---
title: Empire State University — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Saratoga Springs, NY
control: Public
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Empire State University

Saratoga Springs, NY · Public · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $54,080 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $30,511 – $80,195 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $11,000 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $9,500 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 41% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $19,699 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 69% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.20× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $26,080 | derived |

**41% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $11,000 (≈ 20% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $26,650 to $97,614 across 19 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Master's Degree | $97,614 | not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | Bachelor's Degree | $78,762 | $18,477 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Master's Degree | $71,395 | not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations. | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $65,898 | not reported |
| Education, Other. | Master's Degree | $55,755 | not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. | Master's Degree | $54,579 | not reported |
| Curriculum and Instruction. | Master's Degree | $52,313 | not reported |
| Biological and Physical Sciences. | Bachelor's Degree | $52,259 | not reported |
| Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other. | Bachelor's Degree | $49,562 | not reported |
| Business/Commerce, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $46,983 | $20,500 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Associate's Degree | $42,742 | not reported |
| Business/Commerce, General. | Associate's Degree | $41,849 | $14,250 |
| Community Organization and Advocacy. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,496 | $19,000 |
| Social Sciences, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,352 | not reported |
| History. | Bachelor's Degree | $37,928 | $18,750 |
| Psychology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $36,299 | $17,000 |
| Education, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $33,185 | $13,183 |
| English Language and Literature/Letters, Other. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,680 | $20,750 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $26,650 | not reported |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Empire State University by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?196264

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/empire-state-university-ny.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`