How much debt do Houston City College accounting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $14,905, which ranks 4th lowest of 5 accounting certificate programs in Texas. That works out to about $158 a month over 10 years.

Is the accounting program at Houston City College worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 43% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 40%. Compare the cost with other Texas programs before deciding.

Do Houston City College accounting graduates stay in Texas?

Most do. 100% (16 of 16) were working in Texas one year after graduating.

Houston City College Accounting (Certificate): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Certificate in Accounting and Related Services
Public college
Houston, TX
About 50 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Houston City College accounting graduates earn about what accounting graduates earn nationally, $34,667 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $14,905 in federal loans, close to the national median of $14,081. Two other Texas programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$34,66750th percentile of 36 programs nationally

Median federal debt$14,9054th lowest of 5 Texas programs

Debt-to-earnings43%Texas median 35%, national 40%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Texas and national columns are the medians across all accounting certificate programs that report the figure.

	Houston City College	Texas	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$34,667	$34,667	$33,922
Median federal debt at graduation	$14,905	$12,500	$14,081
Debt as share of first-year pay	43%	35%	40%
Programs compared		5	36

Debt and first-year pay at every Texas accounting program

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

Houston City CollegeOther Texas programs

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

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $158 a month, or 5.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

100% of graduates (16 of 16) were working in Texas one year after graduating. Prices in the Houston area are about 1% below the national average, so a $34,667 salary here buys what about $35,149 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

$80,920

Median pay in Texas. 116,470 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $53,380Top 10%: $132,040

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

$48,910

Median pay in Texas. 122,400 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $33,480Top 10%: $72,810

Financial Managers

$164,860

Median pay in Texas. 71,870 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $98,250Top 10%: $309,290

Financial and Investment Analysts

$99,150

Median pay in Texas. 28,820 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $63,230Top 10%: $169,990

About Houston City College

In-district tuition and fees	$2,040 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$5,460 / year
Average net price after aid	$5,737 / year
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	17%
Undergraduate students	40,503

Accounting ranks 7th of 10 certificate programs at Houston City College by first-year earnings. The top three are Diagnostic and Treatment Professions ($64,648), Criminal Justice ($56,454), and Fire Science ($39,283).

Other accounting certificate programs near Houston

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Houston City CollegeHouston, TX · public		$34,667	$14,905
Lone Star College SystemThe Woodlands, TX · public	31 mi	$31,414	$6,550

Common questions

The median graduate earns $34,667 one year after graduating. The median across accounting certificate programs in Texas is $34,667.

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 Texas 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 certificate programs in Texas, ranked5 programs by pay and debt Accounting certificate programs in the US, ranked36 programs by pay and debt All Houston City College programs, ranked29 programs by pay and debt