1. [College research](/) 2. / 3. [State University of New York at Cortland](/school/state-university-of-new-york-at-cortland/) 4. / 5. Career outcomes brief Career outcomes brief Copy linkPrint brief # State University of New York at Cortland Career Outcomes & Earnings Updated September 30, 2026 [Overview](/school/state-university-of-new-york-at-cortland/)[Cost & aid](/school/state-university-of-new-york-at-cortland/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/state-university-of-new-york-at-cortland/admissions/)[Majors](/school/state-university-of-new-york-at-cortland/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/state-university-of-new-york-at-cortland/similar/) **On this page**+ ## How much do State University of New York at Cortland graduates earn? The reported median is $58,555 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is $1,254 per year. The school-level earnings picture is mixed at State University of New York at Cortland. Federally aided completers working and not enrolled earn a median of $58,555 four years after completion; Azimuth places that figure in the 45th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth puts the return pillar in the 34th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $13,113 less than the model expects for similar students. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, is in the 12th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $3,106. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $16,219. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $57,301; the university is $1,254 above. The peer comparison and model result point in different directions. Program mix leaves room for noticeably different modeled earnings outcomes at State University of New York at Cortland. The downside earnings scenario is $52,569, the typical scenario is $58,555, and the upside scenario is $66,991. These are earnings scenarios rather than observed groups of graduates. Among individual fields, median earnings four years after completion are $74,079 in Special Education and Teaching, $66,644 in Business/Managerial Economics, and $63,431 in Communication and Media Studies. Those field-level figures help explain the spread between the downside and upside scenarios. At State University of New York at Cortland, an estimated 30.2% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings count completers who are working and not enrolled, those pursuing further study are outside the earnings measure. **Median earnings · four years after completion** $58,555 **Rank for difference from expectations** 12th percentile Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks **State University of New York at Cortland reported median** $58,555 **Peer schools comparable schools · $1,254 below State University of New York at Cortland** $57,301 **Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $13,113 above State University of New York at Cortland** $71,668 School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. [How the model works](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/). ## How many State University of New York at Cortland students return and finish their degrees? First-time, full-time bachelor’s cohorts · CDS 2025-26 **Returned the following fall** 84.3% **Completed within six years** 72.6% **Pell recipients completed within six years** 65.0% Source: State University of New York at Cortland Common Data Set 2025-26, B22 retention; B4–B11 six-year completion. Retention and completion follow different entering cohorts. ## How could earnings differ from the median? The planning scenarios range from $52,569 to $66,991, around the reported median of $58,555. Compare the lower scenario with [State University of New York at Cortland borrowing and monthly payments](/school/state-university-of-new-york-at-cortland/cost/) to see how a smaller income could change your plan. Modeled from the school’s program mix; not salary percentiles or a forecast for one graduate. Earnings four years after completion Planning rangeReported median **Lower estimate** $52,569 **Median · reported** $58,555 **Higher estimate** $66,991 Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates. [Why the downside matters](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. [Read about the move to four-year earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/). ## Do State University of New York at Cortland graduates earn more than expected? Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls [value added](/methodology/#value-added). State University of New York at Cortland graduates’ reported earnings are $13,113 below that expectation, the 12th percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls. The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending State University of New York at Cortland caused a student to earn. [Read how expected earnings are estimated](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/). What explains value-added earnings? **Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.** +$3,106 **Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.** \-$16,219 **Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.** \-$13,113 These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality. ## Which fields at State University of New York at Cortland report the highest earnings? Earnings vary across larger programs at State University of New York at Cortland, with Special Education and Teaching at the higher end. Four years after completion, its median earnings are $74,079, alongside 86 degrees awarded. Business/Managerial Economics also sits toward the higher-earning end, with $66,644 in median earnings and 93 degrees awarded. The large education fields are more moderate by comparison: Subject-Area Teacher Education reports median earnings of $63,201 across 233 degrees awarded, while Kinesiology and Physical Education reports $56,466 and 236 degrees awarded. These figures show that earnings differ by field even among the university's larger programs. At State University of New York at Cortland, earnings differ across the largest fields, so the choice of field carries weight. Kinesiology and Physical Education awarded 236 degrees and had median earnings of $56,466 four years after completion. Subject-Area Teacher Education awarded 233 degrees, with median earnings of $63,201 four years after completion. Teacher Education awarded 138 degrees and showed median earnings of $62,275 four years after completion. Business/Managerial Economics awarded 93 degrees, and its median earnings were $66,644 four years after completion. The range across these large fields makes program-level results more informative than a single campuswide figure. Highest reported four-year program earnings **Special Education and Teaching** $74,079 **Business/Managerial Economics** $66,644 **Communication and Media Studies** $63,431 **Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas** $63,201 **Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods** $62,275 **Communication Disorders Sciences and Services** $62,122 **Biology, General** $61,879 **Political Science and Government** $60,296 [Explore State University of New York at Cortland program cohorts and field ranks](/school/state-university-of-new-york-at-cortland/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context. ## Further analysis Earnings scenarios based on the program mix put the downside at $52,569, the typical scenario at $58,555, and the upside at $66,991. These are scenarios rather than observed groups. Special Education and Teaching reaches $74,079 four years after completion, while Kinesiology and Physical Education, the lowest-earning among the largest programs, is at $56,466. The range shows variation by field. Federally aided graduates of State University of New York at Cortland who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $58,555 four years after completion. That median sits at the 45th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings cohort includes 1,681 completers. Graduates earn about $13,113 less than the model expects for similar students. That gap is at the 12th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $52,569 on the downside to $66,991 on the upside, with a typical figure of $58,555. An estimated 30.2% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix. ## Data & methodology Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/). Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth. Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source. Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).