During his State of the University Address on October 29, 2025, at the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture, the Chancellor of City University of New York (CUNY) Félix V. Matos Rodríguez unveiled CUNY Beyond — a comprehensive five-year plan that will embed career preparation, workplace experience, and industry engagement into every undergraduate program.

Described as “the nation’s most sweeping effort” of its kind, CUNY Beyond aims to ensure that by 2030, every CUNY graduate leaves college with either a job offer or an acceptance letter for further study. According to the University’s statement, the initiative will reach 180,000 graduates annually, transforming CUNY’s approach to student success and economic mobility.

“Even amid new challenges, CUNY continues to grow and thrive. Yet we also know that success depends on our ability to change and adapt,” said Chancellor Matos Rodríguez. “More and more, students expect college to prepare them to thrive outside the classroom. CUNY Beyond is how we meet that need. Understanding that while just one quarter of students utilize career services, all attend class, we’re integrating career outcomes into every aspect of the college experience.”

In his address, the Chancellor underscored the urgency of reimagining the college-to-career pipeline. “It’s not enough for students to graduate with a degree … they must leave with direction, preparation, experience and connections,” he said.

To achieve this vision, CUNY Beyond will triple the number of students participating in paid internships and increase employer recruitment from CUNY campuses by 20 per cent within the next five years. The University projects that successful implementation could generate $3.3 billion in future wage growth and yield a $700 million return on public investment, driven by higher earnings and improved social mobility.

The initiative has already drawn strong endorsements from the business and philanthropic communities.

“The vision of CUNY Beyond, to make career readiness integral to every college student’s learning journey, is a big step forward in opening doors to economic mobility and meaningful, high-paying careers,” said Julie Sweet, Chair and CEO of Accenture and Chair of the New York Jobs CEO Council. “The Jobs Council is proud to partner to scale the tools, employer access and industry connections that are needed to help make these opportunities real.”

Chief Program and Impact Officer at Robin Hood, Matthew Klein, emphasized the program’s role in advancing equity: “A person’s ZIP code should never dictate the careers and opportunities they can pursue. That’s why we are proud to partner with The City University of New York, an institution uniquely positioned to unlock opportunities for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers. With the launch of CUNY Beyond, CUNY is scaling effective practices into system-level transformation. We’re investing not just in degrees, but in careers, and in CUNY’s ability to further support the economic mobility of its students.”

Similarly, Executive Director of the Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation, Cass Conrad, noted that CUNY Beyond aligns with her foundation’s mission to promote upward mobility: “Our grantmaking is based on the fact that both a college degree and a strong first job is key to helping New Yorkers climb the social and economic ladder. We are excited to support CUNY Beyond in its effort to wholly redesign the college experience and change the trajectory of students’ lives by connecting them with meaningful and rewarding careers.”

President of Postsecondary Education at the Strada Education Foundation, Ruth Watkins, called the initiative “truly visionary,” adding: “Education-to-career guidance, at the beginning of a postsecondary program, provides information about New York City’s high demand jobs and enables students to make choices about how they can achieve these opportunities. Paid work-based learning, both off-campus with regional employers and on-campus, helps students achieve better employment and better earnings. CUNY Beyond benefits New York’s industries through better prepared talent, ready to meet the needs of today and challenges of tomorrow.”

With strong backing from partners such as Robin Hood, the Petrie Foundation, and the Jobs CEO Council, CUNY Beyond will be implemented in phases across the University’s 25 campuses. The initial rollout will take place at Hunter College, Lehman College, LaGuardia Community College, and the Borough of Manhattan Community College.

Each campus will scale evidence-based practices in five core areas:

Career Exposure & Exploration: Students will begin career exploration early — even before enrollment. National studies show that participants in career-connected orientations are 15 per cent more likely to graduate in four years.

Integrated Academic & Career Advising: Academic programs will feature degree maps that align coursework with career milestones. At the College of Staten Island, a pilot program in the Computer Science Department led to a 43 per cent increase in students securing internships and a 144 per cent increase in graduates obtaining full-time jobs.

Career-Connected Learning: Courses will be continually updated based on feedback from employers to align with industry needs. CUNY data shows that students in industry-developed courses are twice as likely to receive a job offer upon graduation.

Paid Work-Based Learning: By expanding access to paid internships and apprenticeships integrated into degree pathways, the program aims to close opportunity gaps. Students who complete paid internships are three times more likely to secure a job offer at graduation.

Employer Engagement: CUNY will strengthen partnerships with businesses to expand employment opportunities. Academic departments that include an industry specialist already see 94 per cent of reported jobs aligned directly with students’ degrees.

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