Percentile rankings vs 1,600+ peer institutions. Higher is better.
Career OutcomesAzimuth ranks Suny Old Westbury #226 for overall value on Azimuth's composite among nonprofit four-year institutions. Suny Old Westbury sits in the 70.0 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning about earn about $3,020 more than similar students at comparable institutions. Azimuth ranks Suny Old Westbury #258 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. --- Suny Old Westbury delivers stronger-than-expected earnings for its graduates, placing the institution among the higher-performing schools in the nonprofit four-year institutions for earnings beyond expectations. Its access ranking reflects a genuine commitment to serving students who are often underrepresented at four-year institutions, pairing broad enrollment with outcomes that hold up against comparable schools.
SUNY Old Westbury is a public university in Old Westbury, NY, enrolling roughly 4,162 undergraduates. Azimuth ranks Suny Old Westbury #226 for overall value on Azimuth's composite among nonprofit four-year institutions. Retention stands at 71.8% and the six-year graduation rate is 44.6%, figures that reflect the institution's capacity to move students from enrollment through degree completion. What anchors Suny Old Westbury's composite position is mobility. The institution sits in the 82.2 percentile for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions, driven by a student body where 49.3% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants and 39.4% are first-generation college students — shares well above national norms for four-year institutions. Suny Old Westbury admits about 83.6% of applicants, maintaining broad access that channels a diverse population into degree programs anchored by Business and related fields. Access sits in the 82.6 percentile for access among nonprofit four-year institutions. Return on investment is the lower-ranked pillar in the composite — Azimuth ranks Suny Old Westbury #792 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions, in the 46.5 percentile. Graduates earn median earnings four years after enrollment of $58,756, which sits below the $56,249 median at comparable institutions; graduates earn about $3,020 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Suny Old Westbury in the 70.0 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions. The earnings figures reflect NY's regional labor market and a student population whose post-graduation outcomes represent meaningful returns relative to the no-degree-equivalent baseline of $32,204, even where they fall below selective-peer averages. Affordability sits in the 93.7 percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Suny Old Westbury's published cost of attendance is $21,287, but need-based aid shifts what families actually pay. Low-income families see a net price of approximately $6,645, middle-income families pay around $13,852, and higher-income families pay approximately $20,426. Azimuth ranks Suny Old Westbury #91 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. As a public institution in New York, Suny Old Westbury draws on federal, state, and institutional aid programs to reduce the gap between sticker price and what students pay. The spread between low-income and higher-income net prices reflects meaningful need-based aid differentiation — families who qualify for Pell Grants and state grants typically see the sharpest reductions from the published cost. Families weighing the net price illusion between sticker and actual cost will find that the income-band figures above are the more reliable planning anchor. Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $14,997, and families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $16,500; private or institutional loans may add further borrowing that falls outside these federal-only figures — see the Parent PLUS risk framework for how household context shapes PLUS decisions. For a graduate at the institution's median four-year earnings of $58,756, median federal debt of $14,997 projects to a monthly payment of about $169 under standard ten-year repayment. For personalized projections across earnings scenarios — including Parent PLUS planning — use Azimuth's Financial GPS tool.
Suny Old Westbury is a strong fit for students drawn to business and applied professional fields who want an accessible public institution in NY with a clear path to post-graduation earnings — particularly students from low-income or first-generation backgrounds who need a school that opens its doors widely and delivers measurable financial outcomes. The earnings case is grounded in the data. Graduates earn in the 38.8 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, and Suny Old Westbury sits in the 70.0 percentile for earnings beyond expectations among nonprofit four-year institutions — graduates earn about $3,020 more than similar students at comparable institutions relative to similar students at comparable institutions. The access profile is broad. 49.3% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants and 39.4% are first-generation college students — figures that reflect Suny Old Westbury's role as a genuinely accessible institution in the Northeast. Pell-eligible students complete at a rate of 47.9%, and low-income graduates sit in the 52.7 percentile for low-income graduate earnings among nonprofit four-year institutions on a historical 10-year Scorecard measure. Fit depends on two realistic filters: the program mix centers on Business and related applied fields, so students whose interests align with those areas will find the strongest outcomes, while those seeking deep STEM or research-intensive programs may find the portfolio narrower than at larger flagships.
This school profile was generated using Azimuth's proprietary ROI framework, developed by founder Daniel Rogers. Our methodology transforms federal education data into actionable insights for families.
College Azimuth is a private research initiative and is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Education or Federal Student Aid. Data sourced from College Scorecard.
This content is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, investment, or professional advice. Consult a qualified advisor before making any financial decisions.
