & Admissions
Is It Hard to Get Into CUNY LaGuardia Community College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements
CUNY LaGuardia Community College, located in Long Island City, New York, enrolls students across a range of programs. The graduation rate is roughly 25%.
- Retention Rate
- 57%
- Full-Time Faculty
- 39%
- Faculty Salary (mo)
- $12,397
- Student–Faculty Ratio
- 18:1
- Diversity Index
- 0.74
- First-Gen Students
- 54%
Can I Afford It?
What you'll actually pay after grants and aid — not the sticker price.
Cost & Financial Aid
How Much Does It Cost to Attend CUNY LaGuardia Community College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid
Published tuition at CUNY LaGuardia Community College is $8,098, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $6,120. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $5,269 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $7,407 in federal student loans.
- In-State Tuition
- $5,218
- Out-of-State
- $8,098
- Avg Net Price
- $6,120
- Median Debt
- $7,407
- Pell Grant Rate
- 38%
- Federal Loan Rate
- 2%
What Families Actually Pay
- Family Income $0–$30K
- $5,269
- Family Income $30K–$48K
- $5,767
- Family Income $48K–$75K
- $8,282
- Family Income $110K+
- $12,745
What Happens After?
Earnings, debt, and where graduates actually land.
Students Like You
Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at CUNY LaGuardia Community College — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.
Graduate Outcomes
Is CUNY LaGuardia Community College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI
Ten years out, alumni of CUNY LaGuardia Community College report median earnings of $41,653, a figure worth comparing against the cost of attendance before enrolling.
- 6 Years After Entry
- $33,219
- 8 Years
- $38,067
- 10 Years
- $41,653
- Debt-to-Earnings
- 0.18x
- Earning > $25K
- 50%
Earnings Trajectory
Graduation by Timeframe
- 100% (339)
- 14%
- 100% (339)
- 14%
- 100% (339)
- 14%
- 100% (339)
- 14%
How CUNY Compares
Dot right of center = above national average.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after aid, by income bracket.
The Mobility Equation
Mobility = Access x Success. How many low-income students get in, and how many reach the top 20%?
College ROI Calculator
Is CUNY LaGuardia Community College Worth It?
A data-driven look at the return on your educational investment — using real federal data.
Yes — for most students, CUNY LaGuardia Community College delivers a positive return. Over four years, the typical net price is $6,120/year ($24,480 total). Graduates earn $41,653 at ten years, and over a 20-year career we project $1,113,937 in total earnings — a net gain of $1,089,457 (45.5× your investment). The median debt is $7,407, which takes less than a year to pay back at typical earnings. With a 25% graduation rate, the path to that return is well-tested. This is a exceptional ROI compared to national averages.
- Total Cost (4yr)
- $24,480
- Projected 20yr Earnings
- $1,113,937
- Net Return
- $1,089,457
- ROI Multiple
- 45.5×
- Cost Per Year
- $6,120
- Median Debt
- $7,407
- Debt Payback
- Less than 1 yr
- Graduation Rate
- 25%
Does It Change Lives?
Mobility, social capital, and innovation — does it move people up?
Social Mobility
Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records
Does CUNY LaGuardia Community College Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes
CUNY LaGuardia Community College is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 6.06%, among the highest in the country. Access is a real strength here. Roughly 36.8% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile, a high share that gives low-income students a real foothold. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 16.5% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $33,800, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.
- Mobility Rate
- 6.06%
- Bottom 20% → Top 20%
- Success Rate
- 16.5%
- If bottom 20% get in
- From Bottom 20%
- 36.8%
- Share of students
- Parent Median Income
- $45,922
- today's $ (2015 cohort data)
Institutional Finances
Data: NCES IPEDS
- Endowment
- $8,124,623
- Federal Grants
- $4,161,888
- Investment Income
- $34
Top Programs
The fields CUNY LaGuardia Community College awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.
- Business & Marketing 22% $43,569 early-career
- Health Professions 15% $86,496 early-career
- Computer Science & IT 11% $36,132 early-career
- Psychology 7% $30,854 early-career
- Criminal Justice 7% $32,794 early-career
- Visual & Performing Arts 7% $32,324 early-career
- Education 6%
- Humanities 5% $23,930 early-career
Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.
Top Careers
Where these majors tend to lead — common career paths for CUNY LaGuardia Community College's most popular programs, ranked by median pay with our proprietary scorecard insights.
- CChief Executive Officer$189,520 · 3% growthAdaptable 64
- C+IT Manager$169,510 · 15% growthAdaptable 52
- C+Cloud Architect$142,000 · 15% growthAdaptable 52
- B-Site Reliability Engineer$140,000 · 20% growthAdaptable 52
- CSolutions Architect$138,000 · 12% growthAdaptable 52
- CHR Manager$136,350 · 5% growthAdaptable 64
- CSales Manager$135,160 · 4% growthAdaptable 64
- B-Software Developer$132,270 · 25% growthVulnerable 40
Frequently Asked Questions
Is It Hard to Get Into CUNY LaGuardia Community College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements
CUNY LaGuardia Community College, located in Long Island City, New York, enrolls students across a range of programs. The graduation rate is roughly 25%.
How Much Does It Cost to Attend CUNY LaGuardia Community College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid
Published tuition at CUNY LaGuardia Community College is $8,098, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $6,120. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $5,269 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $7,407 in federal student loans.
Is CUNY LaGuardia Community College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI
Ten years out, alumni of CUNY LaGuardia Community College report median earnings of $41,653, a figure worth comparing against the cost of attendance before enrolling.
Does CUNY LaGuardia Community College Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes
CUNY LaGuardia Community College is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 6.06%, among the highest in the country. Access is a real strength here. Roughly 36.8% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile, a high share that gives low-income students a real foothold. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 16.5% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $33,800, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.
How Connected Is CUNY LaGuardia Community College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks
Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at CUNY LaGuardia Community College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.25, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.03), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 3% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.
Similar Schools
Schools with similar outcomes, selectivity, and student profiles to CUNY LaGuardia Community College.
- Cosumnes River CollegeSacramento, CA · Close peer36% grad $42,446 earnWhy: similar earnings · similar size · similar net price
- Grossmont CollegeEl Cajon, CA · Close peer34% grad $40,309 earnWhy: similar earnings · similar grad rate · similar size
- CUNY Kingsborough Community CollegeBrooklyn, NY · Close peer25% grad $42,621 earnWhy: similar earnings · similar grad rate · similar net price
- Metropolitan Community College-Kansas CityKansas City, MO · Close peer31% grad $40,796 earnWhy: similar earnings · similar grad rate · similar size
- San Diego City CollegeSan Diego, CA · Close peer28% grad $38,503 earnWhy: similar earnings · similar grad rate · similar size
- Glendale Community CollegeGlendale, CA · Close peer35% grad $41,540 earnWhy: similar earnings · similar size
Social Capital
Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas
How Connected Is CUNY LaGuardia Community College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks
Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at CUNY LaGuardia Community College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.25, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.03), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 3% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.
Research Note