Start in Queens,
finish your degree in New York
You're deciding whether to spend your first two years at CUNY LaGuardia Community College before completing a bachelor's elsewhere. That decision comes down to real numbers: transfer rates, earnings after graduation, and what it costs you out of pocket.
~14,500 undergrads, 23% transfer out by year 8, median $42k 10-yr earnings, $7,407 median debt.
A solid Queens CC with a real transfer track record and low debt
CUNY LaGuardia Community College enrolls nearly 14,500 undergrads in Long Island City and sends 23% of students to a four-year institution within eight years — a figure that clears the national community college average. Median earnings land at $42k ten years out, and median debt is a low $7,407, with a 0% three-year loan default rate. Business Administration leads completions at 278, followed by Criminal Justice and Psychology. In-state tuition is $4,800 and net price is $6,120, keeping borrowing minimal. For a New York student who wants a cost-controlled start and a functioning transfer pipeline, LaGuardia delivers on both counts.
CUNY LaGuardia Community College sits in Long Island City, Queens, and enrolls nearly 14,500 undergraduates — roughly half attend part-time, which stretches completion timelines but reflects the economic realities of its student body. Business Administration and Management is the top program by volume at 278 completions, followed by Criminal Justice at 149 and Psychology at 131 — a mix that maps well onto CUNY four-year pathways in business, public affairs, and social sciences. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 23%, above the typical community college range, meaning this CC functions as a real feeder into the four-year system. Median earnings ten years out are $42k, median debt is $7,407, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. In-state tuition is $4,800 with a net price of $6,120 — manageable by any New York standard. For a student weighing cost against transfer prospects, LaGuardia's numbers hold up.
What this CC teaches at scale
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Business Administration and Management, General. | 278 |
| Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration. | 149 |
| Psychology, General. | 131 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies. | 124 |
| Computer Science. | 88 |
| Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse. | 86 |
| Education, General. | 82 |
| Fine/Studio Arts, General. | 80 |
| Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping. | 77 |
| Physical Sciences, General. | 54 |
Source · IPEDS completions (all undergraduate credentials).
Where New York transfers tend to go
Reflects state-aggregated IPEDS transfer-in volume — CC-specific destinations are not publicly available from IPEDS or the College Scorecard.
Frequently asked
- Is CUNY LaGuardia Community College a good place to start a bachelor's degree?
- The data makes a reasonable case. Twenty-three percent of LaGuardia students transfer to a four-year institution within eight years, which is at or above the national community college average. About half of undergrads attend part-time, so timelines run longer, but the transfer pipeline is genuinely functioning. In-state tuition is $4,800 and net price is $6,120 — low enough that median borrower debt is just $7,407. Median earnings ten years after enrollment are $42k, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. That combination of controlled cost, working transfer rate, and clean debt profile makes LaGuardia a reasonable foundation for a bachelor's, provided you enter with a concrete transfer plan.
- How does CUNY LaGuardia's transfer-out rate compare to typical community colleges?
- LaGuardia's eight-year transfer-out rate is 23%. National benchmarks consistently place the average community college transfer rate in the 15–25% range, so LaGuardia sits solidly within — and at the upper end of — that band. Given that roughly half of students attend part-time, which typically depresses transfer rates by extending timelines, a 23% figure carries more weight than it would at a full-time-heavy campus. An additional 1.1% of students were still enrolled at the eight-year mark, and 31% had completed a credential at LaGuardia itself. Together these numbers indicate the college is an active part of the New York transfer ecosystem rather than a holding pattern.
- What programs does CUNY LaGuardia Community College offer at meaningful scale?
- LaGuardia's highest-volume programs by completions are Business Administration and Management (278), Criminal Justice (149), Psychology (131), Liberal Arts and Sciences (124), Computer Science (88), and Registered Nursing (86). Education (82), Fine and Studio Arts (80), Accounting Technology (77), and Physical Sciences (54) round out the top ten. The spread matters: students aiming at business, public safety, social sciences, or STEM bachelor's programs will find enough course volume and completion infrastructure here to support a real transfer track. Health and nursing completions — 86 in Registered Nursing — signal that allied health pathways are also developed, not token offerings.
Methodology — Transfer signals reflect IPEDS Outcome Measures 8-year cohorts; earnings and debt come from the College Scorecard. Destinations are state-aggregated; we do not claim CC-specific transfer destinations without authoritative per-student tracking data.