| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
| Contents | ||
| Motto | Perstare et praestare ("To persevere and to excel") |
|---|---|
| Established | 1831 |
| School type | Private |
| President | John Sexton |
| Location | New York, NY, USA |
| Enrollment | 19,506 undergraduate, 18,682 graduate and professional |
| Faculty | 1,907 |
| Campus | Urban |
| Athletics | 18 sports teams |
| Mascot | Bobcat |
| Homepage | www.nyu.edu |
New York University (NYU) is a large research-oriented university in New York City, and is among the most prestigious post-secondary institutions in the United States. Its primary campus is in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan. With a total enrollment of 38,188 (as of the fall of 2003), 18,628 of which are undergraduates and 18,522 of which are graduate or professional students, NYU is one of the largest private universities in the United States. The University comprises 14 schools, colleges, and divisions, which occupy six major centers across Manhattan.
Apart from noted strengths in mathematics, computer science, neuroscience, public administration, and the performing arts, NYU's Stern School of Business ranks among the top 15 business schools in the country, while its School of Law regularly ranks in the top five of US law schools in education and research. NYU's Medical School also ranks among the best in the country. NYU also has one of the largest and most diverse international student populations of any university in the United States, with nearly 4,000 students representing over 100 different countries.
NYU has also grown more selective in its undergraduate admissions in recent years, in light of the growing popularity of an "urban" education and the perceived decrease in crime in New York City. NYU has seen a continuing trend of increasingly greater numbers of applicants, lower acceptance rates, and higher average SAT scores for freshmen. In 2000, applications to NYU increased by more than 300 percent from 1991, while the acceptance rate declined from 65 percent to 29.3 percent, the lowest in the University's history [1]. Such a trend is expected to continue at NYU as it improves its standards, its faculty, and its resources.
The University is a very "national" school, with over 60% of its incoming freshmen coming from outside of the Tri-State Area. In addition, 15% come from one of New York City's five boroughs, and 25% come from the surrounding 17 counties. Nevertheless, NYU's main feeder schools reflect a strong New York City influence; the top five are Stuyvesant High School, Benjamin Cardozo High School , Brooklyn Technical High SchoolBrooklyn Technical High School is one of three primary high schools making up the specialized science circuit in New York City, the other two being Stuyvesant High School and the Bronx High School of Science. Brooklyn Tech," as the school is commonly know, Townsend Harris High School , and the Bronx High School of ScienceThe Bronx High School of Science is a public high school in the Bronx, New York City. Founded in 1938 with a traditional focus on mathematics and science, "Bronx Science," as the school is known, is one of a triumvirate of elite public schools in New York.
NYU's aggressive recruitment of renowned professors and Ivy LeagueThe Ivy League is an association of eight American universities, named for the ivy plants traditionally covering their older buildings. The term "Ivy League" has connotations of academic excellence as well as a certain amount of elitism. These schools are graduates has been a large factor in the University's growing prestige. It has often been involved in bidding wars to lure top faculty in an attempt to boost its academic reputation. NYU is remarkable in that it went from being a near-bankrupt commuter school to becoming one of the country's most prestigious research universities, in large part due to the fact that, instead of building its endowment, the University spent its money on building new facilities and hiring more faculty.
NYU's "campus" is fractured and decentralized, with buildings spread over much of the neighborhood. However, there is often tension between NYU and other neighborhood residents and businesses over real estate issues. In spite of this, NYU is the fourth largest landowner in the city (the largest being the City itself, the second the Catholic Church and the third Columbia University).
NYU's sports teams are called the Violets. They participate in the NCAA's Division IIIDivision III is the third highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States. D-3" schools focus primarily on academics and only offer sports teams as a means of recreation in contras and the University Athletic AssociationThe University Athletic Association UAA is an athletic conference which competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division III. Member teams are located in Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Ohio and New York. The school's official color is violet. Its mascot is called Bobcat.