Business/Commerce at CUNY Medgar Evers College

CUNY Medgar Evers College's business program starts slow but catches up, with graduates earning $38,000 initially—roughly $10,000 below most New York business programs—but jumping 26% to $48,000 within four years. That puts it in the bottom quarter of New York business schools at graduation, but the earnings trajectory suggests graduates are finding their footing relatively quickly. The $12,444 debt load is less than half the state median and among the lowest in the country, which matters significantly given the lower starting salary.

For families evaluating New York business programs, this is essentially a bargain-tier option with delayed payoff. You're trading initial earning power (NYU business grads start at nearly double) for minimal debt burden. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.33 is manageable, even with the modest starting salary, and most graduates serve a predominantly low-income student body (57% receive Pell grants), suggesting the school is fulfilling a specific mission of accessible business education.

The calculation here is straightforward: if your student can afford to start at a lower salary and work their way up, the minimal debt provides real flexibility early in their career. But if immediate earning power matters—or if they're comparing offers from higher-ranked CUNY schools—understand this program lags significantly behind New York's business school median of $54,000 at graduation.