10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$196,026at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
SUNY College at Potsdam
⌖ Potsdam, NY · 20 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$196,026 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
With these assumptions, the added earnings do not recover the cost within ten years.
61.0 yrsModeled economic break-even
−84%Modeled 10-year ROI
$48,847Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
What the numbers say about SUNY College at Potsdam
What does SUNY College at Potsdam cost?
SUNY College at Potsdam reports an average annual net price of $13,624 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do SUNY College at Potsdam graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $48,847 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do SUNY College at Potsdam graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $24,250. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at SUNY College at Potsdam worth the same?
No. DegreeVerdict currently shows 20 field-and-credential outcomes at SUNY College at Potsdam; reported earnings and debt can differ substantially by program category.
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK
Estimated payoff over ten years.
The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.
FEDERAL COST DATA
Four ways to read college price.
Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price−$141,530
$8,000Annual price−$173,530
$14,000Current college-wide context−$197,530
$16,000Annual price−$205,530
$24,000Annual price−$237,530
$32,000Annual price−$269,530
$40,000Annual price−$301,530
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education
- Main award level
- Bachelor’s degrees
- Campus setting
- Town
- Admissions
- Selective admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$13,624Average net price / year
$25,083Cost of attendance
$24,250Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$257/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$48,847Median earnings · year 5 after completion
45.3%Completion rate
77.7%Admission rate
1,823Student size
Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.
WHO PAYS, WHO FINISHES, WHO EARNS
Outcomes are not the same for every family.
These federal cohorts add context that a single college average can hide. Missing figures remain unreported rather than estimated.
Complete within 150% of the expected time
49% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
627 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
54% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$43,156Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$45,170Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$53,376Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income48%
Middle income60%
Higher income64%
Source: College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Parent PLUS debt belongs to parents; student-debt measures exclude Parent PLUS and private loans. Cohort definitions differ by measure.
INDEPENDENT CENSUS EARNINGS VIEW
How earnings develop by field
Privacy-protected Census employment records follow graduate cohorts one, five and ten years after completion. This source is kept separate from College Scorecard because its population and methodology differ.
Field and credentialYear 1Year 5Year 10
Astronomy and Astrophysics.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 40
$39,884Year 1
$63,305Year 5
$84,962Year 10
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 26
$32,149Year 1
$58,176Year 5
$83,881Year 10
Criminal Justice and Corrections.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 43
$33,861Year 1
$58,956Year 5
$83,557Year 10
Accounting and Related Services.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 52
$47,460Year 1
$65,634Year 5
$79,787Year 10
Communication and Media Studies.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 09
$38,967Year 1
$52,765Year 5
$71,899Year 10
Accounting and Related Services.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 52
$41,695Year 1
$61,085Year 5
$70,474Year 10
Applied Mathematics.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 27
$39,884Year 1
$65,081Year 5
$67,797Year 10
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 13
$54,319Year 1
$60,424Year 5
$67,482Year 10
Median annual earnings in 2023 dollars. Each time point may use a different pooled graduation cohort. Coverage is limited to institutions participating in the Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes program.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
WHAT STANDS OUT
A faster read on this college
These summaries use only reportable field-and-credential records at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS PATH
Reported earnings over time
$31,231Year 1
$49,169Year 4
$48,847Year 5
Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.
The college average is not the whole story.
Observed earnings vary substantially by field and credential at the same institution.
1Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences · Bachelor's Degree$62,0042Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas · Bachelor's Degree$57,9493Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's Degree$57,0664Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods · Bachelor's Degree$53,8345Criminal Justice and Corrections · Bachelor's Degree$53,5976Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management · Bachelor's Degree$52,5837Sociology · Bachelor's Degree$51,0868Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General · Bachelor's Degree$50,659Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding
Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark
This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential, not simply majors that pay more everywhere.
1Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's Degree · $53,834 reported+14%vs same-degree national median$27,000federal debt2Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasBachelor's Degree · $57,949 reported+13%vs same-degree national median$27,000federal debt3Arts, Entertainment, and Media ManagementBachelor's Degree · $52,583 reported+9%vs same-degree national median$27,000federal debt4Geological and Earth Sciences/GeosciencesBachelor's Degree · $62,004 reported+3%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt5English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $48,920 reported+1%vs same-degree national median$30,000federal debt6SociologyBachelor's Degree · $51,086 reported-3%vs same-degree national median$26,000federal debt
Comparable colleges in NY
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
Suffern, NY
Rockland Community College
- Annual net price
- $11,282
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $49,094
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -82%
SUNY at Fredonia
- Annual net price
- $15,897
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $49,968
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -80%
Erie 1 BOCES
- Annual net price
- $12,987
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $45,778
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -97%
SUNY Buffalo State University
- Annual net price
- $11,346
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $50,369
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -76%
Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes
| Federal field | Credential | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2023–24 awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | Bachelor's Degree | $62,004 | Not available | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | Bachelor's Degree | $57,949 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Bachelor's Degree | $57,066 | $26,000 | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Bachelor's Degree | $53,834 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Bachelor's Degree | $53,597 | $25,999 | Not reported |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management | Bachelor's Degree | $52,583 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| Sociology | Bachelor's Degree | $51,086 | $26,000 | Not reported |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | Bachelor's Degree | $50,659 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $49,725 | $25,000 | Not reported |
| English Language and Literature, General | Bachelor's Degree | $48,920 | $30,000 | Not reported |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $48,601 | $26,525 | Not reported |
| History | Bachelor's Degree | $45,234 | $26,500 | Not reported |
| Communication and Media Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $43,686 | $26,001 | Not reported |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $38,562 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| Music | Bachelor's Degree | $36,677 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General | Bachelor's Degree | $33,743 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | Bachelor's Degree | $33,581 | $26,208 | Not reported |
| Fine and Studio Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $30,688 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $26,000 | Not reported |
| Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $24,028 | Not reported |
Awards use first-major IPEDS completions aggregated to the same four-digit field and credential.
Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.