How much debt do Kean University accounting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,999, which ranks 14th lowest of 15 accounting bachelor's programs in New Jersey. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a accounting degree from Kean University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 58% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 45%. Compare the cost with other New Jersey programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do Kean University accounting graduates stay in New Jersey?

Most do. 92% (120 of 131) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Accounting and Related Services
Public university
Union, NJ
About 99 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Kean University accounting graduates earn less than graduates of most accounting programs nationally, $46,386 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,999 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,958. Several New Jersey programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$46,38620th percentile of 636 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$64,84340% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,99914th lowest of 15 New Jersey programs

Debt-to-earnings58%New Jersey median 44%, national 45%

How it compares

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

	Kean University	New Jersey	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$46,386	$53,852	$54,059
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$64,843	$78,462	$71,308
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,999	$24,489	$24,958
Debt as share of first-year pay	58%	44%	45%
Programs compared		15	636

Five years out, Kean University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $13,619 less than the New Jersey median.

Debt and first-year pay at every New Jersey accounting program

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

Kean UniversityOther New Jersey 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 40% between the first and fifth year.

Kean University grads, year 1$46,386

Kean University grads, year 5$64,843

All New Jersey accounting grads, year 5$78,462

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 $4,831 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$45,862Median debt $27,014

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$50,693Median debt $25,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 7.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (131 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	30–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–29%
In default	10% 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

92% of graduates (120 of 131) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating. Prices in the New York area are about 13% above the national average, so a $46,386 salary here buys what about $41,209 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

$100,830

Median pay in New Jersey. 42,250 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $65,710Top 10%: $167,080

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

$58,300

Median pay in New Jersey. 37,550 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $41,000Top 10%: $78,910

Financial Managers

$199,110

Median pay in New Jersey. 32,510 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $130,630Top 10%: $337,130

Financial and Investment Analysts

$108,610

Median pay in New Jersey. 10,380 people work in this job in New Jersey. 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%: $71,650Top 10%: $179,770

About Kean University

In-state tuition and fees	$14,299 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$22,446 / year
Average net price after aid	$12,447 / year
Admission rate	76%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	47%
Undergraduate students	11,433

Accounting ranks 8th of 26 bachelor's programs at Kean University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($101,039), Computer and Information Science ($55,867), and Teacher Education ($54,447).

Other accounting bachelor's programs near Union

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Kean UniversityUnion, NJ · public		$46,386	$26,999
Seton Hall UniversitySouth Orange, NJ · private nonprofit	4 mi	$69,411	$25,000
College of Staten IslandStaten Island, NY · public	7 mi	$41,416	$16,232
New Jersey City UniversityJersey City, NJ · public	8 mi	$41,542	$22,378
Saint Peter's UniversityJersey City, NJ · private nonprofit	9 mi	$40,562	$21,500
Pace UniversityNew York, NY · private nonprofit	12 mi	$69,166	$26,000
Montclair StateMontclair, NJ · public	13 mi	$56,917	$20,500
Baruch CollegeNew York, NY · public	14 mi	$54,281	$11,000
St. Joseph's University-New YorkBrooklyn, NY · private nonprofit	14 mi	$49,789	$24,750

Common questions

The median graduate earns $46,386 one year after graduating and $64,843 five years after. The median across accounting bachelor's programs in New Jersey is $53,852.

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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey, ranked15 programs by pay and debt Accounting bachelor's programs in the US, ranked636 programs by pay and debt All Kean University programs, ranked26 programs by pay and debt