How much debt do Catholic University of America accounting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,725, which ranks 3rd lowest of 5 accounting bachelor's programs in District of Columbia. That works out to about $273 a month over 10 years.

Is a accounting degree from Catholic University of America worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 37% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 45%.

Catholic University of America Accounting (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Accounting and Related Services
Private nonprofit university
Washington, DC
About 15 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Catholic University of America accounting graduates earn more than graduates of most accounting programs nationally, $69,915 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,725 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,958. One other District of Columbia program reports higher pay.

First-year earnings$69,91594th percentile of 636 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$97,22439% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,7253rd lowest of 5 District of Columbia programs

Debt-to-earnings37%District of Columbia median 37%, national 45%

How it compares

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

	Catholic University of America	District of Columbia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$69,915	$69,151	$54,059
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$97,224	$99,257	$71,308
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,725	$25,725	$24,958
Debt as share of first-year pay	37%	37%	45%
Programs compared		5	636

Five years out, Catholic University of America graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the District of Columbia median.

Debt and first-year pay at every District of Columbia accounting program

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

Catholic University of AmericaOther District of Columbia 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 39% between the first and fifth year.

Catholic University of America grads, year 1$69,915

Catholic University of America grads, year 5$97,224

All District of Columbia accounting grads, year 5$99,257

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 $273 a month, or 4.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (28 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	20–39%

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

Prices in the Washington area are about 9% above the national average, so a $69,915 salary here buys what about $64,211 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

$111,530

Median pay in District of Columbia. 9,810 people work in this job in District of Columbia. 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%: $71,470Top 10%: $185,220

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

$65,180

Median pay in District of Columbia. 1,790 people work in this job in District of Columbia. 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%: $47,140Top 10%: $94,320

Financial Managers

$188,880

Median pay in District of Columbia. 8,930 people work in this job in District of Columbia. 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%: $130,880Top 10%: $349,420

Financial and Investment Analysts

$105,780

Median pay in District of Columbia. 3,670 people work in this job in District of Columbia. 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%: $67,620Top 10%: $207,330

About Catholic University of America

Tuition and fees	$58,378 / year
Average net price after aid	$29,561 / year
Admission rate	83%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	79%
Undergraduate students	3,154

Accounting ranks 4th of 12 bachelor's programs at Catholic University of America by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($81,044), Civil Engineering ($77,501), and Mechanical Engineering ($76,409).

Other accounting bachelor's programs near Washington

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Catholic University of AmericaWashington, DC · private nonprofit		$69,915	$25,725
Strayer University-District of ColumbiaWashington, DC · private for-profit	3 mi	$52,373	$54,989
George Washington UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit	4 mi	$69,151	$24,875
University of the District of ColumbiaWashington, DC · public	4 mi	$61,610	$32,160
Georgetown UniversityWashington, DC · private nonprofit	4 mi	$89,564	$17,500
University of MarylandCollege Park, MD · public	5 mi	$69,821	$15,000
UMGCAdelphi, MD · public	8 mi	$58,863	$26,930
George MasonFairfax, VA · public	18 mi	$67,291	$21,500
Loyola University MarylandBaltimore, MD · private nonprofit	35 mi	$69,305	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $69,915 one year after graduating and $97,224 five years after. The median across accounting bachelor's programs in District of Columbia is $69,151.

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 District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Accounting bachelor's programs in the US, ranked636 programs by pay and debt All Catholic University of America programs, ranked12 programs by pay and debt