Accounting at Rochester Institute of Technology

RIT's accounting program shows surprisingly weak early earnings despite the school's strong STEM reputation. First-year graduates earn $42,762—landing below three-quarters of New York accounting programs and in just the 11th percentile nationally. That's $9,000 less than the typical New York accounting grad and nearly $11,000 below the national benchmark. Even accounting for the impressive 50% earnings growth by year four, graduates still only reach $64,041, trailing top state programs like Fordham and Syracuse by over $10,000 annually.

The debt picture is reasonable at $26,125, close to both state and national norms, but paired with such modest starting salaries, new graduates face a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.61—manageable but requiring careful budgeting in those crucial first years. For context, you could attend SUNY Binghamton and earn $74,151 by year four, likely with less debt.

The caveat here matters: this data comes from a small cohort, so these numbers might not represent the full picture. Still, at an acceptance rate of 71% and tuition rates typical of a private technical school, parents should carefully consider whether RIT's accounting program justifies the investment when stronger-performing alternatives exist throughout New York—including public options that would cost substantially less.