New York University facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
New York University

Former name	University of the City of New-York (1831–1896)
Motto	Perstare et praestare (Latin)
Motto in English	"To persevere and to excel"
Type	Private research university
Established	April 21, 1831; 194 years ago (April 21, 1831)
Founder	Albert Gallatin
Accreditation	MSCHE
Academic affiliations	AAU AITU NAICU Space-grant
Endowment	$6.7 billion (2024)
Budget	$14.7 billion (including Langone); $4.1 billion (excluding Langone) (2021)
President	Linda G. Mills
Provost	Georgina Dopico
Academic staff	5,094 (Fall 2023)
Administrative staff	2,242
Students	61,890 (Fall 2023)
Undergraduates	29,760 (Fall 2023)
Postgraduates	27,578 (Fall 2023)
Location	New York City , United States 40°43′48″N 73°59′42″W / 40.73000°N 73.99500°W / 40.73000; -73.99500
Campus	Large city, 230 acres (93 ha) (Manhattan campus)
Other campuses	Brooklyn Englewood Cliffs Los Angeles Mineola Washington Abu Dhabi Accra Berlin Buenos Aires Florence Havana London Madrid Paris Prague Shanghai Sydney Tel Aviv
Newspaper	Washington Square News
Colors	Violet and white
Nickname	Violets
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division III – UAA
Mascot	Bobcat

New York University (NYU) is a large private research university located in New York City, United States. It was officially started in 1831 by the New York State Legislature. Albert Gallatin founded NYU in 1832 as a school for men that was open to all faiths. Its main focus was on a secular education, meaning it wasn't tied to a specific religion.

NYU moved its main campus to Greenwich Village in 1833, surrounding Washington Square Park. Over the years, it added an engineering school in Brooklyn and other graduate schools across Manhattan. NYU is one of the biggest private universities in the U.S. by the number of students. In 2021, it had 51,848 students. It is also one of the most popular schools to apply to, and getting in is very competitive.

NYU's main campus has ten undergraduate schools. These include the College of Arts & Science and the Tisch School of the Arts. It also has 15 graduate schools, like the Grossman School of Medicine and the School of Law.

NYU is a global university with campuses in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and Shanghai, China. It also has learning centers in many cities around the world. Many famous people have studied or taught at NYU. These include Nobel Prize winners, Pulitzer Prize winners, and even heads of state.

History of NYU

Albert Gallatin (1761–1849) by Gilbert Stuart, who helped start NYU.

Albert Gallatin, who was a Secretary of the Treasury for two U.S. presidents, wanted to create a new university. He believed New York City needed a school that offered "rational and practical education" to everyone. This meant students would be accepted based on their abilities, not their family background.

In 1830, a meeting was held at City Hall to discuss this idea. Over 100 people attended, including important merchants and bankers. They supported the plan for a new university.

On April 18, 1831, the institution that would become NYU was officially established. Albert Gallatin was chosen as its first president. A few days later, on April 21, 1831, the school received its official charter from the New York State Legislature. It was first called the University of the City of New York. However, people quickly started calling it New York University, and that became its official name in 1896.

NYU held its first classes in 1832 in rented rooms near City Hall. In 1835, the School of Law, NYU's first professional school, was created. Unlike many colleges at the time, NYU was not tied to a specific religion. The American Chemical Society was also founded at NYU in 1876.

The original NYU Building in Washington Square, 1850.

The University Heights campus in the Bronx, which is now Bronx Community College.

NYU grew quickly and became one of the largest universities in the country. By 1917, it had 9,300 students. Because of overcrowding, the university bought a new campus in University Heights in the Bronx in 1894. Most of the university's main operations, including the undergraduate College of Arts and Science, moved there. However, the graduate schools stayed at Washington Square. In 1914, Washington Square College was founded as the downtown undergraduate college.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, New York City faced financial problems, and NYU also struggled. In 1973, NYU sold its University Heights campus to the City University of New York. The engineering school from the Bronx campus later joined with another school to form the current Tandon School of Engineering. After selling the Bronx campus, the University College merged with Washington Square College. In the 1980s, NYU started a big fundraising effort to update its buildings and facilities.

