Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Cochran School of Nursing

Cochran School of Nursing's associate nursing program stands out dramatically in New York's crowded nursing education market—its graduates earn $102,553 in their first year, placing them among the top handful of programs statewide and in the 95th percentile nationally. That's nearly $30,000 above the typical New York nursing graduate and $34,000 above the national median. Combined with relatively modest debt of $26,758, this creates a remarkably favorable 0.26 debt-to-earnings ratio that would take just three months of earnings to cover.

The program serves a substantial population of Pell-eligible students (44%), yet delivers outcomes that rival or exceed elite programs in the state. Location likely plays a role—Westchester County's proximity to New York City's robust healthcare market creates strong employment opportunities for new nurses. The flat earnings trajectory from year one to year four ($103,069) matters less when starting salaries are already this high.

The critical caveat: these figures come from a small sample of graduates, making them less reliable than data from larger programs. Still, even allowing for statistical noise, the gap between Cochran's outcomes and typical New York nursing programs is substantial enough to suggest genuine advantage. For families concerned about nursing program value, this represents one of the strongest debt-to-earnings profiles in the state—if the small sample accurately reflects typical graduate outcomes.