Graduate earnings are in line with similar institutions.
What graduates earn 10 years after enrollment.
Annual salary at 10 years
Lower quartile earnings
Upper quartile earnings
How graduate earnings grow in the decade after enrollment.
CUNY John Jay graduates experience steady earnings growth throughout their early career years, with compensation increasing from $50,293 six years after enrollment to $56,676 at eight years and stabilizing at $56,195 by the ten-year mark. This represents 11.7% growth from the six-year to ten-year period, reflecting typical career progression in criminal justice and public service fields.
How outcomes compare to similar institutions.
Graduate earnings fall below the peer average for similar institutions.
Financial justification for the investment.
Excellent affordability. Median debt of $11,000 is well under annual earnings, enabling comfortable repayment.
CUNY John Jay students graduate with remarkably manageable debt levels that support long-term financial stability. Median student debt reaches just $11,000 at graduation, substantially below the peer median of $20,000, creating a $9,000 advantage for CUNY John Jay graduates.
CUNY John Jay delivers above average return on educational investment, ranking in the 58.5th percentile nationally for overall return performance. Graduates earn $8,909 beyond expectations compared to similar students, placing the institution in the 83.6th percentile for earnings uplift relative to student demographics and institutional characteristics.
Approximately 22.7% of CUNY John Jay graduates continue to graduate or professional study, with medium confidence in this estimate based on program mi...
Program mix explains much of the earnings story.
Computer Support Specialist leads earnings outcomes at $65,483, representing the intersection of technology skills with criminal justice applications and demonstrating strong market demand for technical expertise in law enforcement settings. Applied Economics and Public Administration both produce earnings exceeding $56,000, reflecting solid preparation for government and private sector roles requiring analytical and administrative capabilities.
Corrections Administration, the institution's largest program with 1,582 graduates, generates $55,358 in median earnings while achieving the #1 national ranking, demonstrating both scale and quality in the institution's core mission area. The program diversity supports different earning potentials, with specialized criminal justice fields generally outperforming liberal arts programs like English Literature ($41,939) and Applied Sociology ($40,401).
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
The earnings distribution at CUNY John Jay spans from $35,780 at the 25th percentile to $80,288 at the 75th percentile, creating a 2.2:1 ratio that reflects diverse career outcomes across program areas. Low-income graduates earn $48,400, demonstrating the institution's effectiveness in supporting economic mobility for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
