How much debt do Purdue Northwest accounting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $25,099, which ranks 10th lowest of 17 accounting bachelor's programs in Indiana. That works out to about $266 a month over 10 years.

Is a accounting degree from Purdue Northwest worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 50% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 45%. Compare the cost with other Indiana programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do Purdue Northwest accounting graduates stay in Indiana?

Most do. 69% (34 of 49) were working in Indiana one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Accounting and Related Services
Public university
Hammond, IN
About 52 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Purdue Northwest accounting graduates earn about what accounting graduates earn nationally, $49,993 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $25,099 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,958. Several Indiana programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$49,99334th percentile of 636 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$68,85938% more than year one

Median federal debt$25,09910th lowest of 17 Indiana programs

Debt-to-earnings50%Indiana median 45%, national 45%

How it compares

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

	Purdue Northwest	Indiana	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$49,993	$56,565	$54,059
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$68,859	$67,956	$71,308
Median federal debt at graduation	$25,099	$24,267	$24,958
Debt as share of first-year pay	50%	45%	45%
Programs compared		18	636

Five years out, Purdue Northwest graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as the Indiana median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Indiana accounting program

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

Purdue NorthwestOther Indiana 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 38% between the first and fifth year.

Purdue Northwest grads, year 1$49,993

Purdue Northwest grads, year 5$68,859

All Indiana accounting grads, year 5$67,956

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 $7,293 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$45,726Median debt $29,167

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$53,019Median debt $20,375

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $266 a month, or 6.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (40 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	20–39%

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

69% of graduates (34 of 49) were working in Indiana one year after graduating. Prices in the Chicago area are about 4% above the national average, so a $49,993 salary here buys what about $48,258 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

$77,720

Median pay in Indiana. 25,660 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $50,950Top 10%: $125,880

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

$47,820

Median pay in Indiana. 29,910 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $33,010Top 10%: $66,960

Financial Managers

$135,840

Median pay in Indiana. 12,560 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $80,610Top 10%: $234,710

Financial and Investment Analysts

$81,760

Median pay in Indiana. 3,680 people work in this job in Indiana. 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%: $55,550Top 10%: $127,550

About Purdue Northwest

In-state tuition and fees	$8,675 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$16,094 / year
Average net price after aid	$6,079 / year
Admission rate	72%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	43%
Undergraduate students	5,671

Accounting ranks 12th of 27 bachelor's programs at Purdue Northwest by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($79,917), Nursing ($77,691), and Electrical Engineering Technology ($75,675).

Other accounting bachelor's programs near Hammond

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Purdue NorthwestHammond, IN · public		$49,993	$25,099
Saint Xavier UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	15 mi	$49,533	$23,326
Governors StateUniversity Park, IL · public	16 mi	$47,836	$22,000
Roosevelt UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	22 mi	$55,350	$26,667
DePaul UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	22 mi	$69,250	$24,500
UICChicago, IL · public	22 mi	$65,680	$18,750
Valparaiso UniversityValparaiso, IN · private nonprofit	24 mi	$57,766	$27,000
Dominican UniversityRiver Forest, IL · private nonprofit	28 mi	$57,187	$26,000
Northeastern Illinois UniversityChicago, IL · public	30 mi	$50,475	$15,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $49,993 one year after graduating and $68,859 five years after. The median across accounting bachelor's programs in Indiana is $56,565.

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 Indiana 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 Indiana, ranked18 programs by pay and debt Accounting bachelor's programs in the US, ranked636 programs by pay and debt All Purdue Northwest programs, ranked27 programs by pay and debt