University of Central Arkansas Accounting (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

  • Bachelor's in Accounting and Related Services
  • Public university
  • Conway, AR
  • About 42 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Central Arkansas accounting graduates earn about what accounting graduates earn nationally, $50,695 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $19,500 in federal loans, less than at 84% of accounting programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying accounting degrees in Arkansas.

First-year earnings$50,69536th percentile of 636 programs nationally
Earnings after 5 years$68,38935% more than year one
Median federal debt$19,5002nd lowest of 8 Arkansas programs
Debt-to-earnings38%Arkansas median 44%, national 45%

How it compares

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

Five years out, University of Central Arkansas graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as the Arkansas median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Arkansas accounting program

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

University of Central ArkansasOther Arkansas 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 35% between the first and fifth year.

University of Central Arkansas grads, year 1$50,695
University of Central Arkansas grads, year 5$68,389
All Arkansas accounting grads, year 5$66,718

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 $207 a month, or 4.9% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

91% of graduates (30 of 33) were working in Arkansas one year after graduating. Prices in the Little Rock area are about 11% below the national average, so a $50,695 salary here buys what about $56,729 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

$66,330

Median pay in Arkansas. 7,870 people work in this job in Arkansas. 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%: $45,810Top 10%: $119,520

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

$42,840

Median pay in Arkansas. 12,510 people work in this job in Arkansas. 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%: $28,130Top 10%: $62,230

Financial Managers

$116,570

Median pay in Arkansas. 7,120 people work in this job in Arkansas. 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%: $62,780Top 10%: $225,010

Financial and Investment Analysts

$81,110

Median pay in Arkansas. 1,390 people work in this job in Arkansas. 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%: $48,850Top 10%: $137,210

About University of Central Arkansas

Accounting ranks 4th of 36 bachelor's programs at University of Central Arkansas by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($70,636), Computer and Information Science ($57,912), and Management Information Systems ($54,913).

Other accounting bachelor's programs near Conway

Common questions

The median graduate earns $50,695 one year after graduating and $68,389 five years after. The median across accounting bachelor's programs in Arkansas is $54,115.

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 Arkansas 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

  1. U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
  2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
  3. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
  4. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

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