A new milestone in Newmark J-School’s efforts to become tuition-free
New York, NY — August 21, 2024 — The Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York is proud to announce that more than two-thirds of the Class of 2025, which arrived on campus yesterday, will attend the school tuition-free.
The school exceeded his goal to eliminate tuition fees for half of the class of 2025 and to award scholarships valued at nearly $2 million. This milestone is an achievement in its ongoing campaign To become tuition-free – an initiative made possible by a seed donation of $10 million from Craig Newmark Philanthropies, a matching gift from the City University of New York, and the philanthropic support of many other donors. including the Ford Foundation, the Charles H. Revson Foundation, the Lorana Sullivan Foundation, the Hearst Foundations, Reuters, the New York Community Trust, and long-standing foundations.
Following the application fee waiver and announcement of the tuition-free campaign, the school saw a 50 percent increase in enrollment this year. The class of 2025 will be one of the school’s largest and most diverse classes. Over 60 percent are students of color, more than 80 percent are Native students, 51 percent are New York residents, a third are first-generation Americans, and nearly 30 percent are graduates of CUNY and SUNY colleges.
“In less than a year, we have grown tremendously, broken fundraising records, and met our enrollment goals. Our students will have more opportunities to succeed and chart the path to the future of the news industry during a difficult time in our profession,” said Graciela Mochkofsky, dean of the Newmark J-School. “We are providing critical support to aspiring journalists and media entrepreneurs who have the freedom to take risks and experiment, unencumbered by debt.”
Founded in 2006, the Newmark J-School is deeply committed to removing financial barriers for journalism students—a mission that is in step with the larger City University of New York, which serves as a powerful engine of social mobility.
“The success of our Graduate School of Journalism, which is opening the doors to new opportunities for a greater number of students, reflects the hard work we are doing to fulfill CUNY’s mission of providing access to higher education for all, regardless of means,” said Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “Providing the best education for journalists that fully reflects the great diversity of our country strengthens the profession at a time when its enterprise and its goals have become more important than ever. CUNY commends Dean Mochkofsky and her team for their efforts and thanks Craig Newmark Philanthropies and all of our philanthropic partners whose support makes this possible.”
The Newmark J-School’s tuition-free campaign, launched in January, aims to raise enough money to build a scholarship fund that will help cover the tuition costs of all students on a permanent basis. This initiative is the key element of an ongoing capital-raising campaign that will lead up to the college’s 20th anniversary celebration in 2026. Additional funds raised will be used to establish new endowed professorships and several programs to encourage innovation in new technologies, restore public trust in the news media, train journalists to conduct themselves safely in an increasingly hostile environment, and prepare business leaders to lead local news organizations.
Learn more about the Campaign for tuition-free learning and read a comment by Dean Graciela Mochkofsky in The New York Times.
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About the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY
Founded in 2006, the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism is a public graduate school of journalism in the heart of New York City. With affordable tuition and extensive scholarship support, it prepares students from diverse economic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds to produce high-quality journalism. The school offers 16-month master’s degree programs: MA in Journalism, MA in Engagement Journalism, and MA in Journalism – Bilingual Program (English/Spanish). Through the school’s J+ division, which offers a range of executive training programs, the J-School trains experienced journalists to reimagine news business models, develop news products, and take on leadership roles with an entrepreneurial mindset. The Newmark J-School is also home to four unique centers and initiatives: the McGraw Center for Business Journalism, the Center for Community Media, the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism, and the Journalism Protection Initiative.
