ROI Major

Teaching Assistants/Aides at CUNY Medgar Evers College

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 13.15

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Teaching Assistants/Aides degree from CUNY Medgar Evers College earn a median salary of $49,837 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $37,755. The degree typically pays for itself in 11.6 years.

Quick Insights

Slow Burn / High Debt Risk

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

$37,365

Typical Career

$49,837

Top Performers

$66,059

Estimated break-even: 11.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$332

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,153. Most students can comfortably afford about a $332 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.3x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x 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, Public Administration.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 42.8%
Educational Services 15.0%
Public Administration 10.6%

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

$37,755

Nominal: $49,837 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).

11.6 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 $26,911 $37,721 $48,401
5 Years After Graduation $37,365 $49,837 $66,059
10 Years After Graduation $46,055 $62,278 $87,210

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 $49,837 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)
= $49,837 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $37,755 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from CUNY Medgar Evers College entering the Teaching Assistant/Aide field can expect a steady earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $37,721, which increases to $49,837 after five years and reaches $62,278 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns closely with the national equivalent at $37,755.3, indicating that while New York has a higher cost of living (COL index of 1.32), the earnings remain competitive within the context of the state’s economic landscape.

The primary industries for graduates are predominantly within Health Care & Social Assistance, with 78.8% entering this sector. This concentration suggests a robust demand for professionals in these fields, which can provide job security and growth opportunities. However, the estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 11.6 years, indicating that while the investment in education may yield higher long-term earnings, it may take over a decade to realize a financial advantage. Overall, the return on investment for pursuing a career as a Teaching Assistant/Aide appears to be favorable, particularly within the context of the health care sector's growth.

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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.