Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Finger Lakes Health College of Nursing & Health Sciences

Among New York's 64 nursing programs, Finger Lakes Health graduates start strong but lag the state median of $73,415—landing in just the 40th percentile statewide. While the national comparison looks more favorable (56th percentile), that's misleading for a family likely comparing against other New York options where tuition reciprocity and proximity matter most. The unusual earnings trajectory—dropping from $69,652 to $61,539 over four years—raises questions about career progression or whether graduates are moving into less lucrative nursing roles over time.

The debt load of $25,537 is actually competitive, sitting below most NY nursing programs and creating a manageable 0.37 debt-to-earnings ratio in that critical first year. For students receiving Pell grants (42% of this campus), keeping debt reasonable matters enormously. However, when New York's top-performing associate nursing programs produce graduates earning $90,000-$100,000+, the $30,000 earnings gap becomes harder to overlook—that's real money that compounds over a career.

For families targeting an associate degree as an affordable RN pathway, this program delivers employability with reasonable debt. But if your student has options at stronger New York nursing programs, particularly in the NYC metro area where the top performers cluster, those alternatives warrant serious consideration despite potentially higher sticker prices.