Schenectady County
Community College
Public Community College in Schenectady, NY. Six-year graduation rate 32%. Median 10-year earnings $40,902.
Median earnings ten years after entry come to $40,902, below what most undergraduate institutions return — the central fact to weigh against cost here. The six-year graduation rate is 32% — low enough that finishing cannot be treated as the default outcome. Median debt at graduation is $11,049, a light load against those earnings.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.27 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Mobility score 1.0 — limited economic uplift documented
- ! Graduation rate 32% — below national average
Academics
A six-year graduation rate of 32% means finishing is closer to the exception than the rule. Retention is weak: only 51% of full-time first-years return, so roughly one in two leave after one year. The two rates sit near each other: few students who return for a second year are missing from the six-year completion figure. 21% transfer out. IPEDS does not follow them, so whether they finished elsewhere is not recorded either way. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 38% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 1,539 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $8,872 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $6,410 at the $0–30k band to $15,537 at $110k+. About 70% get grants averaging $7,834, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Only 24% take federal loans. Private borrowing is not captured in this figure.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 434 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $6,410 |
| $30–48k | $8,161 |
| $48–75k | $10,881 |
| $75–110k | $13,362 |
| $110k+ | $15,537 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 366 of these 1,539 students, totalling $2,018,982 — an average of $5,516 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Schenectady County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)