University At Albany

University At Albany's program mix is anchored in Social Sciences, with Social Sciences accounting for 17% of graduates, Business representing 13%, and Education contributing 3%. Psychology, General is the largest program with 306 graduates, followed by Business Administration (304 graduates), Biology, General (249 graduates), Economics (202 graduates), and Homeland Security (191 graduates).

Across 39 programs serving roughly 3,298 students annually, 24 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold. The strongest earnings come from quantitative and applied fields.

Azimuth ranks Business Administration #35 among nonprofit four-year institutions for median earnings four years after enrollment, with graduates earning $76,633. Azimuth ranks Homeland Security #2 among nonprofit four-year institutions for median earnings four years after enrollment, with graduates earning $69,365.

Azimuth ranks Political Science #64 among nonprofit four-year institutions for median earnings four years after enrollment, with graduates earning $64,270. Business Administration combines strong enrollment scale with solid pay, making it a key contributor to the institution's overall earnings profile.

Several of University At Albany's social-sciences programs feed grad-school-dependent pathways where four-year earnings undercount lifetime trajectory, while applied fields like Business Administration and Homeland Security channel graduates directly into the workforce at competitive salaries. The supply-demand map provides context for how these program families align with national labor-market demand.

University At Albany's published cost of attendance is $28,802, but need-based aid reshapes that figure meaningfully across income levels. Low-income families pay approximately $11,112 per year in net price, middle-income families see annual costs around $17,923, and higher-income families pay approximately $24,085.

Azimuth ranks University At Albany #396 for post-graduation affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Net prices by income band are medians within those bands; individual aid packages vary, so some families in each band pay more and some less than the figures shown.

Need-based aid covers a meaningful share of cost for many students, with the gap between sticker price and net price widening at lower income levels. Families apply for aid using the FAFSA, and University At Albany participates in federal, state, and institutional aid programs.

New York State's Excelsior Scholarship and other state grant programs can further reduce net price for qualifying in-state students, making the effective cost for low- and middle-income New York residents particularly competitive relative to the published cost of attendance. Families weighing the full pricing picture should explore the [net price illusion](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) to understand how sticker price and net price diverge.

Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $19,500, and families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $22,398; private or institutional loans may add further borrowing that falls outside these federal-only figures — see the [Parent PLUS risk framework](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) for how household context shapes PLUS decisions. For a graduate at the institution's median four-year earnings of $66,256, median federal debt of $19,500 projects to a monthly payment of about $220 under standard ten-year repayment.

For personalized projections across earnings scenarios — including Parent PLUS planning — use [Azimuth's Financial GPS tool](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Graduates of University at Albany earn median 4-year earnings of $66,256, placing University at Albany in the 70.7 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,676 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 65.4 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Azimuth ranks University at Albany #622 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Program outcomes vary by major.

Psychology, General reports 306 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $55,004, ranked #84 nationally in its major. Business Administration, Management and Operations reports 304 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $76,633, ranked #73 nationally in its major.

Biology, General reports 249 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $58,703, ranked #133 nationally in its major. Economics reports 202 graduates and median 4-year earnings of $63,331, ranked #157 nationally in its major.