First professional · New York, New York
Is Optometry at SUNY College of Optometry worth it?
High confidence High confidence: 100+ graduates behind the earnings figures.
The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans
Pays back in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 5.2 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $112,938
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $137,282
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $170,941
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Typical borrowing (no graduate net price is published)
- $181k (likely $181k – $181k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $69k a year vs bachelor's graduates 4 years out in NY
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 5.2 years (likely 4.4–6.2)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- $78k (likely −$49k – $205k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $919k (likely $648k – $1.23M)
- Today's dollars
Change income, residency or loans Compare Optometry at other schools
Scorecard reports no net price for graduate programs; cost is based on what graduates typically borrowed.