How much debt do SUNY New Paltz theatre graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,453, which ranks 8th lowest of 27 theatre bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $249 a month over 10 years.

Is a theatre degree from SUNY New Paltz worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 108% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 115%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several New York programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

SUNY New Paltz Theatre (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do SUNY New Paltz theatre graduates stay in New York?

Most do. 91% (40 of 44) were working in New York one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Public university
New Paltz, NY
About 35 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

SUNY New Paltz theatre graduates earn about what theatre graduates earn nationally, $21,800 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,453 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. It is one of the higher-paying theatre degrees in New York.

First-year earnings$21,80060th percentile of 257 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$23,5438% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,4538th lowest of 27 New York programs

Debt-to-earnings108%New York median 132%, national 115%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The New York and national columns are the medians across all theatre bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	SUNY New Paltz	New York	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$21,800	$18,740	$20,815
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$23,543	$33,461	$34,512
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,453	$26,000	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	108%	132%	115%
Programs compared		31	257

Five years out, SUNY New Paltz graduates earn less than the national figure and about $9,918 less than the New York median. Several New York programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every New York theatre program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the New York medians.

SUNY New PaltzOther New York programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 8% between the first and fifth year.

SUNY New Paltz grads, year 1$21,800

SUNY New Paltz grads, year 5$23,543

All New York theatre grads, year 5$33,461

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned more in their first year than other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $25,500 against $19,346.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$23,936Median debt $25,500

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$19,162Median debt $19,346

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $249 a month, or 13.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (51 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

91% of graduates (40 of 44) were working in New York one year after graduating. Prices in the Kingston area are about 1% above the national average, so a $21,800 salary here buys what about $21,647 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to theatre, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Producers and Directors

$107,550

Median pay in New York. 27,990 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $61,960Top 10%: $222,580

Writers and Authors

$76,910

Median pay nationwide. 7,480 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 11,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

About SUNY New Paltz

In-state tuition and fees	$8,572 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$18,822 / year
Average net price after aid	$18,809 / year
Admission rate	62%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	72%
Undergraduate students	6,086

Theatre ranks 24th of 29 bachelor's programs at SUNY New Paltz by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($72,238), Mechanical Engineering ($66,274), and Accounting ($47,884).

Other theatre bachelor's programs near New Paltz

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
SUNY New PaltzNew Paltz, NY · public		$21,800	$23,453
Vassar CollegePoughkeepsie, NY · private nonprofit	10 mi	$19,339	$20,000
Ramapo College of New JerseyMahwah, NJ · public	46 mi	$15,372	$20,620
SUNY Purchase CollegePurchase, NY · public	52 mi	$18,090	$26,000
Fairleigh Dickinson University-Metropolitan CampusTeaneck, NJ · private nonprofit	58 mi	$16,666	$25,139

Common questions

The median graduate earns $21,800 one year after graduating and $23,543 five years after. The median across theatre bachelor's programs in New York is $18,740.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of New York comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the theatre program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Theatre bachelor's programs in New York, ranked31 programs by pay and debt Theatre bachelor's programs in the US, ranked257 programs by pay and debt All SUNY New Paltz programs, ranked29 programs by pay and debt