ROI Major

Computer and Information Sciences, General at SUNY Westchester Community College

NY · Associate's Degree · CIP 11.01

Apply Now Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Computer and Information Sciences, General degree from SUNY Westchester Community College earn a median salary of $71,649 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $54,280. The degree typically pays for itself in 7.1 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

$44,785

Typical Career

$71,649

Top Performers

$100,908

Estimated break-even: 7.1 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$478

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,971. Most students can comfortably afford about a $478 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.8x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.9x 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, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services.

Where Associate's Graduates from This School Work

Health Care & Social Assistance 29.4%
Educational Services 9.9%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 8.3%

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

$54,280

Nominal: $71,649 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).

7.1 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 $24,204 $35,263 $46,663
5 Years After Graduation $44,785 $71,649 $100,908
10 Years After Graduation $62,818 $93,908 $122,926

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 $71,649 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)
= $71,649 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $54,280 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Computer and Information Sciences program at SUNY Westchester Community College experience a significant earnings trajectory over time. One year post-graduation, median earnings stand at $35,263, which increases to $71,649 five years later, and reaches $93,908 after ten years. However, when considering the cost of living in New York, the purchasing-power-adjusted salary for five years post-graduation is approximately $54,279.55, indicating that graduates may face higher living expenses that could impact their financial outlook.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 40.6% of placements, followed by another segment of Health Care & Social Assistance at 29.4%, and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services at 10.4%. Given the estimated break-even point of approximately 7.1 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing this degree appears favorable, particularly in light of the strong demand in the health care sector.

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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.