How much debt do California Baptist University accounting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $34,104, which ranks 22nd lowest of 23 accounting bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $362 a month over 10 years.

Is a accounting degree from California Baptist University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 59% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 45%. Compare the cost with other California programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do California Baptist University accounting graduates stay in California?

Most do. 89% (47 of 53) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Accounting and Related Services
Private nonprofit university
Riverside, CA
About 30 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

California Baptist University accounting graduates earn about what accounting graduates earn nationally, $57,485 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $34,104 in federal loans, more than at 93% of accounting programs in the country. Several California programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$57,48563rd percentile of 636 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$81,10141% more than year one

Median federal debt$34,10422nd lowest of 23 California programs

Debt-to-earnings59%California median 34%, national 45%

How it compares

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

	California Baptist University	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$57,485	$65,246	$54,059
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$81,101	$91,939	$71,308
Median federal debt at graduation	$34,104	$21,858	$24,958
Debt as share of first-year pay	59%	34%	45%
Programs compared		23	636

Five years out, California Baptist University graduates earn more than the national figure but about $10,838 less than the California median.

Debt and first-year pay at every California accounting program

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

California Baptist UniversityOther California 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 41% between the first and fifth year.

California Baptist University grads, year 1$57,485

California Baptist University grads, year 5$81,101

All California accounting grads, year 5$91,939

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 $12,236 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$54,811Median debt $36,250

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$67,047Median debt $27,000

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $362 a month, or 7.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (59 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
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

89% of graduates (47 of 53) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Riverside area are about 6% above the national average, so a $57,485 salary here buys what about $54,006 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

$97,050

Median pay in California. 175,360 people work in this job in California. 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%: $61,770Top 10%: $160,520

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

$59,230

Median pay in California. 151,870 people work in this job in California. 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%: $41,600Top 10%: $81,990

Financial Managers

$180,770

Median pay in California. 93,310 people work in this job in California. 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%: $101,820Top 10%: $341,670

Financial and Investment Analysts

$109,110

Median pay in California. 45,380 people work in this job in California. 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%: $72,840Top 10%: $198,280

About California Baptist University

Tuition and fees	$41,228 / year
Average net price after aid	$26,285 / year
Admission rate	85%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	62%
Undergraduate students	8,179

Accounting ranks 7th of 30 bachelor's programs at California Baptist University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($92,441), Computer Engineering ($75,087), and Civil Engineering ($73,497).

Other accounting bachelor's programs near Riverside

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
California Baptist UniversityRiverside, CA · private nonprofit		$57,485	$34,104
University of RedlandsRedlands, CA · private nonprofit	18 mi	$67,359	$27,000
Cal State San BernardinoSan Bernardino, CA · public	18 mi	$40,688	$14,500
University of La VerneLa Verne, CA · private nonprofit	23 mi	$58,985	$30,853
Chapman UniversityOrange, CA · private nonprofit	26 mi	$70,362	$21,250
Biola UniversityLa Mirada, CA · private nonprofit	34 mi	$65,246	$23,875
Cal State Long BeachLong Beach, CA · public	41 mi	$54,315	$14,899
USCLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	50 mi	$73,903	$16,500
Loyola Marymount UniversityLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	57 mi	$70,960	$17,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $57,485 one year after graduating and $81,101 five years after. The median across accounting bachelor's programs in California is $65,246.

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 California 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 California, ranked23 programs by pay and debt Accounting bachelor's programs in the US, ranked636 programs by pay and debt All California Baptist University programs, ranked30 programs by pay and debt