ROI Major

Business/Commerce, General at CUNY Medgar Evers College

NY · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 52.01

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Business/Commerce, General degree from CUNY Medgar Evers College earn a median salary of $62,776 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $47,558. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.7 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

$46,628

Typical Career

$62,776

Top Performers

$84,924

Estimated break-even: 7.7 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$419

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,231. Most students can comfortably afford about a $419 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 Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 34.9%
Educational Services 16.4%
Public Administration 12.4%

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

$47,558

Nominal: $62,776 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).

7.7 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 $31,816 $45,229 $65,859
5 Years After Graduation $46,628 $62,776 $84,924
10 Years After Graduation $56,783 $76,015 $100,847

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 $62,776 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)
= $62,776 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $47,558 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Business/Commerce program at CUNY Medgar Evers College can expect a positive earnings trajectory over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $45,229, which increases to $62,776 five years post-graduation and reaches $76,015 after ten years. However, considering the cost of living in New York, where the cost-of-living index is 1.32 compared to the national average of 1.0, the purchasing-power-adjusted median earnings five years after graduation are approximately $47,557.58, indicating that while earnings grow, the purchasing power may be impacted by the higher cost of living.

The top industries for graduates highlight significant opportunities in Health Care & Social Assistance (34.9%), Educational Services (16.4%), and Public Administration (12.4%). The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 7.7 years, suggesting a reasonable return on investment for pursuing a degree in this field. Overall, while the initial earnings may be modest relative to living expenses, the long-term financial benefits and diverse career paths available can make this program a viable option for students.

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

Compare with Another School

See how the Business/Commerce, General degree at CUNY Medgar Evers College 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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