ROI Major

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research at SUNY Westchester Community College

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 SUNY Westchester Community College earn a median salary of $103,593 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NY, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $78,480. The degree typically pays for itself in 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

$82,203

Typical Career

$103,593

Top Performers

$123,005

Estimated break-even: 3 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$691

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $8,633. Most students can comfortably afford about a $691 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 2.7x more than the average US high school graduate and 1.3x 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

$78,480

Nominal: $103,593 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).

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 $64,874 $85,022 $102,945
5 Years After Graduation $82,203 $103,593 $123,005
10 Years After Graduation $93,135 $117,245 $145,070

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 $103,593 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)
= $103,593 × (1.0 ÷ 1.3200) = $78,480 National Average equivalent.

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

Career Verdict

Graduates from the Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, and Nursing Research programs at SUNY Westchester Community College experience a promising earnings trajectory. The median earnings one year after graduation stand at $85,022, which increases to $103,593 after five years and reaches $117,245 after ten years. However, when adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary equates to approximately $78,479.55 nationally, 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.

The primary industries that graduates enter include Health Care & Social Assistance, which accounts for 40.6% of employment, 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 three years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a nursing career at this institution appears favorable. The combination of strong initial earnings and substantial growth potential underscores the viability of this career path.

Compare with Another School

See how the Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research degree at SUNY Westchester Community College 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.