Hospitality Administration/Management at St. Joseph's University-New York

St. Joseph's hospitality program graduates earn $24,571 in their first year—$10,000 below New York's median for hospitality programs and $7,000 below even the struggling national median. That's Cornell-level debt without Cornell outcomes; you're looking at earnings that rank in just the 5th percentile nationally, meaning 95% of hospitality programs produce better-paid graduates. While the debt load isn't catastrophic at $21,812, it still represents nearly a full year's salary when your child is barely clearing $25,000.

The state context matters here. Even within New York's hospitality market, this program sits at the 25th percentile—meaning three-quarters of comparable programs produce graduates who out-earn this one. When SUNY Plattsburgh graduates start at $39,000 and the Culinary Institute at $36,000, the $15,000 gap becomes hard to justify, especially when many of those alternatives carry similar or lower costs.

For a field like hospitality management where starting salaries already run modest, beginning this far behind puts real strain on financial independence. If your child is set on hospitality and this school specifically, understand they'll likely need family support or a second income stream in those early years. Otherwise, look hard at SUNY options or community college pathways that lead to similar roles without the four-year price tag.