New York University

History, Affiliations and Rankings

The "University of the City of New York" (as NYU was originally known) was envisioned from the start as something new: an academic institution metropolitan in persona, democratic in spirit, and responsive to the demands of a bustling commercial culture. It was founded in 1831 by a foresighted group of prominent New Yorkers. The first classes in contemporary disciplines like architecture, civil engineering, astronomy, chemistry, sculpture, painting, English and modern languages, as well as classical Greek and Latin, began in rented quarters near City Hall in October 1832. The institution was founded in Greenwich Village, New York, in 1831, and has since expanded to other parts of the country. NYU's founders decided to build a university that would be "in and of the city" in 1831. New York City has grown into the world's first fully cosmopolitan city in the years afterwards, and NYU has changed alongside it. A number of New York University schools and departments have developed academic partnerships and affiliations with NYU's global sites like National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, Association of American Universities, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program and International Association of Universities. Because of these affiliations, a large number of faculty members have been able to participate in debates about curriculum development, faculty recruiting, and other academic and co-curricular initiatives at each NYU worldwide campus. 

New York University has continuously been placed among the best universities in the world, with the most recent QS World University Rankings 2022 placing it at #47 and the most recent THE World University Rankings 2022 placing it at #27. NYU is also ranked #30 in the world by US News & World Report's Best Global Universities Rankings 2022.