Bachelor's · Purchase, New York

Is Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management at SUNY at Purchase College worth it?

Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back slowly: graduates typically recover the cost in about 7.4 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $36,579; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $55,805; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $14,250; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $82k (likely $82k – $99k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $18k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in NY; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 7.4 years (likely 5.8–10.2); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: −$95k (likely −$165k – −$32k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $137k (likely −$9k – $299k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 61%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Borrowers making progress / in default, 2 years in: not reported / ≤ 20%; NSLDS AY2016-17, AY2017-18 pooled cohorts measured in 2018-19, 2019-20

Change income, residency or loans Compare Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management at other schools

🎨 Getting ready in high school

Students heading toward art, design & performance majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.

AP classes

AP 2-D Art and Design
AP Drawing
AP Art History
AP Music Theory

IB Higher Level

Visual Arts HL
Music HL or Theatre HL or Film HL

Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.

Other majors at SUNY at Purchase College

Mathematics and Statistics, Other (Bachelor's)$72,237
Economics (Bachelor's)$63,207
Biology, General (Bachelor's)$55,718
Visual and Performing Arts, Other (Bachelor's)$53,100
Sociology (Bachelor's)$53,042
Journalism (Bachelor's)$52,859
Literature (Bachelor's)$49,153
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's)$47,922
Psychology, General (Bachelor's)$47,022
Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's)$46,596
History (Bachelor's)$45,661
Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's)$43,265