Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies at CUNY Kingsborough Community College

Kingsborough's automotive program shows a manageable debt load, but the earnings picture is harder to pin down. Based on comparable automotive associate programs in New York, graduates typically earn around $43,000 in their first year—squarely in line with the national median for this field. The estimated debt of just over $11,000 creates a favorable 0.26 debt-to-earnings ratio, meaning borrowers would owe roughly three months' salary, which translates to reasonable monthly payments that shouldn't overwhelm an entry-level technician's budget.

The challenge is that automotive earnings vary significantly by employer type and specialization. The top-performing programs in New York—places like SUNY Morrisville and Columbia-Greene—report first-year earnings in the $46,000-$47,000 range, suggesting that shop connections, geographic location, and curriculum focus matter considerably. Brooklyn's higher cost of living could push starting wages upward at local dealerships and specialty shops, but without program-specific data, it's impossible to know whether Kingsborough's graduates match their peers' outcomes or lag behind.

For families weighing this investment, the debt side looks solid—low enough that even if earnings come in below estimates, repayment remains feasible. But given the uncertainty, talk to the program directly about job placement rates and where recent graduates actually landed work. In automotive technology, those employer relationships often matter more than the credential itself.