How much debt do Sacred Heart University accounting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 8th lowest of 10 accounting bachelor's programs in Connecticut. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a accounting degree from Sacred Heart 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 Connecticut programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do Sacred Heart University accounting graduates stay in Connecticut?

Many leave. 40% (18 of 45) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Accounting and Related Services
Private nonprofit university
Fairfield, CT
About 87 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Sacred Heart University accounting graduates earn about what accounting graduates earn nationally, $60,375 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,958. Several Connecticut programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$60,37574th percentile of 636 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$91,69452% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,0008th lowest of 10 Connecticut programs

Debt-to-earnings45%Connecticut median 44%, national 45%

How it compares

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

	Sacred Heart University	Connecticut	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$60,375	$58,679	$54,059
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$91,694	$79,172	$71,308
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$25,375	$24,958
Debt as share of first-year pay	45%	44%	45%
Programs compared		10	636

Five years out, Sacred Heart University graduates earn more than the national figure and about $12,522 more than the Connecticut median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Connecticut accounting program

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

Sacred Heart UniversityOther Connecticut 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 52% between the first and fifth year.

Sacred Heart University grads, year 1$60,375

Sacred Heart University grads, year 5$91,694

All Connecticut accounting grads, year 5$79,172

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 $36,478 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$34,580Median debt $27,000

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$71,058Median debt $26,124

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 5.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (67 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	40–59%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
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, 28 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $41,297.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

40% of graduates (18 of 45) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating. Prices in the Bridgeport area are about 7% above the national average, so a $60,375 salary here buys what about $56,497 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

$97,550

Median pay in Connecticut. 16,770 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $64,230Top 10%: $156,670

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

$59,970

Median pay in Connecticut. 14,930 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $43,450Top 10%: $81,740

Financial Managers

$174,830

Median pay in Connecticut. 20,040 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $98,540Top 10%: $333,370

Financial and Investment Analysts

$109,500

Median pay in Connecticut. 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%: $75,470Top 10%: $213,120

About Sacred Heart University

Tuition and fees	$50,404 / year
Average net price after aid	$46,174 / year
Admission rate	65%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	73%
Undergraduate students	7,087

Accounting ranks 2nd of 12 bachelor's programs at Sacred Heart University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($90,830), Accounting ($60,375), and Computer and Information Science ($58,214).

Other accounting bachelor's programs near Fairfield

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Sacred Heart UniversityFairfield, CT · private nonprofit		$60,375	$27,000
Fairfield UniversityFairfield, CT · private nonprofit	4 mi	$71,747	$26,633
Western Connecticut StateDanbury, CT · public	16 mi	$58,144	$25,375
Albertus Magnus CollegeNew Haven, CT · private nonprofit	18 mi	$53,440	$33,302
Quinnipiac UniversityHamden, CT · private nonprofit	23 mi	$75,566	$24,000
Post UniversityWaterbury, CT · private for-profit	23 mi	$59,213	$35,782
College of WestchesterWhite Plains, NY · private for-profit	31 mi	$45,798	$34,014
Long Island UniversityBrookville, NY · private nonprofit	33 mi	$47,852	$23,000
SUNY Old WestburyOld Westbury, NY · public	34 mi	$52,090	$19,075

Common questions

The median graduate earns $60,375 one year after graduating and $91,694 five years after. The median across accounting bachelor's programs in Connecticut is $58,679.

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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut, ranked10 programs by pay and debt Accounting bachelor's programs in the US, ranked636 programs by pay and debt All Sacred Heart University programs, ranked14 programs by pay and debt