Psychology at Rockland Community College

Rockland Community College's psychology associate program reports earnings that seem almost too good to be true—and they might be. With just 30 graduates tracked, the $38,571 first-year median sits 75% higher than the New York state median and outpaces every other psychology associate program in the state, including all CUNY schools. The $11,000 typical debt load is reasonable and creates a comfortable 0.29 debt-to-earnings ratio.

The challenge here is deciding how much weight to give these numbers. Small sample sizes can swing dramatically based on just a few graduates' outcomes—maybe several students had unusual job placements, or perhaps the tracked graduates were clustered in atypical fields. The gap between Rockland's reported earnings and the next-best program (LaGuardia at $24,000) is suspiciously large for similar degrees at similar institutions. Psychology associate degrees typically lead to entry-level human services roles that don't vary this wildly by location within the same metro area.

If these numbers hold for your student, the program is clearly a strong value with manageable debt. But given the statistical volatility of small samples, it's worth treating the $38,571 figure as a best-case scenario rather than a reliable expectation. The debt level is believable and affordable regardless—if earnings turn out closer to the state median of $22,000, the financial burden would still be manageable for an associate degree.