NEW YORK — Federal Data, September 2026
The Best Trade Schools in New York, Ranked On What Graduates Owe And Earn
6 accredited institutions in New York report enough federal data to be compared. They are ranked here on a single measure: how many months of gross pay it takes a graduate to cover the median debt.
See The New York RankingU.S. Department of Education data. No school paid to be listed.
Across the 6 ranked trade schools in New York, the median graduate needs 3.0 months of gross pay to cover a median federal debt of $10,418, against median earnings of $38,537 one year after completion.
That puts New York faster than the national median of 3.6 months measured across the 153 institutions in our national ranking. The best performer in the state is Erie Community College in Buffalo, at 2.9 months.
Only schools that are currently operating, accredited, predominantly certificate or associate granting, and reporting both debt and earnings on at least four trade programs appear here. That is why this list is short: most institutions do not publish enough for a fair comparison.
NEW YORK At A Glance
What the federal data says about trade schools in New York
The Ranking
6 trade schools in New York, ranked by months of gross pay to cover the debt
Lower is better.
| # | School | Type | Months | Debt | Earnings | Completion | Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erie Community CollegeBuffalo, NY | Public | 2.9 | $8,710 | $33,340 | 28% | 7 |
| 2 | Onondaga Cortland Madison BOCESLiverpool, NY | Public | 2.9 | $8,280 | $34,938 | 73% | 4 |
| 3 | Hudson Valley Community CollegeTroy, NY | Public | 3.0 | $11,336 | $45,466 | 35% | 4 |
| 4 | Monroe Community CollegeRochester, NY | Public | 3.1 | $12,188 | $47,258 | 27% | 4 |
| 5 | SUNY College of Technology at AlfredAlfred, NY | Public | 3.4 | $12,000 | $42,136 | 55% | 8 |
| 6 | Apex Technical SchoolLong Island City, NY | nonprofit | 3.7 | $9,500 | $30,422 | 78% | 6 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Cohorts by Field of Study and by Institution (published 9 June 2026). Debt is the median federal Stafford and Grad PLUS loan debt of completers; earnings are median earnings one year after completion; both are medians across the school’s trade programs. Completion is the institution’s published rate.
The Top Five, In Detail
The five fastest payback schools in New York, one by one
Erie Community College
Buffalo, NY
Erie Community College is a public institution in Buffalo. Across its 7 trade programs with publishable figures, the median graduate leaves with $8,710 of federal debt and reports median earnings of $33,340 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 2.9 months of gross pay: the fastest payback in the state, and right on the New York state median of 3.0. It reports a 28% completion rate. Its fastest program here is Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians.
Onondaga Cortland Madison BOCES
Liverpool, NY
Onondaga Cortland Madison BOCES is a public institution in Liverpool. Across its 4 trade programs with publishable figures, the median graduate leaves with $8,280 of federal debt and reports median earnings of $34,938 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 2.9 months of gross pay: the second fastest in the state, and right on the New York state median of 3.0. It reports a 73% completion rate. Its fastest program here is Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR).
Hudson Valley Community College
Troy, NY
Hudson Valley Community College is a public institution in Troy. Across its 4 trade programs with publishable figures, the median graduate leaves with $11,336 of federal debt and reports median earnings of $45,466 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 3.0 months of gross pay: the third fastest in the state, and right on the New York state median of 3.0. It reports a 35% completion rate. Its fastest program here is Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians.
Monroe Community College
Rochester, NY
Monroe Community College is a public institution in Rochester. Across its 4 trade programs with publishable figures, the median graduate leaves with $12,188 of federal debt and reports median earnings of $47,258 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 3.1 months of gross pay: fourth in the state, and right on the New York state median of 3.0. It reports a 27% completion rate. Its fastest program here is Criminal Justice and Corrections.
SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
Alfred, NY
SUNY College of Technology at Alfred is a public institution in Alfred. Across its 8 trade programs with publishable figures, the median graduate leaves with $12,000 of federal debt and reports median earnings of $42,136 a year after completing, so the debt is covered by 3.4 months of gross pay: fifth in the state, and 0.4 months slower than the New York state median of 3.0. It reports a 55% completion rate. Its fastest program here is Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/Technicians.
Read It Carefully
Why this list is short, and what it does not measure
Absence from this page is not a verdict. Most trade schools in New York are missing because the Department of Education suppresses figures for programs with small cohorts, not because they scored badly. A small, excellent school will often have no publishable data at all.
The measure is also a ratio, not a repayment plan, and it counts federal loan debt only. Cash payments, private loans and employer sponsorship are invisible here. Local wages shape earnings as much as the school does, which is exactly why comparing within a state, as this page does, is more informative than comparing across the country.
By Trade
Or narrow it down to one trade in New York
For NEW YORK School Operators
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