ROI Major

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research at Kingsborough Community College/CUNY

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 Kingsborough Community College/CUNY earn a median salary of $106,944 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $81,018. The degree typically pays for itself in 3.8 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

$82,300

Typical Career

$106,944

Top Performers

$125,222

Estimated break-even: 3.8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$713

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $8,912. Most students can comfortably afford about a $713 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, Public Administration.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 34.5%
Educational Services 11.8%
Public Administration 8.8%

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

$81,018

Nominal: $106,944 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).

3.8 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 $44,628 $65,748 $91,166
5 Years After Graduation $82,300 $106,944 $125,222
10 Years After Graduation $98,330 $119,239 $141,418

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 $106,944 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)
= $106,944 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $81,018 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 Kingsborough Community College can expect a promising earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $65,748, which increases significantly to $106,944 after five years and reaches $119,239 by the ten-year mark. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent nationally is approximately $81,018.18, reflecting the competitive nature of the nursing field despite New York's higher cost of living index.

The top industries for graduates predominantly include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 34.5% of employment, followed by another 20.1% in the same sector, and 11.8% in Educational Services. This indicates a strong alignment with sectors that are projected to grow, ensuring job stability. The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 3.8 years, suggesting a favorable return on investment for those pursuing these nursing programs. Overall, the career prospects and financial benefits appear robust for graduates in this field.

Compare with Another School

See how the Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research degree at Kingsborough Community College/CUNY 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.