The College of Saint Rose provides access and support to students who value a close-knit campus community, with particular strength in serving first-generation and Pell-eligible students.
While earnings outcomes are moderate, the college offers the personalized attention and supportive environment that help students persist and complete their degrees over time.
The College of Saint Rose is a small private nonprofit institution in Albany, New York, that serves students seeking a personalized educational experience in the state capital region. While the college faces financial challenges that limit its overall competitiveness, it maintains strengths in access and student support that appeal to families prioritizing community and completion over maximum earnings potential.
The institution enrolls a meaningful share of Pell Grant recipients (39%) and first-generation students (29%), demonstrating its commitment to serving diverse student populations. Graduation rates show steady improvement over time, with 51% of students completing within six years and nearly 60% finishing within eight years, suggesting that the supportive environment helps students persist despite initial challenges.
As a small private college, Saint Rose offers the intimate campus experience and faculty relationships that many students value, though families should understand that this comes with higher costs and more modest long-term earnings outcomes compared to larger public alternatives in New York state.
The College of Saint Rose's program portfolio reflects its mission as a comprehensive college focused on professional preparation and community service. Education programs dominate the landscape, with Adult and Continuing Education graduating the largest cohort of 66 students, though earnings in this field average $29,685, reflecting the typically modest compensation in educational careers. These programs serve an important social function and provide stable employment, even if financial returns are limited.
Business Administration represents the college's strongest combination of enrollment and earnings, with 44 graduates earning median salaries around $38,289 two years after graduation. This program provides a more traditional pathway to middle-management and professional roles that offer better long-term earning potential than education-focused majors. Agricultural Teacher Education, while serving a smaller cohort of 28 students, achieves similar earnings levels and addresses specialized workforce needs in rural and agricultural communities.
The program mix emphasizes practical, career-oriented fields that prepare students for immediate employment rather than high-growth, high-earning sectors. While this approach provides stability and serves important community needs, families should understand that Saint Rose's programs typically lead to solid middle-class careers rather than the highest-earning professional paths available at research universities or specialized technical institutions.
Graduates of The College of Saint Rose earn a median of $56,040 ten years after enrollment, placing the institution around the national average for earnings outcomes. The college shows modest earnings beyond expectations, with graduates earning about $1,659 more than similar students at comparable institutions, though this advantage is relatively small in practical terms. Bottom-quartile and top-quartile earnings data is not available, but the overall earnings profile suggests moderate variation in outcomes across different fields of study.
Program-level outcomes reflect the college's focus on education and professional fields. Adult and Continuing Education represents the largest program by total economic impact, graduating 66 students with median earnings of $29,685, though these figures reflect the typically lower-paying but socially important education sector. Business Administration and Management enrolls 44 students annually with stronger earnings around $38,289, while Agricultural Teacher Education, despite smaller enrollment of 28 students, also achieves similar earnings levels in the upper $30,000s.
The college's program mix emphasizes education, business, and specialized professional fields that tend to provide stable employment but moderate earnings growth. While graduates don't typically reach the highest income levels seen at research universities or technical institutions, they enter fields with meaningful social impact and reasonable job security in the Albany region and beyond.
The College of Saint Rose presents a mixed affordability picture typical of small private colleges. Low-income students pay approximately $18,785 annually after aid, which is reasonable for a private institution but still represents a significant financial commitment. Middle-income families face net prices around $24,182, while higher-income families pay about $27,778, reflecting the college's efforts to provide need-based aid while maintaining revenue from families who can afford to pay more.
The financial aid structure helps make the college accessible to students from various economic backgrounds, though the overall cost structure requires most families to make substantial investments or take on meaningful debt. The college's small size and private status mean it lacks the state subsidies that make public universities more affordable, but it can offer more personalized financial aid packages and support services that help students navigate the financial aspects of their education.
For families who value the small college experience and are willing to invest in that environment, Saint Rose provides a pathway to degree completion with manageable, if not minimal, financial obligations. The key is ensuring that families understand the long-term earnings expectations and plan accordingly for the debt levels typically required.
The College Of Saint Rose Hub Overview
Executive summary with admissions, cost, outcomes, and program analysis
