10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$52,698at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Public · COLLEGE PAYOFF
University at Albany
Albany, NY · 56 field-and-degree records
Earnings reported for 53 · Federal debt reported for 34
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff
−$52,698 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
12.7 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−21%Estimated return after 10 years
$64,597Observed earnings · year 5
$3,993Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0
The price benchmark would need to fall by $13,175 per year to reach it.
Start with your question
What do you want to understand?
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.
PUBLISHED STUDENT BUDGET · 2024–25
What makes up the annual price?
Sticker-price components reported to IPEDS. Grants and scholarships are not subtracted here.
Living off campus: $18,007 housing and food allowance plus $2,748 in other expenses.
Do not confuse this with net price. Net price subtracts average grants and scholarships. DegreeVerdict continues to use the separately labeled average net price in its standard college ROI scenario.
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+$15,970
$8,000Annual price−$16,030
$16,000Annual price−$48,030
$17,000Current college-wide context−$52,030
$24,000Annual price−$80,030
$32,000Annual price−$112,030
$40,000Annual price−$144,030
HOW STUDENTS ATTEND · 2023-24
Online study is a meaningful part of the student experience.
IPEDS enrollment counts show course delivery across the whole institution. They do not indicate whether a specific degree can be completed online.
Institution-level attendance context from IPEDS. Program delivery is reported separately on degree pages and in the program directory. These figures do not enter ROI.
College identity and local contextAccreditation, institution type, dual enrollment and state prices
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
- City
- Admissions
- Selective admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
DUAL-ENROLLMENT CONTEXT · 2024
8,101 high-school students took college courses.
IPEDS counts students enrolled in college credit while still in high school. A large dual-enrollment population can shape headline enrollment figures, especially at community colleges.
This is participation, not a college completion rate. It does not indicate how many students later enrolled after high school, earned a credential or entered the workforce.
STATE PRICE CONTEXT · 2024
Prices in New York run 8% above the U.S. level.
BEA Regional Price Parities compare price levels across states. A value of 100 equals the national average.
What it costs and what graduates earn
$17,167Average net price / year
$28,802Cost of attendance
$19,500Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$207/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$64,597Median earnings · year 5 after completion
61.5%Completion rate
69.1%Admission rate
26ACT midpoint
12,564Student size
Debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. It does not include Parent PLUS or private loans. We show admissions scores only when a valid federal value is available.
What the numbers say about University at Albany
What does University at Albany cost?
University at Albany reports an average annual net price of $17,167 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do University at Albany graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $64,597 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do University at Albany graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $19,500. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at University at Albany worth the same?
No. The current release contains 56 field-and-degree records for University at Albany; 53 report year-4 earnings and 34 report federal debt. Outcomes can differ substantially by field and degree level.
DEBT AFTER COLLEGE
Are borrowers making progress?
Repayment progress, default and debt at exit describe different federal borrower cohorts. They are shown separately and do not change the ROI estimate.
Source: College Scorecard. Repayment progress is the share of borrowers who reduced principal by at least $1 at the stated measurement point. Debt covers federal student loans; Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded. Cohorts and reporting periods differ across measures.
Who studied here during the year
28,062Students enrolled at any point
22,593Undergraduate students
5,469Graduate students
Unduplicated students enrolled at any point from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. This full-year measure is different from a fall headcount and does not enter ROI.
More student and earnings detailPrice by family income, retention, equity and common industries
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
67% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
1,885 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
63% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$61,872Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$68,199Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$72,537Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income60%
Middle income66%
Higher income73%
Undergraduate student composition
White37%
Black24%
Hispanic20%
Asian10%
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
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 14
$45,300Year 1
$119,974Year 5
$182,659Year 10
Accounting and Related Services.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 52
$78,885Year 1
$118,367Year 5
$132,866Year 10
Accounting and Related Services.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 52
$46,603Year 1
$93,050Year 5
$124,109Year 10
Applied Mathematics.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 27
$59,848Year 1
$84,494Year 5
$120,518Year 10
Community Organization and Advocacy.Doctoral, research/scholarship · Broad federal field 44
$88,474Year 1
$94,389Year 5
$120,518Year 10
Astronomy and Astrophysics.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 40
$47,574Year 1
$82,048Year 5
$116,855Year 10
Clinical Psychology.Doctoral, research/scholarship · Broad federal field 42
$69,154Year 1
$88,299Year 5
$114,791Year 10
Astronomy and Astrophysics.Doctoral, research/scholarship · Broad federal field 40
$68,203Year 1
$86,717Year 5
$112,807Year 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 every reportable field-and-credential record at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS OVER TIME
What graduates earned in later years
$38,469Year 1
$66,256Year 4
$64,597Year 5
Each year can represent a different federal cohort, so the points do not track the same people over time.
