Finance and Financial Management Services at CUNY Brooklyn College

Brooklyn College's finance program delivers extraordinarily low debt—among the lowest 5% of finance programs nationally—but at a steep cost in earning power. First-year graduates earn just $37,867, roughly $13,000 below the New York state median for finance programs and $16,000 below the national median. This places the program in the 25th percentile statewide and bottom 5% nationally. Even compared to other CUNY schools, these earnings lag significantly: Baruch College finance graduates earn nearly double at first measurement.

The debt picture, however, is genuinely exceptional. At $13,938, graduates owe about half what typical New York finance majors carry and $9,000 less than the national median. The 0.37 debt-to-earnings ratio means students owe roughly five months of salary—manageable by any standard. For the 56% of students receiving Pell grants, graduating with minimal debt while earning a finance credential represents real economic mobility, even if the immediate payoff is modest.

The fundamental question: Is avoiding debt worth earning $30,000-$40,000 less than peers at Baruch, Binghamton, or Fordham? For families prioritizing affordability and who understand this degree may lead to back-office roles rather than Wall Street positions, the tradeoff makes sense. But parents should know their child will likely need job-hopping or additional credentials to reach typical finance-sector earnings—this program provides access to the field, not to its higher rungs.