Graduation in manhattan
Columbia University
Columbia University sits in Morningside Heights with a quiet grandeur that feels both historic and deeply New York. Founded in 1754 as King’s College, it carries one of the oldest academic legacies in the United States while remaining closely tied to the city’s intellectual, cultural, and political life. The campus is anchored by Low Memorial Library, Alma Mater, College Walk, and Butler Library, creating a classic university atmosphere in the middle of Manhattan. Framed by stone steps, tree-lined paths, and the movement of students between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, Columbia feels like a place where history, ambition, and city life meet in one frame.
New York University
New York University is woven directly into the rhythm of Manhattan, with its Washington Square campus blending academic life into the streets, parks, and historic buildings of Greenwich Village. Around Washington Square Park, NYU feels less like a closed campus and more like a living part of the city, framed by the iconic arch, street musicians, students, artists, and everyday New Yorkers. Its Midtown presence adds another layer, placing the university near Bryant Park, Times Square, and the corporate pulse of Manhattan. Together, NYU’s downtown and Midtown locations capture two sides of New York: creative village energy and fast-moving urban ambition.
Cornell University
Cornell Tech rises on Roosevelt Island as a modern meeting point between architecture, technology, and New York City ambition. Opened in 2017 as Cornell University’s permanent tech campus, it was designed to bring students, researchers, startups, and companies into the same creative ecosystem. One interesting detail is The House, recognized by Cornell Tech as the world’s first residential high-rise built to Passive House standards. Framed by the East River and the Manhattan skyline, the campus feels less like a traditional university and more like a living laboratory for the future of cities.