How much debt do UIC accounting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $18,750, which ranks 4th lowest of 28 accounting bachelor's programs in Illinois. That works out to about $199 a month over 10 years.

Is a accounting degree from UIC worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 29% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 45%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 10% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Illinois programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Q: Do UIC accounting graduates stay in Illinois?

Most do. 97% (197 of 203) were working in Illinois one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Accounting and Related Services
Public university
Chicago, IL
About 167 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UIC accounting graduates earn more than graduates of most accounting programs nationally, $65,680 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $18,750 in federal loans, less than at 87% of accounting programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying accounting degrees in Illinois.

First-year earnings$65,68087th percentile of 636 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$77,91719% more than year one

Median federal debt$18,7504th lowest of 28 Illinois programs

Debt-to-earnings29%Illinois median 43%, national 45%

How it compares

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

	UIC	Illinois	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$65,680	$55,004	$54,059
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$77,917	$76,870	$71,308
Median federal debt at graduation	$18,750	$23,389	$24,958
Debt as share of first-year pay	29%	43%	45%
Programs compared		28	636

Five years out, UIC graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as the Illinois median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Illinois accounting program

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

UICOther Illinois 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 19% between the first and fifth year.

UIC grads, year 1$65,680

UIC grads, year 5$77,917

All Illinois accounting grads, year 5$76,870

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 $2,776 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$65,425Median debt $18,088

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$68,201Median debt $20,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $199 a month, or 3.6% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (157 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20–29%
Paying down the balance	50–59%
Paused payments (forbearance)	10–19%
In default	10% 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. Separately, 36 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $21,147.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

97% of graduates (197 of 203) were working in Illinois one year after graduating. Prices in the Chicago area are about 4% above the national average, so a $65,680 salary here buys what about $63,401 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

$80,230

Median pay in Illinois. 54,930 people work in this job in Illinois. 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%: $54,510Top 10%: $131,990

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

$49,560

Median pay in Illinois. 51,470 people work in this job in Illinois. 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%: $32,360Top 10%: $71,480

Financial Managers

$165,880

Median pay in Illinois. 52,720 people work in this job in Illinois. 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%: $100,070Top 10%: $313,110

Financial and Investment Analysts

$101,180

Median pay in Illinois. 20,520 people work in this job in Illinois. 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%: $64,700Top 10%: $166,090

About UIC

In-state tuition and fees	$14,338 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$29,884 / year
Average net price after aid	$10,974 / year
Admission rate	77%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	62%
Undergraduate students	22,170

Accounting ranks 8th of 46 bachelor's programs at UIC by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Science ($78,040), Nursing ($75,045), and Electrical Engineering ($72,926).

Other accounting bachelor's programs near Chicago

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UICChicago, IL · public		$65,680	$18,750
DePaul UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	1 mi	$69,250	$24,500
Roosevelt UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	1 mi	$55,350	$26,667
Northeastern Illinois UniversityChicago, IL · public	8 mi	$50,475	$15,000
Loyola ChicagoChicago, IL · private nonprofit	9 mi	$69,965	$22,125
Dominican UniversityRiver Forest, IL · private nonprofit	9 mi	$57,187	$26,000
Saint Xavier UniversityChicago, IL · private nonprofit	12 mi	$49,533	$23,326
Elmhurst UniversityElmhurst, IL · private nonprofit	15 mi	$59,734	$18,125
Purdue NorthwestHammond, IN · public	22 mi	$49,993	$25,099

Common questions

The median graduate earns $65,680 one year after graduating and $77,917 five years after. The median across accounting bachelor's programs in Illinois is $55,004.

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 Illinois 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 Illinois, ranked28 programs by pay and debt Accounting bachelor's programs in the US, ranked636 programs by pay and debt All UIC programs, ranked46 programs by pay and debt