Comprehensive Analysis
Detailed metrics, charts, and full data breakdown
Financial GPS Tool
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This is the Suny Old Westbury hub overview page. Related admissions, cost, outcomes, majors, and similar-school pages provide the detailed school data.
Based on federal data for students receiving aid. Actual costs may vary.
Suny Old Westbury's published cost of attendance is $21,287, but need-based aid shifts what families actually pay. Low-income families see a net price of approximately $6,645, middle-income families pay around $13,852, and higher-income families pay approximately $20,426.
Azimuth ranks Suny Old Westbury #91 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.
As a public institution in New York, Suny Old Westbury draws on federal, state, and institutional aid programs to reduce the gap between sticker price and what students pay. The spread between low-income and higher-income net prices reflects meaningful need-based aid differentiation — families who qualify for Pell Grants and state grants typically see the sharpest reductions from the published cost.
Families weighing the [net price illusion](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) between sticker and actual cost will find that the income-band figures above are the more reliable planning anchor. Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $14,997, and families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $16,500; 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 $58,756, median federal debt of $14,997 projects to a monthly payment of about $169 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 Suny Old Westbury earn median earnings of $58,756 four years after enrollment, placing Suny Old Westbury in the 38.8 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure sits below the $56,249 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band).
Graduates earn about $3,020 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing the institution in the 70.0 percentile for [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) among nonprofit four-year institutions. Those figures still represent lifetime returns relative to NY's no-degree-equivalent earnings baseline of $32,204, the state median earnings of working adults age 25–34 with only a high school credential.
Business is the dominant program family at Suny Old Westbury, accounting for 24% of graduates, followed by Social Sciences at 14% and Education at 12%. Psychology, General combines the largest cohort scale with competitive earnings, anchoring the institution's aggregate return story.
Azimuth ranks Psychology, General #171 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions [per the program-ranking methodology](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/), with 117 graduates earning median earnings of $53,013. The Biology, General program graduates 84 students with median earnings of $60,351, and Azimuth ranks Accounting #161 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning median earnings of $70,351.
Among the highest-earning programs, Communication and Media Studies graduates earn median earnings of $47,095 and Criminology graduates earn median earnings of $52,598, illustrating that specific fields at Suny Old Westbury deliver materially stronger early-career pay than the institutional average suggests.
Computer and Information Sciences, General
29 graduates
Finance and Financial Management Services
35 graduates
Accounting and Related Services
83 graduates
Special Education and Teaching
42 graduates
Biology, General
84 graduates
Suny Old Westbury's program mix is centered on Business, with additional strength in education, psychology, and health-related fields. Psychology, General is the largest program with 117 graduates, followed by Biology, General (84 graduates), Accounting (83 graduates), Communication and Media Studies (69 graduates), and Criminology (66 graduates).
Across 26 programs serving roughly 1,000 students annually, 14 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold. Business accounts for 24% of degree output, Social Sciences represents 14%, and Education makes up 12% — a portfolio tilted toward applied professional fields.
The strongest earnings come from Accounting, where 83 graduates earn median earnings of $70,351 four years after enrollment, and Azimuth ranks the program #161 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. The Special Education and Teaching program graduates 42 students with median earnings of $62,389, and Azimuth ranks it #6 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Psychology, General combines the largest cohort with solid pay, making it the program that contributes most to the institution's overall earnings profile. Biology, General (84 graduates, $60,351) and Business Administration (47 graduates, $59,309) round out the higher-earning options.
Several of Suny Old Westbury's largest programs feed directly into local and regional labor markets. Education and psychology graduates often stay in the New York metro area for careers in teaching, counseling, and social services — fields with steady demand but more moderate starting pay.
Business and accounting graduates, by contrast, enter higher-mobility career tracks where four-year earnings more closely reflect labor-market outcomes. The [supply-demand map for college graduates](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides context for how these program families align with broader national hiring trends. ```
Peer institutions with comparable quality and outcomes:
| School | State | Accept Rate | Median Earnings | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stockton University Similar quality tier in Northeast (#10151 ranked) | NJ | 89% | $57,602 | #10151 | Compare |
New Mexico State University-Main Campus Similar quality tier (#10675 ranked) | NM | 89% | $39,067 | #10675 | Compare |
Cuny Medgar Evers College Similar quality tier in Northeast (#10677 ranked) | NY | 86% | $46,498 | #10677 | Compare |
University Of Alabama In Huntsville Similar quality tier (#9631 ranked) | AL | 69% | $61,767 | #9631 | Compare |
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Similar quality tier (#9630 ranked) | IL | 87% | $53,390 | #9630 | Compare |
