How much debt do Bentley University accounting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 8th lowest of 12 accounting bachelor's programs in Massachusetts. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a accounting degree from Bentley University worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 37% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 45%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 5% or less.

Bentley University Accounting (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Bentley University accounting graduates stay in Massachusetts?

Most do. 68% (106 of 155) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Accounting and Related Services
Private nonprofit university
Waltham, MA
About 180 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Bentley University accounting graduates earn more than graduates of most accounting programs nationally, $72,823 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,958. It is one of the higher-paying accounting degrees in Massachusetts.

First-year earnings$72,82397th percentile of 636 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$99,26836% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,0008th lowest of 12 Massachusetts programs

Debt-to-earnings37%Massachusetts median 43%, national 45%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Massachusetts and national columns are the medians across all accounting bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Bentley University	Massachusetts	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$72,823	$65,304	$54,059
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$99,268	$83,555	$71,308
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$26,716	$24,958
Debt as share of first-year pay	37%	43%	45%
Programs compared		14	636

Five years out, Bentley University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $15,714 more than the Massachusetts median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Massachusetts accounting program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Massachusetts medians.

Bentley UniversityOther Massachusetts programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 36% between the first and fifth year.

Bentley University grads, year 1$72,823

Bentley University grads, year 5$99,268

All Massachusetts accounting grads, year 5$83,555

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Does family income change the outcome?

Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $3,223 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$70,069Median debt $26,057

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$73,292Median debt $27,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 4.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (249 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20–24%
Paying down the balance	50–54%
Paused payments (forbearance)	5–9%
In default	5% or less

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 37 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $40,572.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

68% of graduates (106 of 155) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating. Prices in the Boston area are about 8% above the national average, so a $72,823 salary here buys what about $67,263 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to accounting, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Accountants and Auditors

$99,460

Median pay in Massachusetts. 46,230 people work in this job in Massachusetts. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 115,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $70,460Top 10%: $160,100

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

$59,830

Median pay in Massachusetts. 29,110 people work in this job in Massachusetts. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 144,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: some college, no degree.

Bottom 10%: $40,760Top 10%: $81,080

Financial Managers

$206,760

Median pay in Massachusetts. 26,150 people work in this job in Massachusetts. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, with about 65,600 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $120,850Top 10%: $332,490

Financial and Investment Analysts

$111,040

Median pay in Massachusetts. 14,790 people work in this job in Massachusetts. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 24,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $77,940Top 10%: $205,320

About Bentley University

Tuition and fees	$61,000 / year
Average net price after aid	$37,930 / year
Admission rate	45%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	87%
Undergraduate students	4,474

Accounting ranks 6th of 16 bachelor's programs at Bentley University by first-year earnings. The top three are Management Science ($81,103), Information Technology ($75,443), and International Studies ($75,006).

Other accounting bachelor's programs near Waltham

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Bentley UniversityWaltham, MA · private nonprofit		$72,823	$27,000
Lasell UniversityNewton, MA · private nonprofit	3 mi	$45,612	$26,500
Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, MA · private nonprofit	4 mi	$75,512	$18,000
Suffolk UniversityBoston, MA · private nonprofit	8 mi	$59,704	$27,000
Framingham StateFramingham, MA · public	13 mi	$49,830	$26,348
Stonehill CollegeEaston, MA · private nonprofit	24 mi	$67,512	$27,000
Bridgewater StateBridgewater, MA · public	30 mi	$54,221	$27,000
Assumption UniversityWorcester, MA · private nonprofit	32 mi	$67,012	$26,931
College of the Holy CrossWorcester, MA · private nonprofit	32 mi	$73,234	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $72,823 one year after graduating and $99,268 five years after. The median across accounting bachelor's programs in Massachusetts is $65,304.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Massachusetts comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the accounting program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Accounting bachelor's programs in Massachusetts, ranked14 programs by pay and debt Accounting bachelor's programs in the US, ranked636 programs by pay and debt All Bentley University programs, ranked16 programs by pay and debt