Baruch College (officially the Bernard M. Baruch College) is a public college in New York City. It is a constituent college of the City University of New York system. Named for financier and statesman Bernard M. Baruch, the college operates undergraduate, masters, and Ph.D. programs through its Zicklin School of Business,^[3] the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences, and the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs.

Baruch is one of CUNY's senior colleges. It traces its roots back to the 1847 founding of the Free Academy,^[6] the first institution of free public higher education in the United States. The New York State Literature Fund was created to serve students who could not afford to enroll in New York City’s private colleges. The Fund led to the creation of the Committee of the Board of Education of the City of New York, led by Townsend Harris, J.S. Bosworth, and John L. Mason, which brought about the establishment of what would become the Free Academy, on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan.

The Free Academy became the College of the City of New York, now The City College of New York (CCNY). In 1919, what would become Baruch College was established as City College School of Business and Civic Administration.^[7] On December 15, 1928, the cornerstone was laid on the new building which would house the newly founded school. At this point, the school did not admit women. At the time it opened it was considered the biggest such school for the teaching of business education in the United States.^[8]

By the 1930s, women were allowed into the School of Business. The total enrollment at CCNY reached an all-time high of 40,000 students in 1935, and the School of Business had an enrollment of more than 1,700 students in the day session alone. In 1953, it was renamed the Baruch School of Business in honor of Bernard Baruch, after an 1889 graduate of CCNY who went on to become a prominent financier and adviser to two presidents. In 1961, the New York State Education Law established the City University of New York (CUNY) system. In 1968, the Baruch School of Business was spun off as Baruch College, an independent senior college in the City University system.

The first president of the new college (1969–1970) was the previous Federal Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Robert C. Weaver. In 1971, the college appointed Clyde Wingfield, a noted educator, as its president. He was succeeded by economist Joel Edwin Segall in 1977. Segall recruited several well-known faculty members to the School of Business and established the college's permanent home on Lower Lexington Avenue.^[9] Matthew Goldstein was president of the school from 1991 to 1998 (he later went on to serve as the Chancellor of CUNY from 1999 to 2013). He was responsible for raising admissions requirements and creating the School of Public Affairs in 1994. Edward Regan, former comptroller of New York state, served as president from 2000 to 2004. During his tenure, test scores rose, student retention rates increased, and many new faculty members were hired.^[10] In 2001, the Vertical Campus opened and Baruch accepted its first students from the CUNY Honors College, now known as the Macaulay Honors College. The college also implemented a common core curriculum for all undergraduates.

Baruch received donations from alumni, the Vertical Campus, 23rd Street building, and Performing Arts complex, (renamed in honor of the three largest donors), respectively.^[11] Alumni giving has increased under "Baruch Means Business," a $150 million capital campaign.^[12] In August 2009, Waldron resigned from her position to become a University Professor at the Graduate Center. Stan Altman, the former dean of the School of Public Affairs from 1999 to 2005, was named interim president.^[13]

On February 22, 2010, Dr. Mitchel Wallerstein, Dean of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, was appointed as the next President of Baruch College. He took office on August 2, 2010.^[14]

Baruch was the scene of student protests in 2011 as a result of tuition hikes.^[15] This resulted in arrests.^[15]

Larry Zicklin, who endowed the Zicklin School of Business with an $18 million gift in 1997, is currently a Clinical Professor at Stern School of Business at New York University and teaches courses in Corporate Governance and the Management of a Financial Business at Stern. Zicklin is also a Senior Fellow at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

The college is composed of three academic schools, the Zicklin School of Business, the Weissman School of Arts & Science, and the Marxe School of Public Affairs.

The Zicklin School of Business grants a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree in 19 different business related areas, a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) in 14 business related areas, and a Masters of Science (MS) in 8 business related programs.^[16]

The Weissman School of Arts and Sciences grants a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in over 26 different arts and science related areas, a Masters of Arts (MA)in Corporate Communications and Mental Health Counseling, and a Masters of Science (MS) in Financial Engineering and Industrial Organizational Psychology.^[17]

The Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs grants a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Public Affairs, a Masters of Public Administration (MPA) in 5 different public affairs-related areas and a Masters of Science in Education (MSEd) in Higher Education Administration.^[18]

The college also houses several doctoral (Ph.D.) programs offered through the CUNY Graduate Center. They include Business (with specializations in Accounting, Finance, Information Systems, Marketing or Organizational Behavior) as well as Industrial and Organizational Psychology.^[19][20] As of June 2013, the CUNY Ph.D. in Business degree is offered jointly by the Graduate Center and Baruch College.^[21]

The Lawrence and Eris Field Building, also known as the 23rd Street Building, is still in use by the college today. The 23rd Street Building began renovation in 2013. The ten-year renovation project will finally bring the 23rd Street Building to twenty-first-century standards.^[22] The building is home to the School of Public Affairs and several administrative offices.

The Information and Technology Building, opened in 1994, is located across East 25th Street from the Newman Vertical Campus.^[23] It is home to the William and Anita Newman Library, featuring multiple floors with Wi-Fi access and designated "study-pod" areas. A 320-seat computer lab, the Baruch Computing and Technology Center, is on the sixth floor. The building also contains the offices of the Registrar, Undergraduate Admissions, Financial Aid and the International Student Center. It is colloquially known as the "Library Building" by students and staff.

After decades of renting space for classrooms, the college began construction of what would later be called the Newman Vertical Campus in 1998. Named after businessman William Newman and inaugurated on August 27, 2001, the building is a 786,000-square-foot (73,000 m2), 17-floor building, which cost $327 million to erect.^[24][25] It is now home to the Zicklin School of Business and the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences (the School of Public Affairs is housed in the Field Building).^[24] It houses classrooms, faculty offices, additional computer labs for student use, along with the Athletic and Recreation Complex (ARC), Cafeteria, and Baruch Bookstore.^[26] The Newman Vertical Campus was honored in 2003 by the American Institute of Architects with the highest award it offers to an individual building.^[27] East 25th Street between Lexington and Third Avenue was renamed "Bernard Baruch Way", and the college now uses the Vertical Campus as its official address.

The College is located between East 22nd and 25th Streets in Manhattan, along Lexington Avenue. The campus is served by the following transportation:

WBMB Baruch College Radio currently provides around the clock radio broadcasts via their website stream and local FM frequency 94.3.^[51] The Ticker^[52] has been the student newspaper since 1932. The school is home to business organizations, including large chapters of such national and international organizations such as ALPFA (The Association of Latino Professionals in Finance & Accounting), AIESEC, Toastmasters, Roller Hockey Club,^[53] Alpha Kappa Psi, American Humanics, United Chinese Language Association, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and Golden Key.^[54]

Baruch College teams participate as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III. The Bearcats are a member of the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis and volleyball; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, dance team, softball, swimming & diving, tennis and volleyball.

Baruch's undergraduate admissions are considered to be "Very Selective" by College Board.^[55] In the Fall of 2013, over 19,400 students applied for admissions and only 5,000 were admitted with an acceptance rate of 27%. Baruch follows a holistic admissions process by considering teacher recommendations, application essay, and extracurricular activities, in addition to standardized test scores and GPA.

Baruch College has been ranked by multiple sources, including:

Before 1968, alumni were officially alumni of the City College of New York.