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NYC Pass Math

NYC attraction passes give students no discount — skip every one.

Empire State Building, AMNH, MoMA, and 9/11 Memorial cost students $104 at discounted door prices. Go City Essentials — the cheapest pass — costs $114. CityPASS C3 costs $129. Go City Explorer's 4-pick pass is $149. CityPASS is $179. Individual tickets win by $10, $25, $45, and $75 respectively. No NYC attraction pass offers a student discount that beats buying at the door.

TL;DR

Skip every pass at four attractions — individual tickets win at $104. Go City Essentials is the closest pass at $114, just $10 more. CityPASS C3 costs $129, Explorer $149, CityPASS $179. No NYC pass offers a student discount.

Adults 18+
0
Children 3–17
0
Students 13+ with ID
0
Seniors 65+
0
3days
§ Deep Dive

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Individual tickets beat every pass at four attractions for students

Empire State Building ($44, no student discount), AMNH ($25 → $20 with 20% off), MoMA ($28 → $15 with 46% off), and 9/11 Memorial ($29 → $25 with 15% off) cost $104 at the door. Go City Essentials covers ESB ($44), 9/11 ($25), and AMNH ($20) for $99, then you pay MoMA ($15) separately: $114 total — $10 more than individual. CityPASS C3 also leaves MoMA uncovered, but charges $114 for the pass instead of $99 — totalling $129. CityPASS covers ESB, AMNH, and 9/11 for $164, then adds $15 for MoMA: $179. Individual wins.

At five or six attractions, individual still wins — by $10 and by $4

Add EDGE Hudson Yards ($40 → $34 with 15% student discount) as a fifth pick: individual rises to $138. Essentials covers ESB plus 9/11 and AMNH for $99, then pays EDGE ($34) and MoMA ($15) extra — $148 total. C3 covers ESB, EDGE, and 9/11, then pays AMNH ($20) and MoMA ($15) extra — $149. Individual wins by $10 at five picks. At six attractions (adding Top of the Rock at $38 → $32), individual rises to $170; C3 covers ESB, EDGE, and Top of the Rock, then pays 9/11 ($25), AMNH ($20), and MoMA ($15) extra — $174. Individual wins by $4 at six picks.

No NYC pass offers a student discount — individual attractions do

CityPASS charges $164 regardless of student status. CityPASS C3 charges $114. Go City Essentials charges $99. Go City Explorer's 4-pick pass charges $149. All are adult prices. The student savings come entirely from individual attractions: MoMA gives 46% off ($28 → $15), AMNH gives 20% off ($25 → $20), 9/11 Memorial gives 15% off ($29 → $25), EDGE gives 15% off ($40 → $34), Top of the Rock gives 15% off ($38 → $32). Those discounts add up to $30 off the door price — enough to beat every pass at four, five, or six attractions.

§ FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is there any NYC attraction pass with a student discount?
No. CityPASS, Go City Explorer, Go City Essentials, and Go City All-Inclusive all charge the adult price to anyone aged 13 and older. Student savings on individual tickets — 46% at MoMA, 20% at AMNH, 15% at 9/11 Memorial, 15% at EDGE, 15% at Top of the Rock — disappear the moment you buy a pass.
What is the cheapest NYC pass for students?
Go City Essentials at $99 has the lowest pass fee, but it totals $114 on this four-attraction itinerary after paying $15 for MoMA separately — $10 more than individual tickets at $104. CityPASS C3 totals $129. No pass beats individual tickets for a student on this itinerary.
At what point does a pass become worth it for students?
On this itinerary (ESB, AMNH, MoMA, 9/11), individual tickets beat every pass at four, five, and six attractions. The math would only flip if you swapped in expensive, low-discount attractions — like Circle Line ($49, no student discount). Use the calculator above with your specific picks to find the crossover.