ROI Major

Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies at CUNY Bronx Community College

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 47.06

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies degree from CUNY Bronx Community College earn a median salary of $61,198 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $46,362. The degree typically pays for itself in 8 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 graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$41,695

Typical Career

$61,198

Top Performers

$81,843

Estimated break-even: 8 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$408

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,100. Most students can comfortably afford about a $408 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.6x 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, Educational Services, Public Administration.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 35.6%
Educational Services 12.4%
Public Administration 9.1%

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

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$46,362

Nominal: $61,198 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).

8 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 $28,569 $37,921 $52,283
5 Years After Graduation $41,695 $61,198 $81,843
10 Years After Graduation $69,154 $90,301 $121,802

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 $61,198 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)
= $61,198 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $46,362 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates of the Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies program at CUNY Bronx Community College can expect a positive earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $36,322, which increases to $54,365 five years later, and reaches $67,570 after ten years. However, considering the cost of living in New York, where the COL index is 1.32, the purchasing-power-adjusted five-year salary is approximately $41,185.61, indicating that while nominal earnings grow, the real value may be impacted by higher living expenses.

The top industries for graduates predominantly include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 35.6% of employment, followed by Retail Trade at 17.3%. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 10.2 years, suggesting a longer return on investment. While the program offers a pathway into stable industries, prospective students should weigh the time and financial commitment against potential earnings and job market conditions in New York.

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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.