Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering at CUNY City College

Based on comparable programs nationwide, this environmental engineering degree carries an estimated $21,941 in debt—about $5,000 less than both the national and New York state medians for this field. That's meaningful when you consider that 60% of City College students receive Pell grants, suggesting the school serves students who need to minimize borrowing. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.35 indicates manageable repayment: graduates would need roughly five months of their first-year salary to cover the full debt load.

The earnings trajectory looks solid for an affordable public engineering program. First-year earnings of $62,945 match the New York state median and sit just below the national benchmark, while four-year earnings of $70,568 represent steady 12% growth. City College graduates earn within range of University at Buffalo's program ($57,098) and substantially more than Syracuse's ($49,297), despite the latter's higher tuition. The gap to top-tier programs like Cornell ($69,558) exists but narrows over time.

For families watching their budget, City College delivers what matters most in engineering: a legitimate technical credential without crushing debt. The actual debt figure for this specific cohort may vary from the estimate, but the fundamentals—lower cost of attendance at a CUNY school serving working-class students—suggest borrowing here will remain below typical engineering programs statewide.