Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering at SUNY Polytechnic Institute

SUNY Polytechnic's electrical engineering program graduates earn $66,211 in their first year—roughly $12,000 below both the New York state median and national average for this degree. Among the 27 schools offering this program in New York, it ranks in just the 25th percentile, meaning three-quarters of comparable programs deliver better starting salaries. For context, graduates from RPI, Syracuse, and Rochester all start above $83,000, while even the state median sits at $78,000. That $12,000 gap compounds significantly over a career.

The relatively modest debt load of $26,000 provides some cushion—it's close to national norms and yields a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.39, which is manageable for an engineering degree. However, the fundamental issue is the earnings themselves, not the cost. When your child could attend another SUNY engineering program and potentially earn $10,000+ more annually from day one, the opportunity cost becomes substantial.

The critical caveat: this data comes from a small sample of fewer than 30 graduates, so individual outcomes may vary considerably. Still, the pattern is concerning enough that you should investigate why these graduates lag behind peers statewide. If your child is accepted to multiple engineering programs in New York, compare financial aid packages carefully—the school with slightly higher tuition but better career outcomes could be the smarter investment.