Can New York's Public Universities Still Help Students Reach the Middle Class?

Damir Shavkatov, 22, has worked six internships and graduated from Brooklyn College this spring. His family moved to New York from Uzbekistan when he was nine years old. He is the first person in his family to earn a college degree. Even with all that hard work, he is worried about finding a good job. 'The job market is really bad,' he said.

Thousands of students at the City University of New York, known as CUNY, share his worries. CUNY is the largest urban public college system in the United States, with about 250,000 students. Many come from families that earn less than $30,000 a year. For a long time, CUNY has been one of the best places in America for students to move from low-income families into the middle class. Experts call this 'social mobility' — the ability to build a better life through hard work and education.

But right now, young college graduates are facing one of the worst job markets since the COVID-19 pandemic. In New York City, hiring for young workers has been slowly dropping since early 2026. Data from LinkedIn shows that about twice as many people are applying for job postings compared to four years ago. 'That is a big shift in competitiveness,' said Kory Kantenga, a senior economist at LinkedIn. 'And that's made the market very tough for early grads.'

Things students once counted on are also changing fast. Studying computer science was long seen as a sure path to a good job. But new data showed that computer science graduates were actually unemployed at higher rates than students who studied art history. The rise of artificial intelligence is making many students nervous about their futures. 'There's definitely some fear' among computer science graduates, said Travis Fox, a career adviser at Hunter College.

On online forums like Reddit, CUNY students have been sharing their stress and confusion. 'Just how difficult is the job market for CUNY students?' one post asked. A top reply said it was not just one person's problem — many graduates feel the same way. At graduation ceremonies, speakers tried to offer hope. Queens Borough President Donovan J. Richards told graduates that his own career took many unexpected turns before he found success.

Some leaders say the answer is to think differently about what a 'good job' looks like. Why can't a young person aim to become a welder or an electrician? Others say employers need to give CUNY students more of a chance. 'We have to be honest in that too few employers see CUNY and see public school students as worth the upfront investment,' said Gregory J. Morris of the New York City Employment and Training Coalition. He and others are pushing companies to open more doors for these graduates.

Some businesses are already stepping up. Jeffrey Aronson, co-founder of an investment firm, started hiring CUNY students as interns and found a large group of talented people. 'They just want a chance, and they have grit,' he said. He added that hiring CUNY students is not charity — it is smart business. His example shows that some employers do see real value in public university graduates.

At Hunter College, career adviser Travis Fox has noticed surprising new trends among students. Psychology graduates are moving into marketing and user research instead of traditional clinical jobs. Fox has also seen more students starting their own small businesses. 'I've seen more students trying to control their own destiny, be their own bosses, than I ever have,' he said.

Hunter College computer science graduate Matthew LaBarca applied to hundreds of jobs before finally getting a break. A CUNY event with Deutsche Bank led to an internship and then a full-time job offer. His mother had immigrated from Vietnam and worked multiple jobs to put herself through community college. Her story pushes him forward. 'It makes me a little anxious,' LaBarca said, 'but it also makes me excited to see where my life will go.'

The stakes are bigger than just one class of graduates. New York City has huge gaps between the rich and the poor, and CUNY has long been a bridge across that gap. If that bridge weakens, the city's promise that hard work can change your life is at risk. 'That promise is under threat right now,' said Eli Dvorkin of the Center for an Urban Future. He is urging the city and state to invest more in programs that connect CUNY students with well-paying jobs.