Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing at SUNY Polytechnic Institute

SUNY Polytechnic's nursing program graduates earn well above the national median but fall short of what New York nursing graduates typically command. Starting at $80,210, these nurses make about $9,000 less than the state median of $89,296, placing them in just the 40th percentile among New York programs—solidly below average in a state where nursing salaries run high. For context, top SUNY programs like Downstate consistently push graduates past $110,000.

The earnings trajectory is worth noting: graduates see minimal growth from year one to year four, adding just $1,840. This isn't necessarily alarming for nursing—RNs often start at competitive wages—but it suggests limited advancement in these early career years. The positive side is debt: at $21,500, it's well below both national and state medians of $27,000, creating a manageable 0.27 debt-to-earnings ratio that most families would find comfortable.

Here's the calculation: if your child wants to stay in New York long-term, they'd likely earn more graduating from many other state programs, including several CUNY schools. But if they're drawn to SUNY Poly's smaller environment and the debt advantage matters, they'll still enter a stable profession with earnings that beat most college graduates nationwide—just not most New York nurses.