How much debt do UTEP accounting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $17,893, which ranks 8th lowest of 39 accounting bachelor's programs in Texas. That works out to about $190 a month over 10 years.

Is a accounting degree from UTEP worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 48% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 45%. Compare the cost with other Texas programs before deciding.

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

Q: Do UTEP accounting graduates stay in Texas?

Most do. 93% (146 of 157) were working in Texas one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Accounting and Related Services
Public university
El Paso, TX
About 128 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UTEP accounting graduates earn less than graduates of most accounting programs nationally, $37,562 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $17,893 in federal loans, less than at 90% of accounting programs in the country. Debt is low, but pay is also below the Texas median of $49,187.

First-year earnings$37,5625th percentile of 636 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$57,55653% more than year one

Median federal debt$17,8938th lowest of 39 Texas programs

Debt-to-earnings48%Texas median 42%, national 45%

How it compares

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

	UTEP	Texas	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$37,562	$49,187	$54,059
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$57,556	$71,566	$71,308
Median federal debt at graduation	$17,893	$22,043	$24,958
Debt as share of first-year pay	48%	42%	45%
Programs compared		39	636

Five years out, UTEP graduates earn less than the national figure and about $14,010 less than the Texas median. Several Texas programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every Texas accounting program

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

UTEPOther Texas 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.

UTEP grads, year 1$37,562

UTEP grads, year 5$57,556

All Texas accounting grads, year 5$71,566

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 $190 a month, or 6.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (151 borrowers)	Share
Paid off in full	10% or less
Paying down the balance	30–39%
Paused payments (forbearance)	20–29%
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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

93% of graduates (146 of 157) were working in Texas one year after graduating. Prices in the El Paso area are about 10% below the national average, so a $37,562 salary here buys what about $41,776 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

$80,920

Median pay in Texas. 116,470 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $53,380Top 10%: $132,040

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

$48,910

Median pay in Texas. 122,400 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $33,480Top 10%: $72,810

Financial Managers

$164,860

Median pay in Texas. 71,870 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $98,250Top 10%: $309,290

Financial and Investment Analysts

$99,150

Median pay in Texas. 28,820 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $63,230Top 10%: $169,990

About UTEP

In-state tuition and fees	$9,744 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$25,502 / year
Average net price after aid	$9,403 / year
Admission rate	100%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	50%
Undergraduate students	21,005

Accounting ranks 15th of 39 bachelor's programs at UTEP by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($74,285), Computer and Information Science ($73,311), and Nursing ($72,429).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $37,562 one year after graduating and $57,556 five years after. The median across accounting bachelor's programs in Texas is $49,187.

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 Texas 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 Texas, ranked39 programs by pay and debt Accounting bachelor's programs in the US, ranked636 programs by pay and debt All UTEP programs, ranked39 programs by pay and debt