Your choice of degree can change the payoff.
Graduate earnings differ by field and credential, even within the same college.
1Business Administration, Management and Operations · Master's Degree$113,8222Accounting and Related Services · Master's Degree$110,3743Taxation · Master's Degree$109,6794Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology · Doctoral Degree$108,9385Applied Mathematics · Bachelor's Degree$103,6596Accounting and Related Services · Bachelor's Degree$98,0107Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management · Bachelor's Degree$95,8858Public Administration · Master's Degree$84,950Observed year-4 earnings · compare the same field and credential across colleges
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.
1Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesMaster's Degree · $76,461 reported+39%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt2Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's Degree · $98,010 reported+29%vs same-degree national median$24,000federal debt3Romance Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's Degree · $66,414 reported+21%vs same-degree national median$21,681federal debt4Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesBachelor's Degree · $57,286 reported+18%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt5Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyBachelor's Degree · $58,501 reported+16%vs same-degree national median$22,430federal debt6Accounting and Related ServicesMaster's Degree · $110,374 reported+15%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal 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.
Geneseo, NY
SUNY College at Geneseo
- Annual net price
- $18,211
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $62,263
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -32%
University at Buffalo
- Annual net price
- $20,995
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $68,437
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -11%
SUNY Oneonta
- Annual net price
- $19,158
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $58,485
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -47%
Farmingdale State College
- Annual net price
- $10,867
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $66,973
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -2%
Compare fields and degree levels
Showing the 40 highest-earning records from 56 field-and-degree records. Use the program directory to search the complete set.
| Major or field | Degree level | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2024–25 graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's Degree | $113,822 | Not available | 4 |
| Accounting and Related Services | Master's Degree | $110,374 | Not available | Not reported |
| Taxation | Master's Degree | $109,679 | Not available | Not reported |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | Doctoral Degree | $108,938 | Not available | 19 |
| Applied Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | $103,659 | $21,286 | 1 |
| Accounting and Related Services | Bachelor's Degree | $98,010 | $24,000 | Not reported |
| Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management | Bachelor's Degree | $95,885 | $24,637 | Not reported |
| Public Administration | Master's Degree | $84,950 | Not available | 6 |
| Public Administration | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $81,812 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Bachelor's Degree | $80,285 | $23,250 | Not reported |
| Public Health | Master's Degree | $77,882 | Not available | 52 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Bachelor's Degree | $76,633 | $20,500 | Not reported |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | Master's Degree | $76,461 | Not available | 3 |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | Master's Degree | $74,708 | Not available | 8 |
| Public Health | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $74,144 | Not available | Not reported |
| Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | $71,211 | $22,803 | Not reported |
| Criminology | Master's Degree | $71,183 | Not available | Not reported |
| Chemistry | Bachelor's Degree | $70,124 | $25,856 | Not reported |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | Master's Degree | $70,022 | Not available | 9 |
| Homeland Security | Bachelor's Degree | $69,365 | $23,250 | Not reported |
| Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other | Bachelor's Degree | $68,928 | $23,225 | Not reported |
| Mathematics and Statistics, Other | Bachelor's Degree | $68,843 | $21,750 | Not reported |
| Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other | Bachelor's Degree | $68,178 | $23,000 | Not reported |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Bachelor's Degree | $66,414 | $21,681 | Not reported |
| Curriculum and Instruction | Master's Degree | $66,047 | Not available | 0 |
| Public Health | Bachelor's Degree | $64,456 | $25,086 | 29 |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's Degree | $64,270 | $22,750 | Not reported |
| Social Work | Master's Degree | $64,213 | Not available | Not reported |
| International/Globalization Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $63,881 | $26,875 | Not reported |
| Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions | Master's Degree | $63,771 | Not available | Not reported |
| Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $63,331 | $24,474 | Not reported |
| Criminology | Bachelor's Degree | $61,102 | $21,250 | Not reported |
| Special Education and Teaching | Master's Degree | $60,341 | Not available | 0 |
| Communication and Media Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $59,724 | $24,332 | 5 |
| Journalism | Bachelor's Degree | $59,495 | $25,000 | Not reported |
| Social Work | Bachelor's Degree | $59,475 | $23,000 | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | Master's Degree | $58,847 | Not available | 3 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and Research | Bachelor's Degree | $58,784 | $22,801 | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $58,703 | $23,500 | Not reported |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | Bachelor's Degree | $58,501 | $22,430 | Not reported |
Graduate counts come from IPEDS and group related majors into the same federal field. Missing earnings or debt values remain labeled as unavailable.
Search every University at Albany program record →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.