How much debt do University of North Georgia accounting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,250, which ranks 4th lowest of 15 accounting bachelor's programs in Georgia. That works out to about $246 a month over 10 years.

Is a accounting degree from University of North Georgia 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 Georgia programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do University of North Georgia accounting graduates stay in Georgia?

Most do. 93% (81 of 87) were working in Georgia one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Accounting and Related Services
Public university
Dahlonega, GA
About 54 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

University of North Georgia accounting graduates earn about what accounting graduates earn nationally, $49,588 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,250 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,958. Several Georgia programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$49,58832nd percentile of 636 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$71,91445% more than year one

Median federal debt$23,2504th lowest of 15 Georgia programs

Debt-to-earnings47%Georgia median 47%, national 45%

How it compares

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

	University of North Georgia	Georgia	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$49,588	$50,583	$54,059
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$71,914	$68,958	$71,308
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,250	$26,000	$24,958
Debt as share of first-year pay	47%	47%	45%
Programs compared		15	636

Five years out, University of North Georgia graduates earn about the national figure and about $2,956 more than the Georgia median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Georgia accounting program

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

University of North GeorgiaOther Georgia 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 45% between the first and fifth year.

University of North Georgia grads, year 1$49,588

University of North Georgia grads, year 5$71,914

All Georgia accounting grads, year 5$68,958

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 about the same in their first year as other graduates, but borrowed more: a median of $24,500 against $18,862.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$49,051Median debt $24,500

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$50,416Median debt $18,862

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $246 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	20–39%
Paying down the balance	20–39%
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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

93% of graduates (81 of 87) were working in Georgia one year after graduating. Prices in the Atlanta area are about the same as the national average.

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

$81,900

Median pay in Georgia. 44,020 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $51,830Top 10%: $145,960

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

$49,350

Median pay in Georgia. 38,700 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $32,810Top 10%: $71,810

Financial Managers

$166,790

Median pay in Georgia. 21,390 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $94,040Top 10%: $315,890

Financial and Investment Analysts

$99,420

Median pay in Georgia. 9,780 people work in this job in Georgia. 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%: $66,140Top 10%: $167,700

About University of North Georgia

In-state tuition and fees	$5,285 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$16,503 / year
Average net price after aid	$9,823 / year
Admission rate	68%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	37%
Undergraduate students	16,146

Accounting ranks 5th of 28 bachelor's programs at University of North Georgia by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($75,412), Computer and Information Science ($54,133), and Finance ($51,044).

Other accounting bachelor's programs near Dahlonega

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
University of North GeorgiaDahlonega, GA · public		$49,588	$23,250
Kennesaw StateKennesaw, GA · public	48 mi	$57,814	$26,000
Oglethorpe UniversityAtlanta, GA · private nonprofit	49 mi	$56,121	$26,000
University of GeorgiaAthens, GA · public	53 mi	$64,058	$23,250
Georgia StateAtlanta, GA · public	58 mi	$55,761	$25,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $49,588 one year after graduating and $71,914 five years after. The median across accounting bachelor's programs in Georgia is $50,583.

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 Georgia 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 Georgia, ranked15 programs by pay and debt Accounting bachelor's programs in the US, ranked636 programs by pay and debt All University of North Georgia programs, ranked29 programs by pay and debt