Is Farmingdale State College Worth It?

Farmingdale State College gives you a strong financial return for the price. You pay a low net price and leave with median debt under $15,000, which you can clear on the $69,781 median earnings most graduates hit within ten years. That debt-to-earnings ratio is the core of why this school works financially.

Nursing is the clear winner here. It pays over $93,000 and carries about $16,000 in debt, so you recover your costs fast. The applied engineering technology programs , electrical and construction , land in the upper $50,000s to $60,000 with debt near or below the school median, which is a solid payoff for a public college. Criminal Justice pays similarly but is the weakest of the top five on earnings, so weigh it against the technical majors if pay is your priority. Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science pays around the school median but carries the highest debt on this list at nearly $20,000, so it's a thinner margin.

The main risk is finishing. A 57% graduation rate means a meaningful share of you will pay tuition without earning the degree that makes the earnings possible. An 81% retention rate says most of you make it past year one, so the drop-off happens later. Debt without a degree is the bad outcome to avoid.

The net price tiers reward lower-income families sharply. Under $30k, you pay $3,865. over $110k, you pay $16,356 , more than four times as much. If your family earns under $48k, this is one of the cheaper four-year paths available to you.

This school fits you if you want nursing or an engineering technology field and can commit to finishing. Look elsewhere if you want a major outside these technical and health lines, where the earnings data here doesn't back up the same return.