How much debt do UW-River Falls accounting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,000, which ranks 2nd lowest of 17 accounting bachelor's programs in Wisconsin. That works out to about $223 a month over 10 years.

Is a accounting degree from UW-River Falls worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 37% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 45%. If the highest possible early salary is the main goal, several Wisconsin programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

UW-River Falls Accounting (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Accounting and Related Services
Public university
River Falls, WI
About 24 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UW-River Falls accounting graduates earn about what accounting graduates earn nationally, $56,825 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $21,000 in federal loans, less than at 78% of accounting programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying accounting degrees in Wisconsin.

First-year earnings$56,82561st percentile of 636 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$78,14238% more than year one

Median federal debt$21,0002nd lowest of 17 Wisconsin programs

Debt-to-earnings37%Wisconsin median 44%, national 45%

How it compares

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

	UW-River Falls	Wisconsin	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$56,825	$59,104	$54,059
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$78,142	$75,233	$71,308
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,000	$25,000	$24,958
Debt as share of first-year pay	37%	44%	45%
Programs compared		19	636

Five years out, UW-River Falls graduates earn more than the national figure and about $2,909 more than the Wisconsin median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Wisconsin accounting program

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

UW-River FallsOther Wisconsin 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 38% between the first and fifth year.

UW-River Falls grads, year 1$56,825

UW-River Falls grads, year 5$78,142

All Wisconsin accounting grads, year 5$75,233

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 $223 a month, or 4.7% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (34 borrowers)	Share
Paying down the balance	40–59%

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

Prices in the Minneapolis area are about 5% above the national average, so a $56,825 salary here buys what about $54,211 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

$79,400

Median pay in Wisconsin. 25,100 people work in this job in Wisconsin. 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%: $58,340Top 10%: $127,800

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

$50,340

Median pay in Wisconsin. 25,960 people work in this job in Wisconsin. 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%: $36,350Top 10%: $65,460

Financial Managers

$139,720

Median pay in Wisconsin. 15,530 people work in this job in Wisconsin. 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%: $83,100Top 10%: $236,620

Financial and Investment Analysts

$95,570

Median pay in Wisconsin. 5,430 people work in this job in Wisconsin. 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%: $61,900Top 10%: $152,460

About UW-River Falls

In-state tuition and fees	$9,008 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$17,470 / year
Average net price after aid	$14,054 / year
Admission rate	82%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	57%
Undergraduate students	4,205

Accounting ranks 3rd of 20 bachelor's programs at UW-River Falls by first-year earnings. The top three are Physics ($62,196), Agricultural Engineering ($57,627), and Accounting ($56,825).

Other accounting bachelor's programs near River Falls

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UW-River FallsRiver Falls, WI · public		$56,825	$21,000
Metropolitan State UniversitySaint Paul, MN · public	23 mi	$54,137	$32,828
Concordia University-Saint PaulSaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	27 mi	$61,360	$27,000
University of St Thomas (Minnesota)Saint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	28 mi	$65,573	$25,000
University of Northwestern-St PaulSaint Paul, MN · private nonprofit	29 mi	$62,603	$25,874
University of MinnesotaMinneapolis, MN · public	31 mi	$66,591	$22,342
Augsburg UniversityMinneapolis, MN · private nonprofit	31 mi	$64,695	$26,996
Walden UniversityMinneapolis, MN · private for-profit	33 mi	$53,592	$55,084
Capella UniversityMinneapolis, MN · private for-profit	33 mi	$57,201	$30,795

Common questions

The median graduate earns $56,825 one year after graduating and $78,142 five years after. The median across accounting bachelor's programs in Wisconsin is $59,104.

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 Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin, ranked19 programs by pay and debt Accounting bachelor's programs in the US, ranked636 programs by pay and debt All UW-River Falls programs, ranked20 programs by pay and debt