Federal earnings data published in December 2025 shows how much money U.S. college graduates make four years after graduation, including graduates from Southern Tier institutions.
The U.S. Department of Education recently rolled out a new feature that puts this earnings data in front of more high school students making important decisions on where to go to college. Students filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as FAFSA, will see median earnings for each school they have expressed interest in attending.
Crucially, the department also flags if a school’s earnings fall below what the average high school graduate earns.
The data itself isn’t new, and it shows graduates from all of the Southern Tier colleges and universities make more than those with only a high school diploma. But the new earnings indicator comes at a time when public confidence in higher education is plummeting. About 35% of Gallup poll respondents said a college education was very important in 2025, down from 75% in 2010.
“More than half of all Americans now say a college degree is not worth the price, and total outstanding student loan debt is approaching $1.7 trillion,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement. “Families deserve a clearer picture of how postsecondary education connects to real-world earnings, and this new indicator will provide that transparency.”
Here’s what to know about the new earnings indicator, and how Southern Tier schools stack up.
What does the new FAFSA earnings indicator show for Southern Tier-area schools?
Median high school earnings across the Southern Tier fall somewhere between $35,000 and $36,000. SUNY school graduates make anywhere from $2,500 to $33,000 more than high school graduates four years after graduation, according to median earnings data.
The disparity is even greater for other colleges and universities, with grads bringing in $51,000 to over $90,000 more than high school graduates.
None of the Southern Tier institutions fall into the “lower earnings” category.
The data allows students to compare potential post-graduate earnings by school, but it isn’t broken down by individual program. Students can explore program-level results using the College Scorecard at CollegeScorecard.ed.gov.
How much do Hornell-area college graduates make?
SUNY Alfred produced the highest median salary for students four years after graduation, according to the latest data.
The median Alfred State graduate made $48,361 four years after graduation, which equals $57,415 when adjusted for 2025 inflation.
Alfred University graduates weren’t far behind with a median salary of $47,894, or $56,860 when adjusted for inflation.
The median Houghton University grad made a salary of $38,203, which comes out to $45,355 when adjusted for inflation.
How much do Southern Tier-area college and university students earn four years after graduation?
This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: How much do Alfred State, Alfred U., Houghton graduates make? See data
Reporting by Sunshyne Lynch and Kelly Meyerhofer, Hornell Evening Tribune / The Evening Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
