Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Environmental engineering programs in New York typically produce first-year earnings around $63,000, and SUNY-ESF appears positioned right in that middle tier—comparable to CUNY City College and well above Syracuse University's outcomes, though trailing the premium results at Cornell and Clarkson. With an estimated debt load of roughly $22,000, this program suggests a manageable 0.35 debt-to-earnings ratio that's better than the typical New York environmental engineering graduate who carries $27,000 in loans. The specialized focus at SUNY-ESF—the nation's oldest environmental college—may explain why its accessible 83% admission rate doesn't translate to weaker outcomes.

The estimation here stems from limited graduate numbers, not program weakness, and the peer programs used for comparison span both public universities and higher-cost private options. What matters is that similar programs across New York cluster tightly around $63,000 in first-year earnings, suggesting this field has fairly consistent early-career outcomes regardless of institution prestige. The debt picture looks particularly solid when you consider that national environmental engineering programs typically saddle graduates with $23,000 in loans for nearly identical starting salaries.

For parents evaluating SUNY-ESF, the fundamentals appear sound: reasonable debt for a bachelor's degree, earnings that match the state and national benchmarks for this field, and a specialized institution with deep environmental industry connections. The absence of specific outcome data for this campus shouldn't raise concerns given the broader pattern of consistent returns across New York's environmental engineering programs.