In 1991, L. Jay Oliva became the 14th president of NYU. He helped create the League of World Universities, an international group of university leaders. This group meets regularly to discuss global education issues. In 2003, President John Sexton launched another major fundraising campaign. Under his leadership, NYU also began to become a global university, opening its campus in Abu Dhabi in 2010.

In August 2018, the New York University Grossman School of Medicine announced something special. It would offer full-tuition scholarships to all its medical students, regardless of their financial need. This made it the only top medical school in the U.S. to do so. In 2022, Linda G. Mills became NYU's first female president.

Student Enrollment and Growth

From 2007 to 2018, the number of applications to NYU increased by 114%. By 2024 and 2025, NYU received over 120,000 applications. This high demand made it much harder to get in. The acceptance rate dropped to a record low of 8% in 2023 and 2024, and even further to 7.7% for the Class of 2029. NYU became the largest private university in the U.S. in the early 2000s. By 2018, it had over 59,000 students in total.

University Logo and Colors

The NYU logo shows an upheld torch. This torch is inspired by the Statue of Liberty, symbolizing NYU's dedication to New York City. The torch appears on both the official NYU seal and the more modern NYU logo. The abstract logo was designed in 1965 by famous graphic designer Tom Geismar.

The university's color is violet. There are two ideas about why this color was chosen. Some believe it's because violets grew widely around Washington Square and the old university building. Others think the color was chosen because the violet flower was linked to Athens, a famous center of learning in ancient Greece.

Cultural Connections

Washington Square and Greenwich Village have been important cultural centers in New York City for a long time. Many artists and thinkers have lived and worked there, and their lives often connected with NYU. For example, artists from the Hudson River School, America's first major group of painters, lived near Washington Square. Samuel F.B. Morse, who invented the telegraph and Morse Code, was the first head of Painting and Sculpture at NYU. He and other artists rented studios in the old university building.

By the 1920s, Washington Square Park was known as a place for artistic and social change. This made the Washington Square campus more diverse and lively. Famous people like Eugene O'Neill lived in the area. In the 1930s, artists like Jackson Pollock and Edward Hopper had studios near Washington Square. In the 1960s, the area became a hub for the beat and folk music scene, with people like Allen Ginsberg and Bob Dylan living there. In 1975, NYU opened The Grey Art Gallery to display its art collection and host exhibitions.

NYU Campus Life

Washington Square Park, with its famous arch, is surrounded by NYU buildings and is a central part of campus life.

NYU's New York City campus has over 171 buildings. These buildings are spread across Manhattan and Brooklyn. Most of the Manhattan buildings are in a 230-acre area around Washington Square Park. NYU also has 49 other buildings overseas, including two main "portal" campuses and 12 Global Academic Centers.

Washington Square Campus

Since the late 1970s, the heart of NYU has been its Washington Square campus in Greenwich Village. The Washington Square Arch is a well-known symbol of NYU. Until 2007, NYU held its graduation ceremonies in Washington Square Park. Now, they are held at Yankee Stadium.

The Silver Center for Arts and Science is a main academic building. It houses the College of Arts & Science. The School of Law's main building, Vanderbilt Hall, is also near Washington Square. The Kimmel Center for University Life is a key place for student activities and meetings.

Other important buildings include those for the Tisch School of the Arts and the Gallatin School of Individualized Study. NYU also has many residence halls (dorms) around Washington Square, like Goddard Hall and Weinstein Hall.

In the 1990s, NYU expanded to create a second community near Union Square. This area mainly has student dorms like Palladium Residence Hall and Founders Hall. NYU also has theaters and performance spaces, especially for the Tisch School of the Arts. The Skirball Center for Performing Arts is the largest performing arts venue south of 42nd Street.

NYU has international houses on its Washington Square campus. These places, like the Deutsches Haus and La Maison Française, help students learn about different cultures and languages. Many of these houses are on Washington Mews, a private street north of Washington Square Park.

The closest subway stations to the Washington Square campus are Eighth Street–New York University and West Fourth Street–Washington Square. NYU also has its own shuttle bus system to connect its campuses and transport hubs.

Gould Plaza

Courant Institute

Stern School of Business

The Jeffrey S. Gould Plaza is a popular meeting spot for NYU students. It is surrounded by buildings for the Stern School of Business and the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. You might also see street musicians performing here.

