Public · Community college

Rockland Community College

Suffern, New York · Large suburb

19%
Transfer rate: $11,282
Avg net price: 29%
Grad / completion: $50,243
Median earnings

Rockland Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Suffern, New York (large suburb setting), enrolling 3,834 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 3,834 undergradsLarge suburbOtherCold wintersSnowyNear the coast

About Suffern, New York

Suffern is a village that was incorporated in 1796 in the town of Ramapo in Rockland County, New York. "The Point of the Mountains" or "Sidman's Clove" were names used before the American Revolution to designate the present village of Suffern. The area originally was inhabited by the Ramapough, a tribe of Munsee, who were a division of the Lenape tribe. Novartis had a manufacturing facility in Suffern, employing approximately 525 workers. In January 2014, the company announced closure of this facility by 2017, citing loss of patent exclusivity on Diovan as a major factor in the decision. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Large suburb
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 29 miles to New York, NY
To the ocean: 8 miles
Nearest airport: 20 miles to Teterboro (TEB)

How Rockland Community College compares

#51 · Community Colleges with the Highest Graduate Earnings

Graduation rate29%

Higher than 11% · #154 of 185 in New York

First-year retention60%

Higher than 24%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$50,243

Higher than 91% · #31 of 148 in New York

Average net price$11,282

Cheaper than 65% · #44 cheapest of 175 in New York

Median debt at graduation$8,497

Lower than 70%

Student–faculty ratio20 : 1

Lower than 29%

Undergraduate enrollment3,834

Larger than 89%

Percentiles compare Rockland Community College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in New York.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women2,13656%
Men1,69844%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White24%
Black19%
Hispanic38%
Asian5.6%
Other or multiracial13%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 3,834
Student–faculty ratio: 20 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 26%
First-generation students: 42%
Students over 25: 19%
Median family income: $29,038
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $82,827

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 1,168 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From New York93%
Other U.S. states1.5%
International5.7%

Most first-years stay in state — Rockland Community College draws overwhelmingly from New York.

6% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition: $6,862
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,620
Total cost of attendance: $18,713
Average net price: $11,282

Outcomes

Graduated: 29%
First-year retention: 60%
Transferred to another college: 19%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $37,430
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $50,243
Median debt at graduation: $8,497
Students with federal loans: 7%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 37%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

29%

Low-income (Pell)

15%

First-generation

16%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: No
Application fee: $30
Athletics: Other
Varsity athletes: 68 (58 men · 10 women)

Varsity sports (5)

Baseball24

Soccer15

Basketball14

Volleyball10

Golf5

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 0

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k

$9,248

$30–48k

$9,991

$48–75k

$12,807

$75–110k

$15,684

$110k+

$18,431

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

6%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,502

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 6% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,502. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,072 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years): $50,243
Typical debt at graduation: $8,497
Debt vs. one year's pay: 17%
Out-earn a HS grad: 53%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women

$49,177

Men

$51,513

Men out-earn women by $2,336 (5%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high: 84°F
Winter low: 20°F
Annual rain: 48.2″
Annual snow: 32.7″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Wanaque Raymond Dam, NJ US station (12.4 mi from campus).

What Rockland Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

314 grads$22k 1 yr$45k 5 yr$8k debt

314$21,840$45,271$8,390 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

95 grads$82k 1 yr$100k 5 yr$18k debt

95$81,689$99,724$18,003 Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

67 grads— 1 yr$52k 5 yr— debt

67—$52,031—Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssoc.

43 grads$30k 1 yr$50k 5 yr$11k debt

43$29,633$49,504$10,510 Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementAssoc.

24 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

24———Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansAssoc.

24 grads$37k 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

24$37,262——Design and Applied ArtsAssoc.

19 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

19———Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesAssoc.

17 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

17———Information Science/StudiesAssoc.

16 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

16———Engineering ScienceAssoc.

15 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

15———Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing OperationsAssoc.

10 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

10———Legal Support ServicesCert.

9 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Rockland Community College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Rockland Community College side by side →

SUNY College of Technology at Alfred

Alfred, New York · Distant rural · 63 mi to Rochester

Students: 3,563
Tuition: $9k
Transfer: 21%
Earnings: $50k

Dutchess Community College

Poughkeepsie, New York · Large suburb · 58 mi to New Haven

Students: 3,824
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 19%
Earnings: $44k

SUNY College of Technology at Delhi

Delhi, New York · Remote rural · 65 mi to Albany

Students: 2,843
Tuition: $9k
Transfer: 28%
Earnings: $52k

SUNY Westchester Community College

Valhalla, New York · Large suburb · 27 mi to New York

Students: 8,078
Tuition: $6k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $47k

Hudson Valley Community College

Troy, New York · Small city · 5 mi to Albany

Students: 6,499
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 16%
Earnings: $45k

Orange County Community College

Middletown, New York · Small suburb · 55 mi to New York

Students: 3,989
Tuition: $7k
Transfer: 20%
Earnings: $44k

Colleges near Rockland Community College

Yeshiva Shaarei Torah of Rockland

Suffern, NY · Private nonprofit · Associate · 152 students

Bais Binyomin Academy

Monsey, NY · Private nonprofit · Associate · 46 students

Yeshiva Gedolah Kesser Torah

Monsey, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 84 students

Ohel Margulia Seminary

Monsey, NY · Private nonprofit · Associate · 280 students

Rabbinical College Beth Shraga

Monsey, NY · Private nonprofit · Associate · 52 students

Yeshivath Viznitz

Monsey, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,159 students

Bais Medrash Elyon

Monsey, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 61 students

Yeshiva D'monsey Rabbinical College

Monsey, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 84 students

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.