10-yr median earnings
$54,080
Federal aid recipients only
Public · Saratoga Springs, New York
Empire State University
Empire State University is a public institution in Saratoga Springs, New York. as a public institution, published Scorecard outcomes are the federal Title-IV cohort view of former students — not every graduate and not a guarantee for any one enrollee.
- $11,676
- Avg net price / yr
- $54,080
- 10-yr median earnings
- 33.8%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
Empire State University posts top-quartile former-student earnings.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 23%
- former-student earnings, US
- 33.8%
- 150%-time completion
- +8%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
Suburb: Small
Carnegie: Master's (L)
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Empire State University profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
D
College Value Score
49/100
Empire State University
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings B+
$54,080
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price B
$11,676
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate F
33.8%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$18,730
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment D
53.9%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention F
65.7%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$11,676
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
33.8%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 33.8%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Empire State University vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How Empire State University ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
Empire State University: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$54,080 Top 23% higher than 77% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | Empire State University | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $54,080 | #1170 of 5103 | 77th |
| Average net price | $11,676 | #1440 of 5020 | 71st (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 33.8% | #4046 of 4858 | 17th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 7,585 | #483 of 5462 | 91st |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
7,585
Undergraduate enrollment
-
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
33.8%
150%-time completion
$54,080
10-yr median earnings
65.7%
First-year retention
How Empire State University ranks in New York
State rank among 299 reporting New York colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Empire State University | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $54,080 | #121 of 299 | 60th |
| Average net price | $11,676 | #92 of 328 | 72nd (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 33.8% | #255 of 322 | 21st |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 7,585 | #34 of 367 | 91st |
Highest former-student earnings in New York
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences | $131,426 | $29,882 |
| 2 | Helene Fuld College of Nursing | $111,027 | $47,181 |
| 3 | SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University | $109,601 | - |
| 4 | Center for Allied Health Education | $107,249 | $48,150 |
| 5 | Miami Ad School-New York | $106,192 | - |
| 6 | St Paul's School of Nursing-Queens | $104,403 | $26,315 |
| 7 | Cornell University | $104,043 | $28,690 |
| 8 | Weill Medical College of Cornell University | $104,043 | - |
| 9 | Columbia University in the City of New York | $102,491 | $21,590 |
| 10 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | $102,051 | $36,228 |
| 11 | Cochran School of Nursing | $99,503 | - |
| 12 | Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing | $96,980 | - |
| 121 | Empire State UniversityThis school | $54,080 | $11,676 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Empire State University
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$8,989 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$10,507 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$14,812 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$19,679 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Empire State University - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $7,648 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $17,558 |
| Average Net Price | $11,676 |
36.8%
Pell Grant Rate
33.9%
Federal Loan Rate
$18,730
Median Debt
$199/mo
Monthly Payment
Empire State University costs less today than it did in 2013
Average net price fell from $13,680 to $11,147 (-18.5%) between 2013 and 2023, before any inflation adjustment, which makes the real-terms fall larger still. Most colleges moved the other way: the median change across the 4,315 schools measured over the same span was +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $13,6802023 · $11,147
Over the same years, enrollment went -28.1% (9,793 → 7,046 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
71.4%
Female
45.1%
First Generation
Outcomes
65.7%
Retention Rate
$50,167
Median Earnings (6yr)
68.0%
Earning Over $25K
53.9%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 33.8% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 65.7% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $50,167 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $54,080 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 68.0% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 53.9% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $18,730 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $199/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 17 | 1,681 | $62,073 | $102,384 | $18,382 |
| Master's | 7 | 287 | $83,660 | $118,071 | - |
| Associate's | 6 | 424 | $62,580 | $90,619 | $17,079 |
| Graduate Certificate | 2 | 34 | $57,855 | $57,855 | - |
Top programs at Empire State University by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Health Professions Educati…
Health Professions Education, Ethics, and Humanities
$118,071 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$114,116 median earnings
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$102,384 median earnings
- Human Resources Management…
Human Resources Management and Services
$90,619 median earnings
- Education, Other
Education, Other
$75,854 median earnings
- Public Administration and …
Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other
$72,188 median earnings
- Physical Sciences, Other
Physical Sciences, Other
$71,805 median earnings
- Social Sciences, Other
Social Sciences, Other
$71,200 median earnings
What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Matches use Scorecard measures among reporting colleges — not state-system recommendations or geographic proximity.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Public institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Public institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Tri County Regional Vocational Technical High School
Franklin, MA
$11,682 net price · $6 apart
Indiana University-Indianapolis
Indianapolis, IN
$11,668 net price · $8 apart
Cloud County Community College
Concordia, KS
$11,685 net price · $9 apart
Midwestern State University
Wichita Falls, TX
$11,656 net price · $20 apart
Similar 2013–2023 Net-Price Trend
Same-sector institutions with the same direction and nearest fitted annual change; only series with R² of at least 0.40 qualify.
J. F. Drake State Community and Technical College
Huntsville, AL
−$366/year · $1/year apart
Lamar State College-Port Arthur
Port Arthur, TX
−$366/year · $1/year apart
Cape Fear Community College
Wilmington, NC
−$365/year · $2/year apart
City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College
Chicago, IL
−$364/year · $3/year apart
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the admissions statistics for Empire State University? ▼
Empire State University is a public institution in Saratoga Springs, New York. Undergraduate enrollment is 7,585 students.
How much do Empire State University former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Empire State University who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $54,080 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $50,167.
How much does Empire State University cost? ▼
The average net price at Empire State University is $11,676. In-state tuition is $7,648 and out-of-state tuition is $17,558. Median student debt at graduation is $18,730.
What is the graduation rate at Empire State University? ▼
Empire State University has a 33.8% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 65.7%.
Is Empire State University worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Empire State University is $18,730, while former students earn a median of $54,080 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 35% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 53.9% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $199.
Sources & methodology
Public-college profiles lean on IPEDS enrollment and Scorecard Title-IV outcomes. State appropriations are outside this page; the figures below are the federal cohort measures only.
Every number is read live from the Mar–Jul 2026 Scorecard/IPEDS retrievals. Public institutions often enroll large Title-IV cohorts, so medians can be stable — still cohort averages, never a personal forecast. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from Empire State University
- Compare Empire State University against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in New York side by side.Browse New York
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
Public-college Scorecard figures are historical Title-IV cohort averages — confirm current tuition, aid, and admissions rules with the institution before deciding.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Public-institution profiles compile Scorecard Title-IV earnings, IPEDS enrollment/admissions, and Treasury linkage fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.