Bobst Library

Bobst Library, NYU's main library.

The Elmer Holmes Bobst Library is NYU's largest library. It was built between 1967 and 1972 and designed by famous architects Philip Johnson and Richard Foster. This 12-story building is on the south side of Washington Square Park. It is the main library in a system of eight libraries with 4.5 million books.

Bobst Library has many study spaces and is visited by over 6,800 people every day. It also has special collections, like the Fales Collection of English and American fiction. The Tamiment Library, also in Bobst, has collections on labor history and American radicalism.

Brooklyn Campus

Bern Dibner Library of Science and Technology on the Brooklyn campus.

NYU's Brooklyn campus is located at MetroTech Center. This area is a research park for academics and industries. It is close to the Brooklyn Bridge and connected to the Manhattan campus by shuttle buses. This campus is home to the Tandon School of Engineering and the Center for Urban Science and Progress.

MetroTech Commons is a large public space in the center of MetroTech. It acts like a quad for students on the Brooklyn campus, similar to Washington Square Park in Manhattan. It hosts events like concerts and chess tournaments. The campus also has the NYU Game Center Open Library, which has the largest collection of games at any university. There's also the NYU MakerSpace, where students can use advanced 3D printing and prototyping tools.

In 2017, NYU announced plans to invest over $500 million to improve and expand its Brooklyn campus. This included renovating 370 Jay Street, which opened in December 2017.

Other New York Area Facilities

NYU Langone Health, NYU's medical center.

The NYU Langone Health medical center is located near the East River in Manhattan. It includes the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and several hospitals. NYU also has other medical centers across the city, including Bellevue Hospital. In Mineola, Long Island, the NYU Langone Hospital – Long Island campus is home to NYU's second medical school.

NYU has other facilities in the New York area. These include a research facility in Sterling Forest and the Midtown Center in Manhattan. The Woolworth Building in the financial district also houses some of NYU's professional studies programs.

The Institute for the Study of the Ancient World and the Institute of Fine Arts are two NYU units on the Upper East Side. The Institute of Fine Arts has the oldest graduate degree program in the world for conservation.

Global Campuses and Sites

NYU has many facilities around the world for its study away programs. These are called Global Academic Centers. As of 2012, NYU had 12 academic sites in different parts of the world. These include programs in Accra, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Florence, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Paris, Prague, Sydney, Tel Aviv, and Washington, D.C..

One notable site is the 57-acre campus of NYU Florence in Italy. This estate was given to NYU in 1994 and was the largest donation to a university at that time. NYU also has Global Research Initiative Institutes in several of these academic centers. These institutes support faculty and graduate students doing international research.

Abu Dhabi Campus

NYU Abu Dhabi campus.

New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) opened in Fall 2010. It was NYU's first "Portal Campus" overseas. Unlike other study abroad centers, NYUAD is a full college where students can complete all four years of their undergraduate studies and earn a degree. NYUAD attracts students from all over the world and is known as the "World's Honor College." Its main campus is on Saadiyat Island and opened in 2014.

Shanghai Campus

NYU Shanghai building in Pudong.

In 2011, NYU announced plans for another portal campus, NYU Shanghai, which opened in Fall 2013. It was designed for about 3,000 undergraduate students, mostly Chinese. NYU partnered with East China Normal University (ECNU) for this campus. Since 2014, NYU Shanghai has been located in Pudong, Shanghai. A new campus building in the Qiantan International Business Zone is being built and is expected to house up to 4,000 students.

Residence Halls

Washington Square Village, housing for NYU faculty and graduate students.

NYU provides housing for about 12,000 undergraduate and graduate students. As of 2007, it had the seventh-largest university housing system in the U.S. NYU's undergraduate housing system includes over 20 residence halls (dorms). These are managed by the Inter-Residence Hall Council (IRHC), a student council.

Many of NYU's dorms are actually converted apartment buildings or old hotels. They often have spacious rooms with amenities like kitchens and living rooms, which are not common in college dorms. The university also runs its own bus system to transport students to campus. Some dorms are considered very nice, with modern features and great views of Manhattan.

