Economics at University at Buffalo

UB's economics program sits in the bottom quarter of New York state programs, with first-year earnings of $40,078 falling about $10,000 short of the state median and $11,600 below the national benchmark. That's a significant gap for a flagship SUNY school, especially when elite New York programs like Barnard and Cornell are producing graduates earning double that amount. The debt burden of $20,225 is reasonable—creating a manageable 0.50 debt-to-earnings ratio—but that's cold comfort when the starting point is already well below par.

The silver lining here is momentum: earnings jump 35% by year four, reaching $54,178. That suggests graduates are finding their footing and moving into better positions, though even that four-year mark only brings them to the national first-year average for economics majors. With a 69% admission rate and moderate SAT scores, UB serves a different population than the Ivies and elite liberal arts colleges dominating New York's economics rankings, but the earnings gap persists even when accounting for that difference.

For families choosing UB for its in-state tuition advantage, this program delivers eventual career progress but a notably slower launch than most economics degrees. If your child is drawn to economics, they should understand they'll likely need patience and possibly graduate school to reach competitive earning levels. The low debt makes that runway affordable, but the four-year trajectory still leaves them playing catch-up.