Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at Sullivan County Community College

Sullivan County Community College's nursing program shows troubling first-year outcomes but a significant upward trajectory that complicates the picture. At $50,417, starting earnings rank in just the 10th percentile among New York nursing programs—roughly $23,000 below the state median and trailing far behind top performers like Cochran School of Nursing ($102,553). However, by year four, graduates reach $73,883, essentially matching the state median of $73,415.

This earnings pattern suggests graduates may start in lower-paying rural or long-term care positions before transitioning to better opportunities. The $20,900 debt load is actually below New York's median ($24,957), creating a manageable 0.41 debt-to-earnings ratio even with the weak first-year number. That 47% earnings growth is substantial, though it raises questions about why initial placement lags so dramatically.

The critical caveat: this data comes from fewer than 30 graduates, making it statistically unreliable. For parents, this means weighing a low-cost program that apparently leads to decent mid-career outcomes against starting salaries that rank among the weakest in a state with 64 nursing programs. If your child can secure employment in higher-paying New York markets after graduation, this could work. But that first-year gap is too large to ignore without understanding why it exists.