Is a business administration degree from Stony Brook University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 45% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 55%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 5% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several New York programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

Stony Brook University Business Administration (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: How much debt do Stony Brook University business administration graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $19,500, which ranks 11th lowest of 71 business administration bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $207 a month over 10 years.

Q: Do Stony Brook University business administration graduates stay in New York?

Most do. 89% (302 of 339) were working in New York one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Business Administration, Management and Operations
Public university
Stony Brook, NY
About 493 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Stony Brook University business administration graduates earn about what business administration graduates earn nationally, $43,329 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $19,500 in federal loans, less than at 87% of business administration programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying business administration degrees in New York.

First-year earnings$43,32938th percentile of 1,105 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$74,43472% more than year one

Median federal debt$19,50011th lowest of 71 New York programs

Debt-to-earnings45%New York median 55%, national 55%

How it compares

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

	Stony Brook University	New York	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$43,329	$42,499	$45,396
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$74,434	$62,683	$62,714
Median federal debt at graduation	$19,500	$25,000	$26,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	45%	55%	55%
Programs compared		73	1,105

Five years out, Stony Brook University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $11,751 more than the New York median.

Debt and first-year pay at every New York business administration program

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

Stony Brook UniversityOther 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 72% between the first and fifth year.

Stony Brook University grads, year 1$43,329

Stony Brook University grads, year 5$74,434

All New York business administration grads, year 5$62,683

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 $2,276 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$42,506Median debt $19,500

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$44,782Median debt $19,750

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $207 a month, or 5.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (277 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20–24%
Paying down the balance	40–44%
Paused payments (forbearance)	15–19%
In default	5% 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. Separately, 75 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $19,523.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

89% of graduates (302 of 339) were working in New York one year after graduating. Prices in the New York area are about 13% above the national average, so a $43,329 salary here buys what about $38,493 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 business administration, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

General and Operations Managers

$130,860

Median pay in New York. 206,740 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 285,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $62,340Top 10%: $336,070

First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers

$79,170

Median pay in New York. 83,110 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 127,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $55,240Top 10%: $124,450

First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers

$58,300

Median pay in New York. 50,830 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 113,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $38,840Top 10%: $88,640

Project Management Specialists

$121,040

Median pay in New York. 68,020 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 76,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $74,580Top 10%: $192,160

About Stony Brook University

In-state tuition and fees	$10,931 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$32,741 / year
Average net price after aid	$18,784 / year
Admission rate	49%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	76%
Undergraduate students	18,101

Business Administration ranks 17th of 33 bachelor's programs at Stony Brook University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($94,853), Medical Laboratory Science ($92,286), and Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($92,165).

Other business administration bachelor's programs near Stony Brook

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Stony Brook UniversityStony Brook, NY · public		$43,329	$19,500
Five Towns CollegeDix Hills, NY · private for-profit	15 mi	$25,792	$25,573
Fairfield UniversityFairfield, CT · private nonprofit	18 mi	$50,558	$25,000
Farmingdale State CollegeFarmingdale, NY · public	20 mi	$39,290	$17,250
Sacred Heart UniversityFairfield, CT · private nonprofit	22 mi	$42,051	$25,000
SUNY Old WestburyOld Westbury, NY · public	25 mi	$43,204	$17,324
Long Island UniversityBrookville, NY · private nonprofit	26 mi	$29,585	$22,570
New York Institute of TechnologyOld Westbury, NY · private nonprofit	26 mi	$23,247	$21,375
University of New HavenWest Haven, CT · private nonprofit	27 mi	$34,106	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $43,329 one year after graduating and $74,434 five years after. The median across business administration bachelor's programs in New York is $42,499.

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 business administration 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

Business Administration bachelor's programs in New York, ranked73 programs by pay and debt Business Administration bachelor's programs in the US, ranked1,105 programs by pay and debt All Stony Brook University programs, ranked33 programs by pay and debt