🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants. Affordable on average — net price runs around $4,195/yr. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

  • Solid academic profile (SAT 1100–1320 middle 50% + typically a 3.7+ unweighted GPA in rigorous coursework)
  • In-state residents (tuition ~$7,538 — major value play)
  • Students drawn to Psychology or Social Sciences (the two biggest majors)

🎯 The reality

  • Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 1100, or unweighted GPA below ~3.50 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification
M1: Master's - Larger Programs
Total enrollment
12,550
10,000 - 19,999
In-state tuition
$7,538
sticker, before aid
Out-of-state tuition
$15,488
+$7,950 vs in-state
Admit rate
68.5%
Accessible
SAT middle 50%
1100–1320
EBRW + Math composite
Test policy
Test-optional
2023
10-yr earnings
$62,763
median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry
$48,548
Earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$62,763
4-year completion
53%
Median debt (completers)
$10,298
Cost of attendance
$14,367
sticker price, not net
Pell-eligible students
47%

💰 True ROI

37.4× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)
$16,780
$4,195/yr avg net
Aid that hides behind the sticker
$40,688
vs sticker $57,468
10-yr earnings total
$627,630
$62,763/yr median, 10 yrs out
Years to recoup actual cost
0.3 yrs
at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At CUNY Queens College, the average net price is $4,195/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k
$1,541/yr
Family income $30-48k
$3,133/yr
Family income $48-75k
$6,785/yr
Family income $75-110k
$9,110/yr
Family income $110k+
$12,700/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use CUNY Queens College's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from CUNY Queens College →

Opens on CUNY Queens College's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at CUNY Queens College

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what CUNY Queens College actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Psychology
566 degrees · 28.4%
Typical career outcomes
HR Specialist $68k Market Research Analyst $75k Clinical Psychologist (post-PhD) $93k Social Worker $58k
Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.
2. Social Sciences
489 degrees · 24.5%
Typical career outcomes
Economist $118k Political Scientist $130k Sociologist $93k Market Research Analyst $75k
Economics + poli sci sub-disciplines pay much more than sociology + anthropology.
3. Business, Management, & Marketing
363 degrees · 18.2%
Typical career outcomes
Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k
Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.
4. Computer & Information Sciences
289 degrees · 14.5%
Typical career outcomes
Software Developer $132k Data Scientist $108k Information Security Analyst $120k Web Developer $85k
High-paying tech roles dominate. Median software roles cluster in the $90k-$130k range.
5. Education
285 degrees · 14.3%
Typical career outcomes
Elementary School Teacher $64k Secondary School Teacher $65k School Principal $101k Special Education Teacher $66k
Teaching is the largest path. Salary depends heavily on district + state.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at CUNY Queens College

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP) Credential Cohort 1-yr earnings 4-yr earnings
Computer Science. Bachelor's Degree 311 $63,632 $112,903
Finance and Financial Management Services. Bachelor's Degree 78 $45,168 $94,526
Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language. Bachelor's Degree 25 $48,923 $79,175
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services. Bachelor's Degree 104 $23,108 $78,281
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas. Bachelor's Degree 139 $58,894 $76,925
Urban Studies/Affairs. Bachelor's Degree 34 $42,995 $74,979
Mathematics. Bachelor's Degree 65 $31,747 $74,659
Accounting and Related Services. Bachelor's Degree 337 $45,158 $69,956
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods. Bachelor's Degree 140 $37,414 $67,221
Natural Resources Conservation and Research. Bachelor's Degree 44 $27,677 $65,863

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at CUNY Queens College

CS degrees (annual)
305
CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

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