Master's · Ithaca, New York
Is Public Administration at Cornell University worth it?
Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 graduates behind the earnings figures.
The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans
Pays back in time: graduates typically recover the cost in about 4.2 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $87,919
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $107,761
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $69,125
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Typical borrowing (no graduate net price is published)
- $73k (likely $73k – $73k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $39k a year vs bachelor's graduates 4 years out in NY
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 4.2 years (likely 3.1–6.0)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- $109k (likely −$36k – $266k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $603k (likely $277k – $977k)
- Today's dollars
Change income, residency or loans Compare Public Administration at other schools
Scorecard reports no net price for graduate programs; cost is based on what graduates typically borrowed.
Other majors at Cornell University
- Law (Doctoral)$259,851
- Computer Science (Master's)$235,762
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's)$226,632
- Computer Science (Bachelor's)$223,309
- Operations Research (Master's)$203,340
- Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's)$196,882
- Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's)$163,586
- Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Master's)$161,226
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Master's)$156,103
- Human Resources Management and Services (Master's)$155,909
- Operations Research (Bachelor's)$151,709
- Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's)$147,241
Public Administration at other schools in New York
- Columbia University in the City of New York$115,874
- New York University$109,946
- Syracuse University$107,868
- Marist University$99,846
- Alfred University$94,571
- CUNY Bernard M Baruch College$93,751
- Excelsior University$91,233
- University at Albany$84,950
- CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice$83,931
- Binghamton University$83,478