CUNY, John Jay College of Criminal Justice Admission
CUNY, John Jay College of Criminal Justice Undergraduate Program
CUNY, John Jay College of Criminal Justice Application

The Facts

The John Jay College of Criminal Justice, located in midtown Manhattan, focuses on forensics, criminal psychology, and correctional studies; it now has a new program for terrorism studies as well. The college is home to over 8,400 undergraduate students and approximately 1,500 graduate and part-time students. The school also offers fire and police training programs that place a huge emphasis on rescue operations and physical training. However, it also has a traditional liberal arts core curriculum that includes required courses in English, speech, mathematics, history, literature, philosophy, ethnic studies, social sciences, fine arts, natural sciences, and even physical education. The most popular majors are criminal justice, police science, forensic psychology, legal studies, and forensic science.

Admission to the college is not incredibly competitive numerically; however, those who do apply often exhibit a strong passion for their intended area of study, as it is usually incredibly specialized. Since 9/11, the number of applicants has increased significantly, as national interest in security has reached an all-time high. Last year, over 6,000 students applied for admission and approximately 4,000 students were accepted; of those, about 2,250 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 850 to 1050, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 17-22. Additionally, about 27% of those admitted were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of around 3.0.

The college tends to have very large classes held in massive lecture form, and students often complain that they don't even know their professors names, and the teachers certainly don't know their students' names. The administration does little to cater to the students, and most of the students have no clue where their offices are located.

The Social Scene

The city of New York is obviously full of entertainment and activities, and students are very rarely bored. The campus itself, if it can be called a campus, is located in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan near Lincoln Center. Despite the name, it is actually a great area with plenty of restaurants, bars, clubs, cafes, museums, and shopping nearby. A big downside to John Jay is that it doesn't actually offer students housing, and as most people know, New York City real estate is extremely expensive, so many students are forced to find places outside of the city in New Jersey or in one of the several boroughs.

There are no fraternities or sororities either, and the school is definitely not known for its partying. Students would prefer to hang out throughout the city with groups of friends, and because there are no dorms, it can be quite difficult to get to know people.

The dating scene at John Jay is just as vibrant as the cty itself; the students are incredibly diverse, and there is something for every taste.

What’s Good

“There is no other place that I know of that offers these majors. It's amazing to be able to have an idea of what you will be getting into.”

“The city is amazing, and I don't think I've ever been bored here.”

“The facilities at the school are really lovely and are always being kept up to date.”

What’s Bad

“The classes are enormous and you get no hands-on experience, which is really frustrating.”

“The administration could care less about the students, and I don't even know where their offices are located.”

“The school doesn't offer any housing, which makes living in the city nearly impossible, at least for myself and most of the students I know.”

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