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Career outcomes brief

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# State University of New York at New Paltz Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

[Overview](/school/state-university-of-new-york-at-new-paltz/)[Cost & aid](/school/state-university-of-new-york-at-new-paltz/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/state-university-of-new-york-at-new-paltz/admissions/)[Majors](/school/state-university-of-new-york-at-new-paltz/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/state-university-of-new-york-at-new-paltz/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much do SUNY New Paltz graduates earn?

The reported median is $56,933 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $57,301 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$368 per year.

The return pillar is the weakest of the four for State University of New York at New Paltz, at the 23rd percentile. Graduates earn about $12,981 less than the model expects for similar students.

That gap sits at the 12th percentile. Four years after completion, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $56,933.

That figure is at the 39th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, and it is $368 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $2,318.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $15,299. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $630.

Earnings four years after completion vary widely by field at State University of New York at New Paltz. The earnings scenarios, which reflect the program mix, range from a downside of $44,858 to an upside of $73,339.

The highest-earning programs show the upper end of that spread: Computer and Information Sciences completers earn a median of $103,020, Mechanical Engineering graduates reach $89,504, and Accounting completers earn $67,626.

An estimated 31.8% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the university's program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings figures capture only those working and not enrolled, the median earnings snapshot misses the portion of completers who are pursuing advanced degrees.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$56,933

**Rank for difference from expectations**
12th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**SUNY New Paltz reported median**
$56,933

**Peer schools comparable schools · $368 above SUNY New Paltz**
$57,301

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $12,981 above SUNY New Paltz**
$69,914

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 could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $44,858 to $73,339, around the reported median of $56,933. Compare the lower scenario with [SUNY New Paltz borrowing and monthly payments](/school/state-university-of-new-york-at-new-paltz/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**
$44,858

**Median · reported**
$56,933

**Higher estimate**
$73,339

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 SUNY New Paltz 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).

SUNY New Paltz graduates’ reported earnings are $12,981 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 SUNY New Paltz 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.**
+$2,318

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$15,299

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
\-$12,981

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

## Which fields at SUNY New Paltz report the highest earnings?

The highest-earning bachelor's program at State University of New York at New Paltz is Computer and Information Sciences, where completers earn a median of $103,020 four years after completion, with 50 degrees awarded. Mechanical Engineering follows at $89,504 and 48 degrees awarded.

Among the largest programs, Psychology awarded 207 degrees and shows median earnings of $55,378, with an Azimuth national rank of #80 in its field. Subject-Area Teacher Education, another large program with 102 degrees awarded, reaches $60,371 and ranks #21 nationally.

Radio, Television, and Digital Communication, with 111 degrees awarded, earns $47,453 and holds a national rank of #30, illustrating how earnings vary across the university's mix of fields.

The program picture varies by field, with ranked offerings showing different earnings levels four years after completion. State University of New York at New Paltz has 17 bachelor’s fields ranked nationally by Azimuth among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For Visual and Performing Arts, Azimuth places the field at #16 nationally; 28 degrees were awarded, and median earnings were $41,097 four years after completion. Subject-Area Teacher Education holds Azimuth’s #21 national field rank, alongside 102 degrees awarded and $60,371 in median earnings four years after completion.

Azimuth lists Radio, Television, and Digital Communication at #30 nationally in its field; it awarded 111 degrees, with $47,453 in median earnings four years after completion. Communication Disorders Sciences and Services is ranked #49 nationally in its field by Azimuth, with 65 degrees awarded and median earnings of $60,112 four years after completion.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Computer and Information Sciences, General**
$103,020

**Mechanical Engineering**
$89,504

**Accounting and Related Services**
$67,626

**Marketing**
$64,993

**Communication and Media Studies**
$60,929

**Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas**
$60,371

**Communication Disorders Sciences and Services**
$60,112

**Business Administration, Management and Operations**
$57,350

[Explore SUNY New Paltz program cohorts and field ranks](/school/state-university-of-new-york-at-new-paltz/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix show a wide spread: the downside scenario sits at $44,858, the typical scenario at $56,933, and the upside scenario reaches $73,339. That range reflects the mix of fields at State University of New York at New Paltz.

Computer and Information Sciences, the highest-earning program, reaches $103,020 four years after completion, while Radio, Television, and Digital Communication, one of the largest programs, sits at $47,453.

State University of New York at New Paltz graduates who are working and not enrolled four years after completion earn a median of $56,933. That measure covers 795 federally aided completers and sits in the 39th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The median is $368 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $12,981 less than the model expects for similar students.

That result puts the earnings gap in the 12th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a typical outcome of $56,933, a downside scenario of $44,858 and an upside scenario of $73,339.

These are estimates tied to program clusters, not observed graduate outcomes. An estimated 31.8% 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/).