ROI Major

Health and Physical Education/Fitness at SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 31.05

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Health and Physical Education/Fitness degree from SUNY College of Technology at Alfred earn a median salary of $43,047 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $32,611. The degree typically pays for itself in 19.6 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

$28,392

Typical Career

$43,047

Top Performers

$57,619

Estimated break-even: 19.6 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$287

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $3,587. Most students can comfortably afford about a $287 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.1x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.6x 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, Manufacturing, Construction.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 15.8%
Manufacturing 14.0%
Construction 11.6%

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

$32,611

Nominal: $43,047 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).

19.6 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 $16,960 $21,257 $25,937
5 Years After Graduation $28,392 $43,047 $57,619
10 Years After Graduation $36,674 $53,107 $67,042

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 $43,047 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)
= $43,047 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $32,611 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Health and Physical Education/Fitness program at SUNY College of Technology at Alfred experience a gradual increase in earnings over time. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $21,257, which rise to $43,047 after five years and reach $53,107 after ten years. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to approximately $32,611.36 nationally, indicating that while initial earnings may be modest, there is potential for significant growth over the decade following graduation.

The primary industries for graduates include Health Care & Social Assistance (22.0%), Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (21.8%), and Manufacturing (17.1%). The estimated break-even point compared to a high-school-only path is approximately 19.6 years, suggesting that while the program can lead to a rewarding career, the return on investment may take nearly two decades to realize. Students should weigh these factors carefully when considering their educational and career paths.

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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.