Newly Accepted Graduate Students

After you have been accepted to the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, reserve your space by clicking here.

You will also need to submit a non-refundable $250 (USD) commitment deposit. We encourage you to submit your commitment deposit as soon as possible. Your place in the program is not held until we receive this deposit. In addition, your timely return of the Commitment Deposit will initiate the Financial Aid process. You will receive an email next with the Commitment Deposit form.

International students and PhD applicants do not have to submit a commitment deposit.

Please visit the International Students page for information on documents needed to obtain an I-20.  Please contact the Office of International Students at iso@sph.cuny.edu with any questions.

Our New Student Orientation will take place in June and August 2023. You will receive an invitation once you accept our offer of admission.

Registration for Fall 2023 courses opens in early May 2023. You will not be able to enter our registration system or register for classes until you submit your commitment deposit and you receive the “Registration Information” email.

1. Claim your CUNYFirst Account (our student information, registration, and administrative system)i.  Review the CUNYfirst Getting Started Kit. Select “new user” if you don’t already have an account. Your Social Security number is used to claim your account.  Once you claim your account, write down your CUNYfirst ID (called EMPL ID) or store it in your cell phone. You will need to know your EMPL ID when seeing an advisor to obtain a class permission and for all other CUNY functions.ii.  If you are an international student, please use the number sent to you instead of a Social Security number to claim your account.iii.  If you have previously attended a CUNY school and used the CUNYfirst system or have an active account, you do not need to claim your account again.
2. Enroll in your coursework based on our Recommended Courses for New Students in a fall cohort, or a spring cohort. Reach out to advising@sph.cuny.edu or schedule an appointment for assistance in planning your schedule
3. All MPH and MS students must complete PUBH 601: Foundations of Public Health Knowledge, a zero-credit series of online modules. PUBH 601 should be completed in your first semester.
4. The Fall 2023 semester starts on August 25, 2023. Be sure to review the CUNY SPH Academic Calendar for important information such as add/drop dates and when you can receive tuition refunds.
5. Visit our Registrar’s Office page to learn how to view your registration appointment, search for classes, and add courses to your shopping cart on CUNYFirst.

Advisors are vital partners in students’ success at CUNY SPH.  As a master’s student, you will have two advisors, an administrative advisor and a faculty advisor. We recommend setting up an appointment to meet with an administrative advisor to map out your academic plan. Your faculty advisor will be assigned to you during the first two weeks of the fall semester to assist with electives, career objectives, fieldwork placement, and capstone project ideas.  Certificate students have an administrative advisor only.

Before you can enroll, the Admissions Office will need to receive an official academic transcript from all of your undergraduate and graduate institution showing your degree conferral date. If you have submitted an official transcript to SOPHAS and it has been verified, you do not need to send CUNY SPH another official copy. If your WES or ECE-evaluated transcript shows a copy of your original transcript, no additional transcripts are required.

You will not be able to register until you have cleared your MMR and Meningitis Immunization Stops.  If you have submitted your immunization documents to any of the CUNY campuses previously, you will not be asked to provide these documents again. Please review Immunization Requirements and submit the Immunization Form if you plan on taking 6 credits or more. Please submit all documents electronically to margaret.krudysz@sph.cuny.edu.  If you choose to forgo providing proof of vaccination for Meningitis, you have the option of removing the Meningitis stop on your CUNYFirst account yourself.  The meningitis response form is available via the checklist. Click on your “To Do List” to find the form.

Note that we do accept forms from your physician, yellow cards, or any other documents that show your immunization history (with dates).

COVID-19 Vaccination (see CUNY’s vaccination policies here)

Visit the Bursar’s Office page and pay your fees in accordance with the CUNY SPH Calendar. A list of accepted payment methods is available on our website.

Make sure you have applied for Financial Aid, if applicable. In order to receive a Financial Aid award letter, Students must complete the 2022-2023 FAFSA Form using SPH School Code 004765 (This will guarantee that SPH will receive your application information.) Filling out an online FAFSA allows the transmission of your information directly to the federal government. Please visit the Financial Aid website for more information.

The CUNY SPH Catalog outlines Academic Polices and your program of study requirements.

Review the student services and resources available to you as a student (for example, Career Services, Writing Assistance, Quantitative Tutoring, Library Services, etc.). A full list can be found on our website.

Information Technology (IT) Services will assign you a CUNY SPH email address in early August. Information on how to check your account and how to take advantage of the MS Office resources (such as Excel, PowerPoint, Word) will be sent to the email address you provided in your SOPHAS application.

As a new student to our school, you will automatically be subscribed to the student listserv. Through the student listserv, new and returning students will receive the most current information about CUNY SPH events and news, job-related opportunities, internships, health-related seminars, upcoming events, fellowships, and other items of interest. We also encourage you to “like” us via our Facebook page and our Twitter feed.

You will be able to get your CUNY SPH ID card remotely. Visit this link to request an ID card. Note that you will only be able to obtain your CUNY SPH ID card after you have received an email from IT regarding your CUNY SPH student email account.

Purchase your textbooks.

Please go to your CUNYfirst Student Services Center where you will find a direct link to SPARC on your “to do list.” The SPARC training should take about 30 minutes to complete and should be taken on devices with a tablet size screen or larger. Instructions are available here.

Join the CUNY SPH Graduate Student Government Association (GSGA).