Community Organization and Advocacy at Metropolitan College of New York

The earnings data here should alarm any parent considering this program. One year after graduation, students earn just $22,329—less than half the state median of $42,155 for community organizing programs and barely above minimum wage in New York City. Among the nine New York schools offering this degree, Metropolitan ranks at the bottom 10th percentile. Nationally, it's even worse: 5th percentile.

The debt picture compounds the problem. At $44,500, graduates carry about 60% more debt than typical students in this field ($28,109 in New York), creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of nearly 2:1. For perspective, the state's top performers like Empire State University graduate students earning $45,544—more than double Metropolitan's outcome—with lower debt loads. That's not just a gap; it's a different universe of financial outcomes.

The small sample size (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could fluctuate year to year, but they'd need to improve dramatically to approach even mediocre returns. Even if earnings doubled in future years, graduates would still be managing substantial debt on a social service sector salary. For families already stretched thin—61% of students here receive Pell grants—this debt burden could prove devastating. Unless your child has compelling reasons to attend Metropolitan specifically, other New York programs deliver vastly better outcomes in this same field.