ROI Major

Teaching English or French as a Second Language at State University of New York at Oswego (SUNY Oswego)

NY · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 13.14

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Teaching English or French as a Second Language degree from State University of New York at Oswego (SUNY Oswego) earn a median salary of $65,986 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $49,989. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.2 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 bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$51,028

Typical Career

$65,986

Top Performers

$76,161

Estimated break-even: 7.2 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$440

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,499. Most students can comfortably afford about a $440 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.7x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.8x 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: Educational Services, Health Care & Social Assistance, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 22.7%
Health Care & Social Assistance 14.6%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 10.4%

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

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$49,989

Nominal: $65,986 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).

7.2 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 $32,785 $48,238 $58,920
5 Years After Graduation $51,028 $65,986 $76,161
10 Years After Graduation $64,854 $71,823 $82,929

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 $65,986 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)
= $65,986 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $49,989 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Teaching English or French as a Second Language program at SUNY Oswego experience a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $48,238, increasing to $65,986 five years post-graduation, and reaching $71,823 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent is approximately $49,989.39, reflecting the cost of living in New York, which has a COL index of 1.32 compared to the national average of 1.0. This indicates that while initial earnings may be lower relative to other regions, the long-term growth potential remains significant.

The top industries for graduates include Educational Services (22.7%), Health Care & Social Assistance (14.6%), and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (10.4%). The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 7.2 years, suggesting that while the initial investment in education may take time to recoup, the long-term return on investment is favorable. Overall, pursuing a degree in Teaching English or French as a Second Language at SUNY Oswego can lead to stable career opportunities and a solid financial outlook over time.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Teaching English or French as a Second Language degree at State University of New York at Oswego (SUNY Oswego) stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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.

Explore More