How much debt do University of New Orleans accounting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $18,069, which ranks 2nd lowest of 11 accounting bachelor's programs in Louisiana. That works out to about $192 a month over 10 years.

Is a accounting degree from University of New Orleans worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 43% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 45%, and the share of borrowers in default two years into repayment is 20% or less. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Louisiana programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Q: Do University of New Orleans accounting graduates stay in Louisiana?

Most do. 82% (62 of 76) were working in Louisiana one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Accounting and Related Services
Public university
New Orleans, LA
About 45 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of New Orleans accounting graduates earn less than graduates of most accounting programs nationally, $41,540 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $18,069 in federal loans, less than at 89% of accounting programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Louisiana median of $46,458.

First-year earnings$41,5409th percentile of 636 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$59,86244% more than year one

Median federal debt$18,0692nd lowest of 11 Louisiana programs

Debt-to-earnings43%Louisiana median 49%, national 45%

How it compares

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

	University of New Orleans	Louisiana	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$41,540	$46,458	$54,059
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$59,862	$58,580	$71,308
Median federal debt at graduation	$18,069	$22,620	$24,958
Debt as share of first-year pay	43%	49%	45%
Programs compared		11	636

Five years out, University of New Orleans graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as the Louisiana median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Louisiana accounting program

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

University of New OrleansOther Louisiana 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 44% between the first and fifth year.

University of New Orleans grads, year 1$41,540

University of New Orleans grads, year 5$59,862

All Louisiana accounting grads, year 5$58,580

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 $14,032 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$36,223Median debt $18,069

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$50,255Median debt $18,737

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $192 a month, or 5.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (83 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	20% or less
Paying down the balance	20–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–39%
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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

82% of graduates (62 of 76) were working in Louisiana one year after graduating. Prices in the New Orleans area are about 7% below the national average, so a $41,540 salary here buys what about $44,861 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

$73,810

Median pay in Louisiana. 14,050 people work in this job in Louisiana. 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%: $48,950Top 10%: $117,110

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

$44,890

Median pay in Louisiana. 18,980 people work in this job in Louisiana. 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%: $28,760Top 10%: $65,220

Financial Managers

$126,800

Median pay in Louisiana. 7,070 people work in this job in Louisiana. 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%: $78,040Top 10%: $220,870

Financial and Investment Analysts

$75,680

Median pay in Louisiana. 1,450 people work in this job in Louisiana. 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%: $49,550Top 10%: $132,230

About University of New Orleans

In-state tuition and fees	$9,172 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$14,008 / year
Average net price after aid	$12,384 / year
Admission rate	74%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	38%
Undergraduate students	4,638

Accounting ranks 6th of 16 bachelor's programs at University of New Orleans by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($78,215), Computer Science ($69,204), and Mechanical Engineering ($68,968).

Other accounting bachelor's programs near New Orleans

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of New OrleansNew Orleans, LA · public		$41,540	$18,069
Southeastern Louisiana UniversityHammond, LA · public	41 mi	$47,395	$21,250
Nicholls StateThibodaux, LA · public	47 mi	$42,434	$23,410

Common questions

The median graduate earns $41,540 one year after graduating and $59,862 five years after. The median across accounting bachelor's programs in Louisiana is $46,458.

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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana, ranked11 programs by pay and debt Accounting bachelor's programs in the US, ranked636 programs by pay and debt All University of New Orleans programs, ranked16 programs by pay and debt