How much debt do LSU accounting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $19,600, which ranks 3rd lowest of 11 accounting bachelor's programs in Louisiana. That works out to about $208 a month over 10 years.

Is a accounting degree from LSU worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 34% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 45%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less.

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

Q: Do LSU accounting graduates stay in Louisiana?

Most do. 65% (53 of 82) were working in Louisiana one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Accounting and Related Services
Public university
Baton Rouge, LA
About 119 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

LSU accounting graduates earn about what accounting graduates earn nationally, $56,910 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $19,600 in federal loans, less than at 84% of accounting programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying accounting degrees in Louisiana.

First-year earnings$56,91062nd percentile of 636 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$81,41943% more than year one

Median federal debt$19,6003rd lowest of 11 Louisiana programs

Debt-to-earnings34%Louisiana median 49%, national 45%

How it compares

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

	LSU	Louisiana	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$56,910	$46,458	$54,059
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$81,419	$58,580	$71,308
Median federal debt at graduation	$19,600	$22,620	$24,958
Debt as share of first-year pay	34%	49%	45%
Programs compared		11	636

Five years out, LSU graduates earn more than the national figure and about $22,839 more than the Louisiana median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Louisiana accounting program

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

LSUOther Louisiana 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 43% between the first and fifth year.

LSU grads, year 1$56,910

LSU grads, year 5$81,419

All Louisiana accounting grads, year 5$58,580

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 $9,043 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$51,337Median debt $24,212

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$60,380Median debt $18,463

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $208 a month, or 4.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (85 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%
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. Separately, 37 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $33,500.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

65% of graduates (53 of 82) were working in Louisiana one year after graduating. Prices in the Baton Rouge area are about 9% below the national average, so a $56,910 salary here buys what about $62,690 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

$73,810

Median pay in Louisiana. 14,050 people work in this job in Louisiana. 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%: $48,950Top 10%: $117,110

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

$44,890

Median pay in Louisiana. 18,980 people work in this job in Louisiana. 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%: $28,760Top 10%: $65,220

Financial Managers

$126,800

Median pay in Louisiana. 7,070 people work in this job in Louisiana. 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%: $78,040Top 10%: $220,870

Financial and Investment Analysts

$75,680

Median pay in Louisiana. 1,450 people work in this job in Louisiana. 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%: $49,550Top 10%: $132,230

About LSU

In-state tuition and fees	$11,954 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$28,631 / year
Average net price after aid	$19,151 / year
Admission rate	73%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	69%
Undergraduate students	30,594

Accounting ranks 12th of 45 bachelor's programs at LSU by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($78,915), Electrical Engineering ($77,238), and Mechanical Engineering ($75,311).

Other accounting bachelor's programs near Baton Rouge

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
LSUBaton Rouge, LA · public		$56,910	$19,600
Southern UniversityBaton Rouge, LA · public	8 mi	$42,524	$30,750
Southeastern Louisiana UniversityHammond, LA · public	43 mi	$47,395	$21,250
Nicholls StateThibodaux, LA · public	48 mi	$42,434	$23,410
UL LafayetteLafayette, LA · public	52 mi	$46,458	$23,240

Common questions

The median graduate earns $56,910 one year after graduating and $81,419 five years after. The median across accounting bachelor's programs in Louisiana is $46,458.

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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana, ranked11 programs by pay and debt Accounting bachelor's programs in the US, ranked636 programs by pay and debt All LSU programs, ranked45 programs by pay and debt