ROI Major

Finance and Financial Management Services at SUNY College of Agriculture & Technology at Cobleskill

NY · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 52.08

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Finance and Financial Management Services degree from SUNY College of Agriculture & Technology at Cobleskill earn a median salary of $65,458 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $49,589. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.6 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 bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$49,328

Typical Career

$65,458

Top Performers

$84,259

Estimated break-even: 7.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$436

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,455. Most students can comfortably afford about a $436 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: Health Care & Social Assistance, Public Administration, Educational Services.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 13.7%
Public Administration 12.0%
Educational Services 10.0%

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

$49,589

Nominal: $65,458 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).

7.6 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 $27,637 $39,731 $60,590
5 Years After Graduation $49,328 $65,458 $84,259
10 Years After Graduation $44,592 $81,671 $138,999

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 $65,458 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)
= $65,458 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $49,589 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Finance and Financial Management Services program at SUNY College of Agriculture & Technology at Cobleskill experience a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $39,731.00, increasing to $65,458.00 after five years and reaching $81,671.00 a decade post-graduation. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of $49,589.39, indicating that while graduates may earn less initially, their long-term financial outlook remains promising, especially considering the cost of living in New York.

The program's graduates predominantly enter sectors such as Health Care & Social Assistance (13.7%), Public Administration (12.0%), and Educational Services (10.0%). With an estimated break-even point of approximately 7.6 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for this degree appears favorable. Overall, students can expect a solid career foundation in various industries, making this program a viable option for those interested in finance and its applications in diverse fields.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Finance and Financial Management Services degree at SUNY College of Agriculture & Technology at Cobleskill 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.

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