Chemistry at CUNY Hunter College

Hunter College's chemistry program graduates start at just $29,340—placing them in the bottom 5th percentile nationally and 25th percentile within New York. That's roughly $13,000 below the state median and nearly $23,000 behind SUNY Oswego's chemistry grads. However, the program's extraordinary 55% earnings jump to $45,438 by year four tells a different story: these graduates rapidly catch up, ultimately matching the national 75th percentile despite their difficult start.

The key question is whether your student can weather those first few years on $29,340 in New York City. The silver lining is minimal debt—at $9,000, Hunter keeps borrowing exceptionally low (5th percentile nationally for debt), which means graduates aren't bleeding money to loan payments during those lean early years. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.31 is manageable even with the modest starting salary.

This program makes sense for students with financial cushioning during the early career phase—perhaps living at home or having other support—who can afford to wait for the earnings growth to materialize. The combination of rock-bottom debt and strong upward trajectory creates real long-term value, but the path requires patience and probably some short-term sacrifice that wealthier families can more easily absorb.