Council Member Eric Dinowitz (chair, Committee on Higher Education) said Tuesday that the city must press CUNY to lift graduation rates after reviewing data in the Mayor’s Management Report showing systemwide six‑year rates below national averages. “About a third of CUNY’s associate degree students earn their traditionally 2‑year degree in 6 years, and just over half of CUNY’s bachelor’s degree students earn their traditionally 4‑year degree in 6 years,” Dinowitz said.

Sarah Trilch, assistant dean for policy research in the CUNY central office, told the committee that the most recent six‑year graduation rate for students who began as freshmen in fall 2018 was 57.9 percent for bachelor’s programs and about 36.5 percent for associate programs. She said the figures reflect both longer‑term improvement before the pandemic and disruptions tied to COVID‑19, and stressed reporting lags: the published cohorts are several years old and new interventions will take time to affect six‑year outcomes.

CUNY officials and provosts emphasized that cohort definitions and shifting enrollment patterns affect comparability. Trilch noted that many students enter community colleges and transfer to senior colleges, and that the mix of students — including a large share who work, are first‑generation, or attend part time — makes CUNY’s open‑access mission different from highly selective publics.

Committee members pressed why outcomes lag national peers and asked for more granular, disaggregated data. Dinowitz asked CUNY to provide breakdowns of graduation rates by race, ethnicity, gender, age, income and disability status; Trilch said the office would provide those figures. Dinowitz framed the question in fiscal terms, saying taxpayers deserve a measurable return on investments and citing cost‑benefit figures presented for targeted programs.

The hearing explored the role of internships and part‑time enrollment in delayed completion. Jeff Rodis, CUNY’s vice chancellor for government affairs, warned that not all internships can be credit‑bearing and stressed that CUNY insists internships be paid: “If you do credit only, people will not pay our students,” he said. CUNY witnesses explained that academic criteria and accreditation requirements limit which work experiences count for credit, though officials signaled interest in expanding credit‑bearing, paid opportunities where possible.

Trilch and campus leaders also described financial supports that help students persist — including textbook stipends, emergency funds and OmniCards that reduce out‑of‑pocket expenses — and said those low‑cost measures measurably improve retention from summer into fall. The committee asked CUNY to return with concrete proposals for scaling supports and with evidence on whether forgiving small holds and fees would significantly reduce late registration and blocked classes.

The hearing closed with a request for additional data and a stronger explanation of targets set under CUNY’s Lifting New York strategic plan, which aims to raise graduation rates several percentage points by 2030. Dinowitz said the city council stands ready to invest in proven programs, but urged CUNY to set higher goals and deliver the requested disaggregated metrics in follow‑up testimony.

The committee adjourned without votes; members asked staff to circulate the requested reports and demographic breakdowns.