Undergraduate students are guaranteed housing during their time at NYU. First-year students usually live in dorms near Washington Square. Upperclassmen often live in dorms near Union Square. Two dorms are located near the MetroTech Commons for students on the Brooklyn Campus.

In 2007, NYU was named the National School of the Year by the National Association of College and University Residence Halls (NACURH). This was for the strong efforts of its student housing organizations.

Sustainability Efforts

NYU has made making its campus "green" a big priority. Since 2009, NYU has been the largest university buyer of wind energy in the U.S. Using renewable power helps the environment, like taking 12,000 cars off the road. In 2008, NYU gave $150,000 in grants for projects focused on energy, food, and waste.

These projects included a student-run bike-sharing program. NYU received a "B" grade on the College Sustainability Report Card in 2010. The EPA also ranked NYU as one of the greenest colleges in the country.

NYU 2031 Plan

In 2007, NYU created a big plan called "NYU 2031." This plan involves a six-billion-dollar expansion over 25 years, aiming to be finished by the university's 200th anniversary in 2031. The plan includes adding more housing and modern academic spaces across NYU's New York City campuses.

The expansion began in 2017 with the start of construction on 181 Mercer Street. This new building will be NYU's main athletic facility. It will also have a 350-bed dorm, classrooms, and a theater. Another project, 370 Jay Street on the Brooklyn campus, was completed in 2019. This building houses digital arts and sciences programs, including parts of the Tandon School of Engineering and the Tisch School of the Arts.

Academics at NYU

Admissions and Scholarships

Getting into NYU is very competitive. For the undergraduate class of 2029, only 7.7% of over 120,000 applicants were accepted. Some of NYU's undergraduate colleges accepted fewer than 5% of applicants. In 2021, NYU was the first private university in the U.S. to receive over 100,000 applications.

About 6,500 students enrolled in the class of 2029. These students came from 102 countries and all 50 U.S. states. Most freshmen had high grades in high school. The average scholarship given to freshmen was over $35,000.

As of 2016, NYU's graduate schools also had competitive acceptance rates. For example, the School of Medicine accepted only 1.8% of applicants.

Schools and Leadership

NYU is a private, global university that is not tied to any religion. It has 10 undergraduate schools and 15 graduate/professional schools. The number of students in undergraduate and graduate programs is roughly equal. The College of Arts and Science is currently NYU's largest academic division.

NYU has a "global network university" system. This includes its main campus, two "portal" campuses (NYU Shanghai and NYU Abu Dhabi), and 12 academic sites. The portal campuses are like full colleges where students can earn a degree. The academic sites are for students to study abroad for a semester or year. NYU sends more students abroad and hosts more international students than any other university.

The President of New York University is chosen by the board of trustees. They are the main leader of the university. On July 1, 2023, Linda G. Mills became the 17th and current President of NYU.

Research and Discoveries

NYU is known for its high level of research activity. In 2017, its research spending was $917.7 million. The university was where the American Chemical Society was founded. The NYU Grossman School of Medicine received $305 million in research funding in 2014. NYU was granted 90 patents in 2014, making it one of the top institutions for patents worldwide. NYU also has the fastest supercomputer in New York City.

In 2019, four NYU departments were ranked in the Top 10 globally for their academic subjects. These included economics, politics, psychology, and sociology.

University Rankings

NYU is highly ranked by many organizations. Nationally, it is ranked 25th by U.S. News & World Report. Globally, it is ranked 26th by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and 35th by the QS World University Rankings.

U.S. News & World Report also ranks many of NYU's graduate programs very highly. For example, its law school is ranked 6th, and its business school is 10th. The NYU Department of Philosophy is ranked 1st globally by The Philosophical Gourmet Report. NYU is also ranked highly for producing alumni who become millionaires or billionaires.

Student Life at NYU

Student Government

The Student Government Assembly (SGA) is the main student governing body at NYU. It has 75 voting members from different student groups.

Student Organizations

NYU has a bus system to transport students around campus.

NYU has over 450 student clubs and organizations. These include sports teams, social groups, and academic clubs. There are also many groups focused on entertainment, arts, and culture.

