How much debt do Saint Cloud State accounting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,175, which ranks 16th lowest of 22 accounting bachelor's programs in Minnesota. That works out to about $288 a month over 10 years.

Is a accounting degree from Saint Cloud State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 46% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 45%. Compare the cost with other Minnesota programs before deciding.

Saint Cloud State Accounting (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Saint Cloud State accounting graduates stay in Minnesota?

Most do. 94% (62 of 66) were working in Minnesota one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Accounting and Related Services
Public university
Saint Cloud, MN
About 29 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Saint Cloud State accounting graduates earn about what accounting graduates earn nationally, $58,497 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $27,175 in federal loans, more than at 83% of accounting programs in the country. Several Minnesota programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$58,49767th percentile of 636 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$73,02925% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,17516th lowest of 22 Minnesota programs

Debt-to-earnings46%Minnesota median 44%, national 45%

How it compares

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

	Saint Cloud State	Minnesota	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$58,497	$58,497	$54,059
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$73,029	$70,411	$71,308
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,175	$26,978	$24,958
Debt as share of first-year pay	46%	44%	45%
Programs compared		23	636

Five years out, Saint Cloud State graduates earn about the national figure and about $2,619 more than the Minnesota median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Minnesota accounting program

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

Saint Cloud StateOther Minnesota 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 25% between the first and fifth year.

Saint Cloud State grads, year 1$58,497

Saint Cloud State grads, year 5$73,029

All Minnesota accounting grads, year 5$70,411

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 $4,535 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$57,819Median debt $28,500

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$62,354Median debt $23,103

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $288 a month, or 5.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (87 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	40–59%
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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

94% of graduates (62 of 66) were working in Minnesota one year after graduating. Prices in the St. Cloud area are about 12% below the national average, so a $58,497 salary here buys what about $66,753 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

$81,600

Median pay in Minnesota. 30,530 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $58,280Top 10%: $138,960

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

$54,600

Median pay in Minnesota. 26,850 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $37,800Top 10%: $73,450

Financial Managers

$163,410

Median pay in Minnesota. 16,680 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $99,250Top 10%: $277,680

Financial and Investment Analysts

$102,990

Median pay in Minnesota. 7,450 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $65,290Top 10%: $161,580

About Saint Cloud State

Tuition and fees	$10,245 / year
Average net price after aid	$13,529 / year
Admission rate	95%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	40%
Undergraduate students	5,088

Accounting ranks 9th of 33 bachelor's programs at Saint Cloud State by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($77,792), Medical Laboratory Science ($74,147), and Nursing ($74,111).

Other accounting bachelor's programs near Saint Cloud

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Saint Cloud StateSaint Cloud, MN · public		$58,497	$27,175
Rasmussen UniversitySt. Cloud, MN · private for-profit	3 mi	$53,285	$39,938
College of Saint BenedictSaint Joseph, MN · private nonprofit	8 mi	$64,410	$26,925
Saint Johns UniversityCollegeville, MN · private nonprofit	12 mi	$61,135	$27,000
Walden UniversityMinneapolis, MN · private for-profit	58 mi	$53,592	$55,084
Capella UniversityMinneapolis, MN · private for-profit	59 mi	$57,201	$30,795
University of Northwestern-St PaulSaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	60 mi	$62,603	$25,874
University of MinnesotaMinneapolis, MN · public	60 mi	$66,591	$22,342

Common questions

The median graduate earns $58,497 one year after graduating and $73,029 five years after. The median across accounting bachelor's programs in Minnesota is $58,497.

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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota, ranked23 programs by pay and debt Accounting bachelor's programs in the US, ranked636 programs by pay and debt All Saint Cloud State programs, ranked34 programs by pay and debt