The CUNY Adult Literacy/GED Program has been the cornerstone of CUNY's Division of Adult and Continuing Education for more than a quarter of a century. Through the Program, which operates on 14 campuses of the University in all five boroughs, tens of thousands of New York City adults have learned to speak English, to read and write with greater facility, and to prepare for high school credentialing through the GED Exam.

Some adult learners join CUNY classes hoping to achieve their goal of a high school diploma so that they can enter one of the colleges of CUNY as degree students. Others come to the Adult Literacy/GED Program with other goals — to improve their English language skills or their literacy skills in order to get a promotion or better job, to help their children with homework, or to participate more fully in neighborhood, school, and community affairs.

Adult learners bring a wide range of life experiences and educational backgrounds to the classroom, which require carefully crafted, responsive courses of instruction. Regardless of the proficiency level students initially bring to their studies, students in our classes can expect to encounter an engaging topic or theme through which language and literacy skills are taught. Students can expect to be active learners, reading, writing and speaking English a great deal. They will read whole texts appropriate to their level and be exposed to a range of technology, including computers and video.

In addition to classes in Adult Literacy, English for Speakers of Other Languages and GED preparation, depending on the campus, instruction is offered in mathematics, basic education in the native language, and a variety of special topics courses in such areas as health, family literacy and work preparation.

The CUNY Adult Literacy/GED Program has been funded since 1984 through combined New York City and New York State Education Department resources. The Program, which enrolls nearly 10,000 students a year, is coordinated centrally at the Office of Academic Affairs by a University Director and supported by a staff of professional developers with expertise in Adult Literacy and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).