Business Administration, Management and Operations at Monroe University

The numbers here tell a difficult story: Monroe University graduates earn $24,025 one year out, roughly $5,600 below the state median for this degree and $10,000 below the national average. That puts this program in the bottom 5% nationally—meaning 95 out of 100 similar programs produce better earnings outcomes. Even within New York's competitive market, this ranks at just the 25th percentile, well behind community colleges like Hudson Valley ($38,018) and Monroe Community College ($36,476) that likely cost less to attend.

The debt picture compounds the problem. At $15,250, graduates owe more than the state median ($11,354) while earning significantly less. The 0.63 debt-to-earnings ratio means students are borrowing about eight months' salary—manageable in absolute terms, but only if those earnings grow substantially. While the 16% increase to $27,963 by year four is positive, that still leaves graduates more than $8,000 below what their peers at other New York schools are making right from the start.

For an anxious parent, this is straightforward: your child could earn $12,000-$14,000 more annually by starting at a different New York school offering the same degree. That difference—over $50,000 across four years—dwarfs any tuition savings. Monroe serves a predominantly low-income student population (58% on Pell grants), but that makes the earnings gap even more consequential for families counting on this degree to improve their financial situation.