ROI Major

Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies at Kingsborough Community College/CUNY

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 47.06

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies degree from Kingsborough Community College/CUNY earn a median salary of $69,779 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $52,863. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.3 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

$39,950

Typical Career

$69,779

Top Performers

$88,708

Estimated break-even: 7.3 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$465

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,815. Most students can comfortably afford about a $465 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.8x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.9x 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

$52,863

Nominal: $69,779 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).

7.3 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 $25,504 $37,841 $53,421
5 Years After Graduation $39,950 $69,779 $88,708
10 Years After Graduation $59,848 $79,032 $129,123

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 $69,779 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)
= $69,779 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $52,863 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies program at Kingsborough Community College can expect a significant increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $37,841, which rises to $69,779 after five years and reaches $79,032 after ten years. However, it is important to consider the cost of living in New York, where the cost of living index is 1.32 compared to the national average of 1.0. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent is approximately $52,862.88, indicating that while earnings grow, the local cost of living impacts overall financial benefits.

The program's graduates predominantly enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, which accounts for 34.5% of employment, followed by Educational Services at 11.8%. This suggests a strong alignment with industries that are consistently in demand. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 7.3 years, indicating a reasonable return on investment for those pursuing this career path. Overall, while the program offers a solid earnings trajectory, prospective students should weigh the local economic factors and industry trends when making their decision.

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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.