How much debt do Mount Saint Mary's University accounting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,373, which ranks 20th lowest of 23 accounting bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $290 a month over 10 years.

Is a accounting degree from Mount Saint Mary's University worth it?

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

Mount Saint Mary's University Accounting (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Mount Saint Mary's University accounting graduates stay in California?

Most do. 96% (25 of 26) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Accounting and Related Services
Private nonprofit university
Los Angeles, CA
About 6 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Mount Saint Mary's University accounting graduates earn more than graduates of most accounting programs nationally, $60,763 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $27,373 in federal loans, more than at 83% of accounting programs in the country. Several California programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$60,76376th percentile of 636 programs nationally

Median federal debt$27,37320th lowest of 23 California programs

Debt-to-earnings45%California median 34%, national 45%

How it compares

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

	Mount Saint Mary's University	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$60,763	$65,246	$54,059
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,373	$21,858	$24,958
Debt as share of first-year pay	45%	34%	45%
Programs compared		23	636

Debt and first-year pay at every California accounting program

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

Mount Saint Mary's UniversityOther California 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 $290 a month, or 5.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (23 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	40–59%

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

96% of graduates (25 of 26) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Los Angeles area are about 14% above the national average, so a $60,763 salary here buys what about $53,505 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

$97,050

Median pay in California. 175,360 people work in this job in California. 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%: $61,770Top 10%: $160,520

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

$59,230

Median pay in California. 151,870 people work in this job in California. 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%: $41,600Top 10%: $81,990

Financial Managers

$180,770

Median pay in California. 93,310 people work in this job in California. 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%: $101,820Top 10%: $341,670

Financial and Investment Analysts

$109,110

Median pay in California. 45,380 people work in this job in California. 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%: $72,840Top 10%: $198,280

About Mount Saint Mary's University

Tuition and fees	$49,564 / year
Average net price after aid	$21,413 / year
Admission rate	73%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	53%
Undergraduate students	1,719

Accounting ranks 3rd of 10 bachelor's programs at Mount Saint Mary's University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($99,457), Pre-Health Studies ($93,238), and Accounting ($60,763).

Other accounting bachelor's programs near Los Angeles

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Mount Saint Mary's UniversityLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit		$60,763	$27,373
Loyola Marymount UniversityLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	9 mi	$70,960	$17,000
CSUNNorthridge, CA · public	11 mi	$68,904	$15,810
USCLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	12 mi	$73,903	$16,500
California Lutheran UniversityThousand Oaks, CA · private nonprofit	25 mi	$72,696	$21,858
Biola UniversityLa Mirada, CA · private nonprofit	30 mi	$65,246	$23,875
Cal State Long BeachLong Beach, CA · public	30 mi	$54,315	$14,899
University of La VerneLa Verne, CA · private nonprofit	41 mi	$58,985	$30,853
Chapman UniversityOrange, CA · private nonprofit	41 mi	$70,362	$21,250

Common questions

The median graduate earns $60,763 one year after graduating. The median across accounting bachelor's programs in California is $65,246.

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 California 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 California, ranked23 programs by pay and debt Accounting bachelor's programs in the US, ranked636 programs by pay and debt All Mount Saint Mary's University programs, ranked11 programs by pay and debt