Picture this: It’s 2pm on a Tuesday afternoon in early spring. After your morning French class and writing seminar, you meet a friend for a walk around Central Park. On your way back to your dorm room, you stop by a new café for an iced coffee and then window shop along Madison Avenue. This evening you have limitless opportunities before you: an open mic night with your classmates? A rally with local activists? A Broadway show? A gallery opening in Chelsea? A Rangers game at Madison Square Garden?
As a college student in New York City, you have one of the world’s greatest cities at your fingertips. If you are energized by the idea of an urban campus, or one with easy access to Manhattan, we encourage you to plan a visit in person so you can gain a better sense of what life would look like if you were to enroll in one of New York’s many universities.
A note of caution: give yourself plenty of time between destinations—you might have to battle New York’s notoriously difficult traffic!
NEW YORK CITY CAMPUS VISITS: SAMPLE ITINERARY
DAY 1: Uptown (Columbia and Barnard) Campus Visits
Begin your day with a visit to Columbia University, one of the country’s oldest institutions of higher education and a member of the Ivy League. Columbia’s idyllic campus is tucked away in Morningside Heights, a residential neighborhood bordered by three parks and steps from the Hudson River. Before your campus visit begins, fuel up at Joe Coffee, a popular NYC chain with a location in Columbia’s Pulitzer Hall (part of the Graduate School of Journalism).
In-person tours of Columbia begin on the steps of Low Memorial Library and provide a general overview of academic and student life at both Columbia College and Columbia Engineering. To gain a better sense of the building interiors, check out Columbia’s Virtual Campus tour. Other virtual experiences include panels and Q&A chats, which offer more informal opportunities to learn from current students.
In addition to its core academic departments, Columbia’s interdisciplinary centers and institutes (like the Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes, the Center for the Ancient Mediterranean, the Center for Theoretical Neuroscience) facilitate cutting edge research and networking opportunities.
Columbia’s undergraduate students are guaranteed housing for all four years and almost all students use this option to avoid the NYC rental market. Students also take advantage of the Columbia Arts Initiative, which provides free museum access and tickets to Broadway shows, and on-campus perks like the Farmer’s Market, which takes place every Thursday and Sunday year-round.
Columbia’s location, opportunities, and resources have made it both extremely popular and extremely competitive. The admitted student statistics reveal that, out of 60,551 total applications last year, there were 2,358 for an admit rate of 3.9%. Of the accepted students, 95% were in the top 10% of their graduating class. We’ve been tracking Columbia’s acceptance rate and statistics here.
Just across the street, female-identifying students can explore Barnard College, a selective liberal arts college with an enrollment of roughly 2,600.The Office of Admissions has helpfully published the Class of 2025 profile—a glimpse into the data points and demographics of accepted students, including average test scores and class rank. Based on the recently-released statistics, Barnard’s Regular Decision admit rate hovered around 5%, a dramatic drop compared to previous years.
Barnard and Columbia have a unique relationship—although they have their own campuses and academic environment, they share extracurricular activities and resources. Barnard offers more intimate women-centered classrooms and fosters a collaborative environment through its unique curriculum, “Foundations.”
Register for a campus tour or walk around campus for self-guided tours. Be sure tocheck in at the Admissions Visitor Center to speak with a Barnard Student Admissions Representative (a great way to show demonstrated interest).
After your campus visits, make it a museum day! Hop on the subway towards the Upper East side where you can walk through the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, to the Frick Collection. On your way to dinner or back to your hotel, walk through Central Park, which stretches from 59th to 110th street—it’s the perfect place for people watching.
DAY 2: Downtown (NYU) Campus Visits
On your second day in New York City, head downtown to Greenwich Village, a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan. You can begin your NYU campus visit with a stroll through the iconic Washington Square Park on your way to the Bonomi Family Admissions Center.NYU, one of the largest private universities in the U.S., also boasts the highest number of international students in the country—students come from nearly every state and 133 countries. The internationalism in NYU is also evident in its study abroad opportunities and commitment to funding campuses and academic centers around the world. This year, NYU received its largest-ever application pool, with over 105,000 applications to the Class of 2026. Of these applicants, only 12.2% received offers of admission.
Although the size of the student body and its location may intimidate incoming students, NYU’s undergrads make their own smaller communities by joining one of the over 300 student organizations or spending time in affinity spaces on campus. The university also subsidizes student involvement in the city’s cultural offerings. Students can use their NYU ID, for example, to book complimentary student tickets at MoMA, the Whitney Museum, and other notable cultural sites.
