ROI Major

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research at Mohawk Valley Community College - SUNY Office of Community Colleges

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 51.38

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research degree from Mohawk Valley Community College - SUNY Office of Community Colleges earn a median salary of $81,261 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $61,561. The degree typically pays for itself in 4.3 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

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

$64,778

Typical Career

$81,261

Top Performers

$95,923

Estimated break-even: 4.3 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$542

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $6,772. Most students can comfortably afford about a $542 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 2.1x more than the average US high school graduate and 1.0x 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, Retail Trade, Educational Services.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 30.4%
Retail Trade 9.7%
Educational Services 8.6%

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

$61,561

Nominal: $81,261 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).

4.3 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 $57,761 $69,856 $81,313
5 Years After Graduation $64,778 $81,261 $95,923
10 Years After Graduation $72,466 $90,428 $108,120

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 $81,261 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)
= $81,261 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $61,561 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

The earnings trajectory for graduates pursuing Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, or Nursing Research at Mohawk Valley Community College is promising. One year after graduation, median earnings stand at $69,856, which increases to $81,261 after five years and reaches $90,428 after ten years. However, when adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equivalent is approximately $61,561.36, reflecting the higher cost of living in New York, where the cost of living index is 1.32 compared to the national average of 1.0.

Graduates primarily enter the Health Care & Social Assistance sector, which accounts for 30.4% of employment, followed by Manufacturing at 17.4% and another segment of Health Care & Social Assistance at 17.2%. The estimated break-even point for graduates compared to those with only a high school diploma is approximately 4.3 years, indicating a favorable return on investment for those pursuing these nursing careers. Overall, the data suggests a solid financial outlook for graduates, particularly in a high-demand field.

Compare with Another School

See how the Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research degree at Mohawk Valley Community College - SUNY Office of Community Colleges stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

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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.