How much debt do Rowan University accounting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $24,489, which ranks 8th lowest of 15 accounting bachelor's programs in New Jersey. That works out to about $260 a month over 10 years.

Is a accounting degree from Rowan University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 47% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 45%. Compare the cost with other New Jersey programs before deciding.

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

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

Most do. 92% (163 of 177) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Accounting and Related Services
Public university
Glassboro, NJ
About 111 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Rowan University accounting graduates earn about what accounting graduates earn nationally, $52,363 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $24,489 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,958. Several New Jersey programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$52,36343rd percentile of 636 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$77,30648% more than year one

Median federal debt$24,4898th lowest of 15 New Jersey programs

Debt-to-earnings47%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.

	Rowan University	New Jersey	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$52,363	$53,852	$54,059
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$77,306	$78,462	$71,308
Median federal debt at graduation	$24,489	$24,489	$24,958
Debt as share of first-year pay	47%	44%	45%
Programs compared		15	636

Five years out, Rowan University graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as 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.

Rowan 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 48% between the first and fifth year.

Rowan University grads, year 1$52,363

Rowan University grads, year 5$77,306

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 about the same in their first year as other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $26,000 against $21,991.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$51,912Median debt $26,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$53,471Median debt $21,991

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $260 a month, or 6.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (163 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10–19%
Paying down the balance	50–59%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10% or less
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. Separately, 45 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $30,722.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

92% of graduates (163 of 177) were working in New Jersey one year after graduating. Prices in the Philadelphia area are about 3% above the national average, so a $52,363 salary here buys what about $51,059 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 Rowan University

In-state tuition and fees	$16,574 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$26,932 / year
Average net price after aid	$22,408 / year
Admission rate	78%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	67%
Undergraduate students	15,841

Accounting ranks 10th of 42 bachelor's programs at Rowan University by first-year earnings. The top three are Construction Finishing and Inspection ($85,630), Nursing ($84,859), and Electrical Engineering ($79,612).

Other accounting bachelor's programs near Glassboro

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Rowan UniversityGlassboro, NJ · public		$52,363	$24,489
Widener UniversityChester, PA · private nonprofit	16 mi	$65,071	$27,000
Drexel UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	17 mi	$70,069	$28,832
Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · public	19 mi	$63,202	$26,000
Saint Joseph's UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	21 mi	$69,807	$24,903
La Salle UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	23 mi	$54,772	$27,000
Holy Family UniversityPhiladelphia, PA · private nonprofit	25 mi	$47,059	$27,000
Villanova UniversityVillanova, PA · private nonprofit	25 mi	$77,966	$25,858
Arcadia UniversityGlenside, PA · private nonprofit	27 mi	$46,846	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $52,363 one year after graduating and $77,306 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 Rowan University programs, ranked42 programs by pay and debt