How much debt do Boston College accounting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $18,000, which ranks the lowest of 12 accounting bachelor's programs in Massachusetts. That works out to about $191 a month over 10 years.

Is a accounting degree from Boston College worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 24% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 45%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less.

Boston College Accounting (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Boston College accounting graduates stay in Massachusetts?

Most do. 57% (46 of 81) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Accounting and Related Services
Private nonprofit college
Chestnut Hill, MA
About 77 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Boston College accounting graduates earn more than graduates of most accounting programs nationally, $75,512 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $18,000 in federal loans, less than at 90% of accounting programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying accounting degrees in Massachusetts.

First-year earnings$75,51298th percentile of 636 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$122,24362% more than year one

Median federal debt$18,000The lowest of 12 Massachusetts programs

Debt-to-earnings24%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.

	Boston College	Massachusetts	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$75,512	$65,304	$54,059
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$122,243	$83,555	$71,308
Median federal debt at graduation	$18,000	$26,716	$24,958
Debt as share of first-year pay	24%	43%	45%
Programs compared		14	636

Five years out, Boston College graduates earn more than the national figure and about $38,689 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.

Boston CollegeOther 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 62% between the first and fifth year.

Boston College grads, year 1$75,512

Boston College grads, year 5$122,243

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.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $191 a month, or 3.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (99 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20–39%
Paying down the balance	40–59%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% 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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

57% of graduates (46 of 81) were working in Massachusetts one year after graduating. Prices in the Boston area are about 8% above the national average, so a $75,512 salary here buys what about $69,747 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 Boston College

Tuition and fees	$70,702 / year
Average net price after aid	$41,704 / year
Admission rate	16%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	91%
Undergraduate students	10,085

Accounting ranks 6th of 24 bachelor's programs at Boston College by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($86,749), Finance ($82,495), and Information Science ($80,731).

Other accounting bachelor's programs near Chestnut Hill

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, MA · private nonprofit		$75,512	$18,000
Lasell UniversityNewton, MA · private nonprofit	4 mi	$45,612	$26,500
Bentley UniversityWaltham, MA · private nonprofit	4 mi	$72,823	$27,000
Suffolk UniversityBoston, MA · private nonprofit	6 mi	$59,704	$27,000
Framingham StateFramingham, MA · public	14 mi	$49,830	$26,348
Stonehill CollegeEaston, MA · private nonprofit	20 mi	$67,512	$27,000
Bridgewater StateBridgewater, MA · public	26 mi	$54,221	$27,000
College of the Holy CrossWorcester, MA · private nonprofit	33 mi	$73,234	$27,000
Assumption UniversityWorcester, MA · private nonprofit	34 mi	$67,012	$26,931

Common questions

The median graduate earns $75,512 one year after graduating and $122,243 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 Boston College programs, ranked24 programs by pay and debt