NYC Pass Math

The best NYC pass for students is the one you don't buy.

NYC attractions give students 15–46% off individual tickets. Go City Explorer gives students 5% off its pass price. CityPASS gives students nothing. Those gaps determine everything.

TL;DR

Skip every pass at 4 attractions — individual tickets win by $9. At 5 attractions, Go City Explorer is the only pass worth buying. CityPASS offers students no discount at all.

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§ Deep Dive

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Individual tickets beat every pass at four attractions

A 4-attraction student itinerary — Empire State Building (no student discount: $44), AMNH ($20), MoMA ($15), and 9/11 Memorial ($25) — costs $104 buying at the door. Go City Explorer's 4-pick pass costs $113 at the student rate, $9 more than buying individually. CityPASS costs $164 — $60 more. At four attractions, no pass saves a student money.

At five attractions, Go City Explorer wins — CityPASS still doesn't

Add Top of the Rock and Explorer crosses the savings threshold — CityPASS doesn't. Five attractions cost $136 individually at student rates. Go City Explorer's 5-pick pass costs $128 — $8 savings (6%). CityPASS costs $164, the same price it charges adults. Explorer wins at five attractions. CityPASS finishes last.

CityPASS charges students the same as adults

CityPASS has no student rate. A student pays $164 — identical to an adult. At four attractions, that's $60 more than individual tickets. At five, it's $36 more than Go City Explorer. Explorer at least offers students 5% off. CityPASS offers nothing. That makes it the wrong pass regardless of itinerary length.

§ FAQ

Frequently asked questions

If I'm traveling with non-student friends, should we each buy different passes?
Yes. For adults visiting the same 4 attractions, Go City Explorer ($119) beats individual tickets ($126) — the opposite of the student result. A student and adult hitting the same four stops should buy separately: the student pays individually, the adult buys Explorer.
Which NYC attraction gives students the best discount?
MoMA — 46% off, dropping the price from $28 to $15. AMNH is second at 20% off ($20 instead of $25). Empire State Building offers students no discount at all, which is why CityPASS can't overcome that gap: it includes ESB but can't discount it.
Does Go City Explorer have a student discount?
Yes, 5% off the pass price. It's the only NYC attraction pass with a student rate. At five attractions Explorer costs $128, saving $8 over individual tickets — small but real.