Funeral Service and Mortuary Science at American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service

McAllister Institute graduates earn $48,000 in their first year—about 7% above the national median for funeral service programs and 3% above New York's state median. Among the four New York schools offering this program, McAllister ranks in the 60th percentile for earnings, which means it's solid but not the top performer in the state. The real story here is debt management: at $28,400, graduates borrow considerably more than the $20,000 national median, though the 0.59 debt-to-earnings ratio still falls within reasonable bounds for immediate repayment.

The 25% earnings growth from year one to year four is encouraging, taking graduates to nearly $60,000 by their fourth year in the field. This trajectory suggests the program prepares students for career advancement within funeral service, not just entry-level positions. However, that higher debt load means graduates will be directing more of those early paychecks toward loan payments compared to peers from lower-cost programs.

For families considering this New York City-based program, the calculus is straightforward: you're paying a premium for location and perhaps networking advantages in a dense market, but the earnings don't dramatically outpace cheaper alternatives. If your child can access this profession through a lower-debt path elsewhere, that's worth exploring. If McAllister's New York connections matter for where they want to build their career, the debt burden is manageable given the starting salary.