How much debt do University of Minnesota-Duluth accounting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $26,621, which ranks 9th lowest of 22 accounting bachelor's programs in Minnesota. That works out to about $282 a month over 10 years.

Is a accounting degree from University of Minnesota-Duluth worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 47% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 45%. Compare the cost with other Minnesota programs before deciding.

University of Minnesota-Duluth Accounting (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do University of Minnesota-Duluth accounting graduates stay in Minnesota?

Most do. 88% (84 of 95) were working in Minnesota one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Accounting and Related Services
Public university
Duluth, MN
About 60 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of Minnesota-Duluth accounting graduates earn about what accounting graduates earn nationally, $56,146 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,621 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,958. Several Minnesota programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$56,14659th percentile of 636 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$76,46236% more than year one

Median federal debt$26,6219th lowest of 22 Minnesota programs

Debt-to-earnings47%Minnesota median 44%, national 45%

How it compares

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

	University of Minnesota-Duluth	Minnesota	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$56,146	$58,497	$54,059
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$76,462	$70,411	$71,308
Median federal debt at graduation	$26,621	$26,978	$24,958
Debt as share of first-year pay	47%	44%	45%
Programs compared		23	636

Five years out, University of Minnesota-Duluth graduates earn more than the national figure and about $6,052 more than the Minnesota median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Minnesota accounting program

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

University of Minnesota-DuluthOther Minnesota 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 36% between the first and fifth year.

University of Minnesota-Duluth grads, year 1$56,146

University of Minnesota-Duluth grads, year 5$76,462

All Minnesota accounting grads, year 5$70,411

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 $7,928 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$52,579Median debt $29,518

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$60,507Median debt $24,250

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $282 a month, or 6.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (90 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	40–59%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20% or less
In default	20% 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, 24 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $17,749.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

88% of graduates (84 of 95) were working in Minnesota one year after graduating. Prices in the Duluth area are about 11% below the national average, so a $56,146 salary here buys what about $63,250 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

$81,600

Median pay in Minnesota. 30,530 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $58,280Top 10%: $138,960

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

$54,600

Median pay in Minnesota. 26,850 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $37,800Top 10%: $73,450

Financial Managers

$163,410

Median pay in Minnesota. 16,680 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $99,250Top 10%: $277,680

Financial and Investment Analysts

$102,990

Median pay in Minnesota. 7,450 people work in this job in Minnesota. 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%: $65,290Top 10%: $161,580

About University of Minnesota-Duluth

In-state tuition and fees	$14,610 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$20,130 / year
Average net price after aid	$18,743 / year
Admission rate	89%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	65%
Undergraduate students	7,336

Accounting ranks 8th of 41 bachelor's programs at University of Minnesota-Duluth by first-year earnings. The top three are Industrial Engineering ($77,781), Electrical Engineering ($74,197), and Computer Science ($73,224).

Other accounting bachelor's programs near Duluth

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of Minnesota-DuluthDuluth, MN · public		$56,146	$26,621
College of Saint ScholasticaDuluth, MN · private nonprofit	1 mi	$55,688	$22,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $56,146 one year after graduating and $76,462 five years after. The median across accounting bachelor's programs in Minnesota is $58,497.

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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota, ranked23 programs by pay and debt Accounting bachelor's programs in the US, ranked636 programs by pay and debt All University of Minnesota-Duluth programs, ranked41 programs by pay and debt