After checking out Bobst Library, a central hub for all students (open 24 hours a day), take a walk through the Kimmel Center, a social space where students attend club meetings or grab lunch, and chat with current students about their experience. After your NYU campus visit, grab dinner at one of the popular student spots in Greenwich Village like Taqueria Diana (burritos), Mimi Cheng’s (dumplings), or Joe’s Pizza (open until 4am). If you plan ahead, you could also find tickets to a Broadway show like the Tony Award winner for Best Play, The Lehman Trilogy, or Best Musical, A Strange Loop.
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DAY 3: From the Bronx to Bronxville (Fordham and Sarah Lawrence) Campus Visits
When you apply to Fordham University, you must choose one of its two campus locations. For most students, this decision boils down to personal preference since most majors are offered at both locations, Students who hope to pursue dance and theatre, however, should apply to Lincoln Center. Biological sciences and chemistry students, on the other hand, should apply to Rose Hill. Because each campus has its own personality, aesthetic, and offerings, we recommend visiting in person to discern which campus is the best fit for you. This is the perfect way to spend your third day in New York City!
Fordham’s Rose Hill campus, located in the north Bronx, is set on 85 acres featuring Gothic architecture and tree-lined walkways. This traditional college campus, established in 1841, houses two of Fordham University’s undergraduate colleges, including the College of Arts and Sciences. Fordham has a proud Jesuit history and commitment to educating the whole person by integrating learning inside and outside the classroom. One way this philosophy manifests is in the “Integrated Learning Communities” on campus. These specialized residential halls include the Martyrs’ Court Jogues Residential College for pre-health or science majors, which offers three live-in tutors, peer mentoring, and science-focused programming during the year. While you’re on the Rose Hill campus, don’t miss Rodrique’s Coffee House, a student-run establishment and popular evening study spot that serves low-priced fair-trade drinks and hosts open mic nights. After your tour, stroll down Arthur Avenue, New York’s original “Little Italy” or wander through the New York Botanical Garden and Bronx Zoo before heading back to midtown on the Metro-North train (only 20 minutes away).
Once you’re back in the Lincoln Center neighborhood, you can check out Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus, established in 1968, which is located in the Upper West Side neighborhood, one block from Central Park. This campus houses the Fordham College at Lincoln Center, Gabelli School of Business, School of Professional and Continuing Studies, as well as the Graduate Schools of Business, Social Service, Education and the School of Law. Take a look at Fordham’s undergraduate admissions facts to get a snapshot of the admissions process and helpful data. Last year, out of 46,160 applicants, 26,925 students were offered admission for an acceptance rate of 58.3%. Admitted students had an average high school GPA of 3.77 and 84% were in the top 25% of their graduating class.
After your tours of Fordham’s campuses, take the train from Grand Central Terminal to Bronxville Station. Here you’ll find Sarah Lawrence College, a beautiful, wooded 44-acre campus just 30 minutes north of New York City. With more than 50 areas of study, SLC encourages students to combine these areas of study in creative, interdisciplinary ways. During your tour, check out one of the trademark seminar classrooms, walk past North Lawn, the site of SLC traditions like Springfest, and take note of the open air, 200-seat theater, which hosts outdoor classes and community gatherings. SLC has 15 Division 3 sports teams but the campus is a manageable size.
A hallmark of the Sarah Lawrence education is what’s called “conference work”—an in-depth individual project you will complete for each of your seminar classes. This project allows students to combine their interests with course materials creatively. At SLC, you structure your own education and take charge of your intellectual journey with professors who fuel your creativity.
Before you leave, grab a bite to eat at the Tea House, fully run by students. This study spot served as the campus war office in World War 2. Can you see yourself as a Sarah Lawrence student? If the answer is yes, you can apply to Sarah Lawrence using one of the four application cycles: Early Action (non-binding), Early Decision I (binding), Early Decision II (binding), or Regular Decision.
After a full day, head back to the train station and hop on the Metro-North Railroad Harlem Line. The commuter trains run every half-hour between 6 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. on weekdays, and hourly on weekends.
DAYS 4-5: Extended Itinerary Campus Visits
Depending on your time, interests and school range, we suggest amending the itinerary above by adding (or replacing) campus visits to the Julliard School, The New School, Manhattan Marymount, or Hunter College.
WANT MORE?
In our Campus Visits Clusters series, we have highlighted different regions of the U.S. with our suggested itineraries. We’ve covered Boston, SoCal, NorCal, Chicago and the Midwest, and now New York City. Would you like to see another region covered? Let us know in the comments!
Liz graduated Magna Cum Laude with high honors from Dartmouth College and earned her MA and PhD in Art History at the University of Virginia, where she taught undergraduate courses, earned the All-University Graduate Teaching Award, and received a Fulbright Research Grant.
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