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

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 11th lowest of 17 accounting bachelor's programs in Indiana. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

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

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 38% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 45%.

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

Bachelor's in Accounting and Related Services
Private nonprofit college
Notre Dame, IN
About 13 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Saint Mary's College accounting graduates earn more than graduates of most accounting programs nationally, $71,234 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,958. It is one of the higher-paying accounting degrees in Indiana.

First-year earnings$71,23496th percentile of 636 programs nationally

Median federal debt$27,00011th lowest of 17 Indiana programs

Debt-to-earnings38%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.

	Saint Mary's College	Indiana	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$71,234	$56,565	$54,059
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$24,267	$24,958
Debt as share of first-year pay	38%	45%	45%
Programs compared		18	636

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.

Saint Mary's CollegeOther Indiana 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 $286 a month, or 4.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

Prices in the South Bend area are about 7% below the national average, so a $71,234 salary here buys what about $76,713 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 Saint Mary's College

Tuition and fees	$53,230 / year
Average net price after aid	$25,292 / year
Admission rate	76%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	69%
Undergraduate students	1,458

Accounting ranks 2nd of 7 bachelor's programs at Saint Mary's College by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($74,962), Accounting ($71,234), and Business Administration ($52,891).

Other accounting bachelor's programs near Notre Dame

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Saint Mary's CollegeNotre Dame, IN · private nonprofit		$71,234	$27,000
Notre DameNotre Dame, IN · private nonprofit	Under 1 mi	$76,878	$19,000
Grace College and Theological SeminaryWinona Lake, IN · private nonprofit	40 mi	$55,997	$19,500
Valparaiso UniversityValparaiso, IN · private nonprofit	44 mi	$57,766	$27,000
Western Michigan UniversityKalamazoo, MI · public	52 mi	$47,464	$27,000
Manchester UniversityNorth Manchester, IN · private nonprofit	54 mi	$57,456	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $71,234 one year after graduating. 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 Saint Mary's College programs, ranked7 programs by pay and debt