SUNY Purchase College Anthropology (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Anthropology
- Public college
- Purchase, NY
- About 10 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
SUNY Purchase College anthropology graduates earn less than graduates of most anthropology programs nationally, $18,085 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $15,375 in federal loans, less than at 86% of anthropology programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the New York median of $26,449.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The New York and national columns are the medians across all anthropology bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Debt and first-year pay at every New York anthropology program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the New York medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $163 a month, or 10.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
81% of graduates (22 of 27) were working in New York one year after graduating. Prices in the New York area are about 13% above the national average, so a $18,085 salary here buys what about $16,067 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 anthropology, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists
$87,760Median pay in New York. 7,690 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 13% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: doctoral or professional degree.
Forensic Science Technicians
$81,670Median pay in New York. 1,140 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 13% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Anthropologists and Archeologists
$67,220Median pay in New York. 120 people work in this job in New York. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 800 openings a year. Typical education to start: master's degree.
About SUNY Purchase College
Anthropology ranks 13th of 19 bachelor's programs at SUNY Purchase College by first-year earnings. The top three are Sociology ($35,124), Economics ($34,297), and Biology ($33,914).
Other anthropology bachelor's programs near Purchase
Common questions
The median graduate earns $18,085 one year after graduating. The median across anthropology bachelor's programs in New York is $26,449.
The median federal loan balance is $15,375, which ranks 4th lowest of 13 anthropology bachelor's programs in New York. That works out to about $163 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 85% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 81%. Compare the cost with other New York programs before deciding.
Most do. 81% (22 of 27) were working in New York one year after graduating.
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 anthropology 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