How much debt do University of Denver accounting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,288, which ranks the lowest of 7 accounting bachelor's programs in Colorado. That works out to about $226 a month over 10 years.

Is a accounting degree from University of Denver worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 32% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 45%.

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

Q: Do University of Denver accounting graduates stay in Colorado?

Most do. 77% (20 of 26) were working in Colorado one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Accounting and Related Services
Private nonprofit university
Denver, CO
About 43 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Denver accounting graduates earn more than graduates of most accounting programs nationally, $67,392 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $21,288 in federal loans, less than at 77% of accounting programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying accounting degrees in Colorado.

First-year earnings$67,39289th percentile of 636 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$103,11153% more than year one

Median federal debt$21,288The lowest of 7 Colorado programs

Debt-to-earnings32%Colorado median 55%, national 45%

How it compares

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

	University of Denver	Colorado	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$67,392	$53,893	$54,059
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$103,111	$66,542	$71,308
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,288	$33,668	$24,958
Debt as share of first-year pay	32%	55%	45%
Programs compared		10	636

Five years out, University of Denver graduates earn more than the national figure and about $36,570 more than the Colorado median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Colorado accounting program

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

University of DenverOther Colorado 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 53% between the first and fifth year.

University of Denver grads, year 1$67,392

University of Denver grads, year 5$103,111

All Colorado accounting grads, year 5$66,542

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 $226 a month, or 4.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

77% of graduates (20 of 26) were working in Colorado one year after graduating. Prices in the Denver area are about 6% above the national average, so a $67,392 salary here buys what about $63,708 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

$97,030

Median pay in Colorado. 35,410 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $60,760Top 10%: $162,160

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

$54,000

Median pay in Colorado. 26,140 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $37,250Top 10%: $77,540

Financial Managers

$182,690

Median pay in Colorado. 10,640 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $123,900Top 10%: $339,290

Financial and Investment Analysts

$103,850

Median pay in Colorado. 8,040 people work in this job in Colorado. 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%: $71,590Top 10%: $171,570

About University of Denver

Tuition and fees	$61,398 / year
Average net price after aid	$36,131 / year
Admission rate	78%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	76%
Undergraduate students	6,025

Accounting ranks 2nd of 24 bachelor's programs at University of Denver by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($72,250), Accounting ($67,392), and Management Science ($65,557).

Other accounting bachelor's programs near Denver

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of DenverDenver, CO · private nonprofit		$67,392	$21,288
CSU GlobalDenver, CO · public	5 mi	$61,648	$34,167
Metropolitan State University of DenverDenver, CO · public	5 mi	$54,030	$26,320
Colorado Christian UniversityLakewood, CO · private nonprofit	7 mi	$53,756	$41,848
Regis UniversityDenver, CO · private nonprofit	8 mi	$58,811	$33,668
Colorado Technical UniversityColorado Springs, CO · private for-profit	54 mi	$42,370	$45,340

Common questions

The median graduate earns $67,392 one year after graduating and $103,111 five years after. The median across accounting bachelor's programs in Colorado is $53,893.

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 Colorado 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 Colorado, ranked10 programs by pay and debt Accounting bachelor's programs in the US, ranked636 programs by pay and debt All University of Denver programs, ranked24 programs by pay and debt