Business/Commerce at College of Staten Island CUNY

College of Staten Island's business program shows a troubling lag behind other New York options, landing in just the 10th percentile statewide. That $29,736 first-year salary is barely half what business graduates earn at Empire State University ($57,225) or the CUNY Graduate School ($65,520). Among New York's 21 business programs, your child would be starting near the bottom of the earnings ladder, and while earnings do climb impressively to $55,365 by year four, that still trails the state median of $53,966.

The one bright spot here is debt: at $11,956, it's less than half the state median and among the lowest nationally. That low burden matters, especially for a student body where nearly half receive Pell grants. Still, even with manageable debt, the earnings gap is significant—we're talking about $24,000 less per year than the typical New York business graduate earns right out of school.

For families prioritizing affordability above all else, the math works—low debt means low risk. But if your child has other CUNY options or can access SUNY schools, those typically deliver stronger starting salaries that compound over a career. The 86% earnings growth is encouraging, but it's essentially playing catch-up to where peers at other programs began.