ROI Major

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research at CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.38

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research degree from CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College earn a median salary of $108,576 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $82,255. The degree typically pays for itself in 3.4 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$87,275

Typical Career

$108,576

Top Performers

$129,099

Estimated break-even: 3.4 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$724

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $9,048. Most students can comfortably afford about a $724 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 2.8x more than the average US high school graduate and 1.4x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in New York buys what costs $1.32 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Health Care & Social Assistance, Educational Services, Retail Trade.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 31.8%
Educational Services 9.9%
Retail Trade 7.5%

Institution-wide industry mix for graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$82,255

Nominal: $108,576 in New York (COL 132.0% of national avg) · 24.2% lower purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

3.4 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $52,222 $74,351 $98,945
5 Years After Graduation $87,275 $108,576 $129,099
10 Years After Graduation $95,525 $118,122 $141,470

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $108,576 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in NY, which has a cost-of-living index of 132.0% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $108,576 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $82,255 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, and Nursing Research programs at CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College can expect a strong earnings trajectory. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $74,351, which increases significantly to $108,576 after five years and reaches $118,122 by the ten-year mark. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $82,254.55, indicating that while the cost of living in New York is higher (COL index of 1.32), the earnings still reflect a solid financial return over time.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance (31.8%), Educational Services (9.9%), and Retail Trade (7.5%). This distribution highlights the strong demand for nursing professionals in various sectors, particularly in health care. With an estimated break-even point of approximately 3.4 years compared to a high-school-only path, the overall return on investment for pursuing a nursing career at this institution appears favorable, suggesting that the education and training provided lead to substantial long-term financial benefits.

Compare with Another School

See how the Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research degree at CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.