How much debt do Lewis University accounting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,162, which ranks 11th lowest of 28 accounting bachelor's programs in Illinois. That works out to about $246 a month over 10 years.

Is a accounting degree from Lewis University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 49% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 45%. Compare the cost with other Illinois programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do Lewis University accounting graduates stay in Illinois?

Most do. 100% (26 of 26) were working in Illinois one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Accounting and Related Services
Private nonprofit university
Romeoville, IL
About 23 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Lewis University accounting graduates earn less than graduates of most accounting programs nationally, $47,616 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,162 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,958. Several Illinois programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$47,61625th percentile of 636 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$64,64936% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,16211th lowest of 28 Illinois programs

Debt-to-earnings49%Illinois median 43%, national 45%

How it compares

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

	Lewis University	Illinois	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$47,616	$55,004	$54,059
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$64,649	$76,870	$71,308
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,162	$23,389	$24,958
Debt as share of first-year pay	49%	43%	45%
Programs compared		28	636

Five years out, Lewis University graduates earn less than the national figure and about $12,221 less than the Illinois median. Several Illinois programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every Illinois accounting program

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

Lewis UniversityOther Illinois 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 36% between the first and fifth year.

Lewis University grads, year 1$47,616

Lewis University grads, year 5$64,649

All Illinois accounting grads, year 5$76,870

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 $246 a month, or 6.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

100% of graduates (26 of 26) were working in Illinois one year after graduating. Prices in the Chicago area are about 4% above the national average, so a $47,616 salary here buys what about $45,964 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

$80,230

Median pay in Illinois. 54,930 people work in this job in Illinois. 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%: $54,510Top 10%: $131,990

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

$49,560

Median pay in Illinois. 51,470 people work in this job in Illinois. 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%: $32,360Top 10%: $71,480

Financial Managers

$165,880

Median pay in Illinois. 52,720 people work in this job in Illinois. 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%: $100,070Top 10%: $313,110

Financial and Investment Analysts

$101,180

Median pay in Illinois. 20,520 people work in this job in Illinois. 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%: $64,700Top 10%: $166,090

About Lewis University

Tuition and fees	$39,200 / year
Average net price after aid	$17,028 / year
Admission rate	71%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	67%
Undergraduate students	4,015

Accounting ranks 7th of 16 bachelor's programs at Lewis University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($76,766), Computer Science ($60,726), and Information Technology ($57,984).

Other accounting bachelor's programs near Romeoville

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Lewis UniversityRomeoville, IL · private nonprofit		$47,616	$23,162
Benedictine UniversityLisle, IL · private nonprofit	12 mi	$54,328	$23,325
North Central CollegeNaperville, IL · private nonprofit	12 mi	$58,717	$26,667
DeVry UniversityLisle, IL · private for-profit	14 mi	$54,264	$54,380
Aurora UniversityAurora, IL · private nonprofit	17 mi	$50,086	$23,452
Saint Xavier UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	20 mi	$49,533	$23,326
Elmhurst UniversityElmhurst, IL · private nonprofit	21 mi	$59,734	$18,125
Governors StateUniversity Park, IL · public	22 mi	$47,836	$22,000
Dominican UniversityRiver Forest, IL · private nonprofit	24 mi	$57,187	$26,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $47,616 one year after graduating and $64,649 five years after. The median across accounting bachelor's programs in Illinois is $55,004.

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 Illinois 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 Illinois, ranked28 programs by pay and debt Accounting bachelor's programs in the US, ranked636 programs by pay and debt All Lewis University programs, ranked16 programs by pay and debt