CUNY is expanding its career readiness program, CUNY Beyond, to Kingsborough Community College and four other campuses after receiving a $6.8 million investment through the fiscal year 2027 state budget.
The funding, provided through Governor Kathy Hochul's New York Career Connect initiative, will extend the program to Baruch College, City College of New York, Queensborough Community College and York College, bringing CUNY Beyond to nine campuses serving more than 125,000 students.
“Career-connected learning reflects a new normal in higher education. Students want direction toward a career and it's our job to get them there,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez.
CUNY Beyond integrates career planning into students' academic experience through advising that connects career and academic goals, career-infused degree maps and expanded access to paid internships with businesses and government agencies.
The latest investment is expected to triple the number of students participating in paid internships while increasing employer recruitment across participating campuses.
The expansion gives Kingsborough students greater access to career planning, paid internships and professional development before graduation. The initiative supports New York's broader effort to prepare students for the workforce by combining academic study with hands-on career experience.
Students who complete paid internships are three times more likely to receive job offers than those who do not, officials said.
The program has partnered with 150 employers, including Morgan Stanley, Google and Pfizer, to create career maps that outline semester-by-semester professional milestones alongside academic goals.
The expansion builds on the program's launch last fall at Borough of Manhattan Community College, Hunter College, LaGuardia Community College and Lehman College.
During its first year, participating campuses developed 320 career maps across 239 academic programs, serving about 50,000 students. The campuses also reported increases in applications to CUNY-wide internship programs, ranging from 20% to 123%.
Beginning in fall 2026, all new undergraduate programs across CUNY will be required to include a career-infused degree map.
