How much debt do Transylvania University accounting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 7th lowest of 11 accounting bachelor's programs in Kentucky. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.

Is a accounting degree from Transylvania University 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 Kentucky programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do Transylvania University accounting graduates stay in Kentucky?

Most do. 86% (18 of 21) were working in Kentucky one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Accounting and Related Services
Private nonprofit university
Lexington, KY
About 12 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Transylvania University accounting graduates earn about what accounting graduates earn nationally, $58,803 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 Kentucky.

First-year earnings$58,80368th percentile of 636 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$71,09521% more than year one

Median federal debt$27,0007th lowest of 11 Kentucky programs

Debt-to-earnings46%Kentucky median 46%, national 45%

How it compares

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

	Transylvania University	Kentucky	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$58,803	$50,104	$54,059
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$71,095	$69,638	$71,308
Median federal debt at graduation	$27,000	$26,000	$24,958
Debt as share of first-year pay	46%	46%	45%
Programs compared		11	636

Five years out, Transylvania University graduates earn about the national figure and about the same as the Kentucky median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Kentucky accounting program

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

Transylvania UniversityOther Kentucky 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 21% between the first and fifth year.

Transylvania University grads, year 1$58,803

Transylvania University grads, year 5$71,095

All Kentucky accounting grads, year 5$69,638

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 5.8% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (23 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	40–59%

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

86% of graduates (18 of 21) were working in Kentucky one year after graduating. Prices in the Lexington area are about 7% below the national average, so a $58,803 salary here buys what about $63,305 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

$75,270

Median pay in Kentucky. 11,930 people work in this job in Kentucky. 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%: $50,750Top 10%: $121,230

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

$46,550

Median pay in Kentucky. 23,480 people work in this job in Kentucky. 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%: $30,090Top 10%: $66,930

Financial Managers

$130,650

Median pay in Kentucky. 6,630 people work in this job in Kentucky. 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%: $82,110Top 10%: $223,290

Financial and Investment Analysts

$81,660

Median pay in Kentucky. 2,460 people work in this job in Kentucky. 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%: $49,930Top 10%: $136,480

About Transylvania University

Tuition and fees	$46,870 / year
Average net price after aid	$21,913 / year
Admission rate	87%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	71%
Undergraduate students	1,005

Accounting ranks 1st of 2 bachelor's programs at Transylvania University by first-year earnings. The other is Business ($31,614).

Other accounting bachelor's programs near Lexington

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Transylvania UniversityLexington, KY · private nonprofit		$58,803	$27,000
University of KentuckyLexington, KY · public	1 mi	$59,474	$23,250
Eastern Kentucky UniversityRichmond, KY · public	24 mi	$40,726	$27,000
Morehead StateMorehead, KY · public	58 mi	$43,607	$27,440

Common questions

The median graduate earns $58,803 one year after graduating and $71,095 five years after. The median across accounting bachelor's programs in Kentucky is $50,104.

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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky, ranked11 programs by pay and debt Accounting bachelor's programs in the US, ranked636 programs by pay and debt All Transylvania University programs, ranked2 programs by pay and debt