CUNY City College
New York, New York
A 0–100 composite of ROI, graduate earnings, net price, debt and graduation rate. How it’s scored.
Estimated for a typical student paying the average net price over 4 years.
Graduate earnings clearly outpace the cost and debt — this degree pays back quickly.
The numbers behind the verdict
Lifetime ROI: the long view
Cumulative net gain over a high-school-only earner at different career lengths, with tuition and debt interest already subtracted. Built on IRS-verified federal earnings — not self-reported surveys.
Conservative: holds year-5 earnings flat (no raises). Adjust the assumptions, or see the highest 20-year ROI colleges.
Equity & access
Who the college serves and whether the payoff reaches everyone — earnings ten years after starting (IRS-linked), with access measures from federal enrollment data.
13% gap between the two groups
10% gap between the two groups
2% gap between the two groups
Undergraduate enrollment by race/ethnicity. Federal data does not report earnings by race.
Net price by family income
What students actually pay after grants and scholarships, by household income as of 2024.
| Family income | Average net price / yr |
|---|---|
| Family income $0–$30k | $1,251 |
| $30k–$48k | $2,990 |
| $48k–$75k | $6,811 |
| $75k–$110k | $9,982 |
| $110k+ | $12,806 |
How CUNY City College compares
This college against the New York and national averages — higher earnings and lower cost/debt are better.
Graduate earnings over time
Median earnings of CUNY City College students 10 years after entering, by cohort year as of 2024.
Best-paying majors at CUNY City College
Fields of study ranked by their own ROI — earnings five years after graduating against the cost and debt. Click a major for the deep dive.
| Major | Credential | Earnings (5 yr) | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Associate's | $141,161 | — | +12,633% | Strong return |
| Computer Engineering | Associate's | $111,970 | — | +8,768% | Strong return |
| Computer Science | Associate's | $105,797 | — | +7,951% | Strong return |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Associate's | $91,761 | — | +6,092% | Strong return |
| Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering | Associate's | $81,630 | — | +4,750% | Strong return |
| Educational Administration and Supervision | Certificate | $115,422 | — | +4,563% | Strong return |
| Biomedical/Medical Engineering | Associate's | $79,610 | — | +4,483% | Strong return |
| Applied Mathematics | Associate's | $76,739 | — | +4,103% | Strong return |
| Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education | Associate's | $76,449 | — | +4,064% | Strong return |
| Mechanical Engineering | Associate's | $93,362 | $13,232 | +3,808% | Strong return |
| Chemical Engineering | Associate's | $68,626 | — | +3,028% | Strong return |
| Civil Engineering | Associate's | $90,337 | $19,529 | +2,991% | Strong return |
| Biology, General | Associate's | $78,147 | $13,382 | +2,567% | Strong return |
| Architecture | Certificate | $82,751 | — | +2,399% | Strong return |
| Public Administration | Certificate | $81,310 | — | +2,304% | Strong return |
| Sustainability Studies | Certificate | $79,726 | — | +2,199% | Strong return |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication | Associate's | $61,191 | — | +2,044% | Strong return |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Associate's | $60,398 | — | +1,939% | Strong return |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | Certificate | $106,197 | $41,000 | +1,937% | Strong return |
| Economics | Associate's | $65,099 | $6,650 | +1,915% | Strong return |
| Architecture | Doctoral | $73,789 | — | +1,806% | Strong return |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Associate's | $64,326 | $9,558 | +1,651% | Strong return |
| Special Education and Teaching | Certificate | $84,866 | $23,914 | +1,574% | Strong return |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Associate's | $65,611 | $13,632 | +1,546% | Strong return |
| Political Science and Government | Associate's | $64,399 | $12,500 | +1,502% | Strong return |
Calculate your own ROI
Adjust the assumptions for your situation — the verdict, break-even and chart update live.
ROI at CUNY City College
Estimates from federal data; your result will vary. How this works.
Admissions & profile
Location
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.
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