How much debt do UW-Whitewater accounting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,500, which ranks 4th lowest of 17 accounting bachelor's programs in Wisconsin. That works out to about $228 a month over 10 years.

Is a accounting degree from UW-Whitewater worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 35% 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 Wisconsin programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Q: Do UW-Whitewater accounting graduates stay in Wisconsin?

Most do. 92% (109 of 118) were working in Wisconsin one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Accounting and Related Services
Public university
Whitewater, WI
About 76 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

UW-Whitewater accounting graduates earn more than graduates of most accounting programs nationally, $61,926 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $21,500 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,958. It is one of the higher-paying accounting degrees in Wisconsin.

First-year earnings$61,92680th percentile of 636 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$74,52220% more than year one

Median federal debt$21,5004th lowest of 17 Wisconsin programs

Debt-to-earnings35%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-Whitewater	Wisconsin	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$61,926	$59,104	$54,059
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$74,522	$75,233	$71,308
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,500	$25,000	$24,958
Debt as share of first-year pay	35%	44%	45%
Programs compared		19	636

Five years out, UW-Whitewater graduates earn more than the national figure and about the same as 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-WhitewaterOther 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 20% between the first and fifth year.

UW-Whitewater grads, year 1$61,926

UW-Whitewater grads, year 5$74,522

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.

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. At this program, the outcome does not look worse for students with less money.

Pell Grant recipients, year 1 earnings$61,305Median debt $21,500

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$62,617Median debt $21,500

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $228 a month, or 4.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (99 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.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

92% of graduates (109 of 118) were working in Wisconsin one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of Wisconsin outside metro areas are about 10% below the national average, so a $61,926 salary here buys what about $69,132 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-Whitewater

In-state tuition and fees	$8,616 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$18,716 / year
Average net price after aid	$14,158 / year
Admission rate	86%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	59%
Undergraduate students	9,405

Accounting ranks 2nd of 35 bachelor's programs at UW-Whitewater by first-year earnings. The top three are Quality Control and Safety Technology ($70,016), Accounting ($61,926), and Finance ($55,874).

Other accounting bachelor's programs near Whitewater

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
UW-WhitewaterWhitewater, WI · public		$61,926	$21,500
Carroll UniversityWaukesha, WI · private nonprofit	29 mi	$61,110	$27,000
UW-MadisonMadison, WI · public	37 mi	$68,909	$21,294
Marquette UniversityMilwaukee, WI · private nonprofit	44 mi	$67,665	$25,000
UW-MilwaukeeMilwaukee, WI · public	47 mi	$54,119	$25,750
UW-ParksideKenosha, WI · public	47 mi	$47,648	$14,760
Carthage CollegeKenosha, WI · private nonprofit	49 mi	$61,887	$27,000
Concordia University-WisconsinMequon, WI · private nonprofit	51 mi	$51,908	$27,000

Common questions

The median graduate earns $61,926 one year after graduating and $74,522 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-Whitewater programs, ranked40 programs by pay and debt