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2026 Highest Paid Public Policy Grads in New York

[Public Policy](/majors/social-services-public-administration/public-policy/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. A top-earning program sends graduates into careers with strong starting pay.

For its 2026 highest-paid-graduates ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools to find where public policy graduates earn the most.

What’s on this page:

• Highest Paid Public Policy Grads in New York

2026 Highest Paid Public Policy Grads in New York

If you want to know which schools send public policy graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.

Highest Paid Public Policy Graduates

1

Cornell University
Ithaca, NY

$107,508 Average Early-Career Salary

Our analysis ranked Cornell University the top school for public policy graduate earnings in New York. Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell University is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career public policy graduates from Cornell University make a median of around $107,508 per year.

2

Hamilton College
Clinton, NY

$56,158 Average Early-Career Salary

Hamilton College came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying public policy schools. Set in the suburb of Clinton, Hamilton College is a private not-for-profit institution. Public Policy graduates of Hamilton College earn a median of about $56,158 a year early in their careers.

3

Suny Empire State College
Saratoga Springs, NY

$52,614 Average Early-Career Salary

Suny Empire State College produces some of the highest-paid graduates in public policy, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the suburb of Saratoga Springs, Suny Empire State College is a public institution. Students who complete the public policy program here go on to a median salary of roughly $52,614.

View All Public Policy Rankings >

Notes and References

The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries public policy graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).

Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 3 schools evaluated.

*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Graduate earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard) field-of-study earnings.

More about our data sources and methodologies.