Student Media

Students run various media organizations. These include the daily student newspaper, Washington Square News, and the NYU Local daily blog. There are also comedy magazines like The Plague and literary journals. NYU also has its own radio station, WNYU-FM 89.1, which broadcasts to the entire New York metropolitan area.

Debate and Mock Trial Teams

The NYU Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA) debate team is one of the best in the country. In the 2020–21 season, they placed 5th nationally. The New York University Mock Trial team is also highly ranked. They have qualified for the National Championship Tournament for 10 years in a row. In the 2009–2010 season, NYU won the National Championship Tournament.

Campus Traditions

NYU has many traditions that students enjoy. For a long time, new students were welcomed with initiation ceremonies. Today, freshmen take part in university-sponsored activities during "Welcome Week." Throughout the year, NYU also holds events like Apple Fest, the Violet Ball, and Strawberry Fest. There's also a semi-annual midnight breakfast before finals, where staff serve free breakfast to students.

A Cappella Groups

NYU has several student-run a cappella groups. Many of these groups compete in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA). The NYU N'Harmonics won the ICCA title in 2019.

Greek Life

Some of the first fraternities in the U.S. were formed at NYU. Greek life started at NYU in 1837. Today, about 13% of NYU undergraduate students are members of fraternities or sororities. There are 25 social fraternities and sororities.

Several Greek organizations were founded at NYU, including Delta Phi Epsilon and Zeta Psi. The NYU Gamma chapter of Delta Phi, founded in 1841, is the longest continuously active fraternity chapter in the world.

Athletics at NYU

NYU's sports teams are called the NYU Violets. Their colors are "NYU Violet" and white. The school mascot is a bobcat, named after the Bobst Library's computer catalog, which was short for "Bobcat." NYU has teams for baseball, basketball, soccer, swimming, tennis, and more. Most of NYU's teams compete in the NCAA's Division III. However, fencing and ice hockey compete in Division I. NYU has not had a varsity football team since 1952.

Students can also join club and intramural sports, like badminton, ice hockey, and rugby. The Palladium Athletic Facility is the main home for NYU's sports teams. Many teams play their games at different facilities around Manhattan because there isn't much space for playing fields near campus. NYU is building a new athletic facility called 181 Mercer Street. It will have a swimming pool, basketball courts, and a running track.

Notable Alumni and Discoveries

As of 2020, over 500,000 people have graduated from NYU. Many famous people are connected to NYU as either faculty or alumni. These include Nobel Prize winners, U.S. Supreme Court justices, governors, and billionaires. NYU Abu Dhabi has produced more Rhodes Scholars per student than any other university.

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  Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter.

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  Robert Mueller III, former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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  Alan Greenspan, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve.

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  Carol Bellamy, former executive director of UNICEF.

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  Ma Ying-jeou, former President of Taiwan.

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  Jonas Salk, creator of the polio vaccine.

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  Martin Scorsese, famous filmmaker.

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  Spike Lee, award-winning filmmaker.

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  Ang Lee, award-winning film director.

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  Alan Menken, award-winning composer.

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  Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games series.

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  Alec Baldwin, actor.

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  Lady Gaga, singer and actress.

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  Angelina Jolie, actress and humanitarian.

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  Mahershala Ali, actor.

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  Woody Allen, director and comedian.

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  Adam Sandler, actor and comedian.

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  Donald Glover, actor, comedian, and singer.

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  Anne Hathaway, actress.

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  Tom Ford, fashion designer and filmmaker.

NYU is also linked to many important inventions and discoveries. These include the cardiac defibrillator, the laser, and the polio vaccine. NYU alumni have also invented things like RFID (used in many modern systems), the wireless microphone, and the first digital image scanner.

Many famous companies were founded or led by NYU alumni. These include Twitter (Jack Dorsey), Bloomberg L.P. (Charles Zegar), and Barnes & Noble (Leonard Riggio). Other alumni have led major companies like Lockheed Martin (Robert J. Stevens), Xerox (Ursula Burns), and IBM (Charles Ranlett Flint).

NYU's Tandon School of Engineering has also contributed to major advancements. Before and during World War II, they worked on problems that led to the development of radar. They also helped design the NASDAQ Automated Quote System.

See also

In Spanish: Universidad de Nueva York para niños

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