In October 2002, plaintiffs-appellants Alice Clissuras and Patricia Clissuras filed separate pro se actions, in United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, against the City University of New York (“CUNY”), the Teachers’ Retirement System of the City of New York (“TRS”), Professional Staff Congress-CUNY (“the Union”), PSC-CUNY Welfare Fund (“the Fund”), and various unnamed and potentially responsible defendants. Their virtually identical complaints alleged numerous constitutional violations, ostensibly pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §§ 1983 and 1985, and a variety of state law claims. The gravamen of the plaintiffs’ action is that, following their respective retirements from the faculty of CUNY’s New York City College of Technology, they were de*81nied certain pension and health benefits because of improper calculations and mis-classifieations by the defendants.

The district court (Scheindlin, J.) dismissed the claims against defendant CUNY at the outset of the litigation on the ground that it is “an arm of the state” and consequently entitled to Eleventh Amendment immunity.1 U.S. Const, amend. XI. We agree with the district court that New York City College of Technology, plaintiffs’ former employer and the relevant entity for the purposes of immunity analysis, is a “senior college” of the City University of New York.2 See N.Y. Educ. Law § 6202(5) (McKinney Supp. 2004) (“The term ‘senior college’ shall mean an institution of higher education in the city of New York ... including ... New York city college of technology (formerly known as ‘New York city technical college’) .... ”); Hester-Bey v. New York City Technical Coll., No. CV-98-5129 (CPS), 2000 WL 488484, *3, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5323, at *8 (E.D.N.Y Mar. 22, 2000). (“Technical College is by statute a senior college of CUNY.”). We are thus left with a question heretofore unanswered in this circuit: Is a CUNY senior college an “arm of the state” and therefore immune from suit? For the reasons that follow, we find that it is.

We review de novo a district court’s dismissal on grounds of sovereign immunity. CSX Transp., Inc. v. N.Y. State Office of Real Prop. Servs., 306 F.3d 87, 94 (2d Cir. 2002). It is well settled that the “ultimate guarantee” of the Eleventh Amendment is that “nonconsenting States may not be sued by private individuals in federal court.” Bd. of Trustees v. Garrett, 531 U.S. 356, 363, 121 S.Ct. 955, 148 L.Ed.2d 866 (2001).3 And the Eleventh Amendment extends immunity “not only to a state, but also to entities considered ‘arms of the state.’ ” McGinty v. New York, 251 F.3d 84, 95 (2d Cir. 2001). CUNY argues that it qualifies as an “arm of the state.”

CUNY made the same argument before this Court four years ago, in a case *82involving a CUNY community college. See Pikulin v. CUNY, 176 F.3d 598, 600 (2d Cir. 1999) (per curiam).4 In Pikulin, after reviewing the district court’s conclusion that sovereign immunity attached, we sent the case back for reconsideration due to inadequate findings.5 Without deciding the ultimate question of CUNY’s immunity, Pikulin set forth two factors that should guide the determination of whether an institution is an arm of the state: (1) “the extent to which the state would be responsible for satisfying any judgment that might be entered against the defendant entity,” and (2) “the degree of supervision exercised by the state over the defendant entity.” Pikulin, 176 F.3d at 600. The first of these is the “most salient factor in Eleventh Amendment determinations.” Hess v. Port Auth. Trans-Hudson Com, 513 U.S. 30, 48, 115 S.Ct. 394, 130 L.Ed.2d 245 (1994).

We find that CUNY senior colleges meet the two criteria outlined in Pikulin. First, the state is responsible for paying money judgments entered against CUNY senior colleges. See N.Y. Educ. Law § 6224(6) (McKinney 2001) (“[T]he comptroller of the state of New York is authorized to ... pay from funding sources available for payment of claims by the state any settlement, order or judgment in any

federal or state court, other than the court of claims, or any administrative tribunal which pertains to a senior college of the city university of New York.”) (emphasis added);6 see also id. § 6224(5) (providing for state’s payment of judgments entered against CUNY in state court of claims); Perry v. City of New York, 126 A.D.2d 714, 511 N.Y.S.2d 310 (2d Dept. 1987) (holding that the state is responsible for paying money judgments against a senior CUNY college). The state also reimburses CUNY senior colleges for their net operating expenses. See N.Y. Educ. Law § 6221(A)(4) (McKinney Supp. 2004).

Second, “ultimate control over how CUNY is governed and operated” rests with the state. Becker v. City Univ. Of New York, 94 F.Supp.2d 487, 490

(S.D.N.Y. 2000). Among other things, the governor, with the advice and consent of the state senate, appoints ten of the seventeen members of CUNY’s board of trustees, including the chair and vice chair. See N.Y. Educ. Law. § 6204(2)(a) & (d) (McKinney 2001). And the chancellor is required by law to submit an annual proposed budget, already approved by the board of trustees, to the governor, who in turn presents his budget recommendations for the senior colleges to the state legislature. Id. § 6230(2) & (3).7

*83CUNY senior colleges certainly do have a degree of independence, but they are “ultimately accountable to, and dependent upon, the state.” Becker, 94 F.Supp.2d at 490.8 Therefore, we agree with all of the district courts in our circuit that have considered the issue that a CUNY senior college, here New York City College of Technology, is an “arm of the state.” Plaintiffs’ suits against CUNY are equivalent to suits against the State of New York and are therefore barred by the Eleventh Amendment.

We have considered all of plaintiffs’ challenges to the dismissal of CUNY for lack of jurisdiction on the ground of sovereign immunity and find them to be merit-less. Accordingly, we AFFIRM the judgment of the district court as it pertains to CUNY.