How much debt do Walsh College accounting graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $21,587, which ranks 3rd lowest of 23 accounting bachelor's programs in Michigan. That works out to about $229 a month over 10 years.

Is a accounting degree from Walsh College 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 Michigan programs report higher pay, usually with more debt.

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

Q: Do Walsh College accounting graduates stay in Michigan?

Most do. 101% (79 of 78) were working in Michigan one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Accounting and Related Services
Private nonprofit college
Troy, MI
About 38 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Walsh College accounting graduates earn more than graduates of most accounting programs nationally, $61,960 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $21,587 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,958. It is one of the higher-paying accounting degrees in Michigan.

First-year earnings$61,96081st percentile of 636 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$67,5239% more than year one

Median federal debt$21,5873rd lowest of 23 Michigan programs

Debt-to-earnings35%Michigan median 46%, national 45%

How it compares

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

	Walsh College	Michigan	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$61,960	$53,042	$54,059
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$67,523	$68,052	$71,308
Median federal debt at graduation	$21,587	$24,771	$24,958
Debt as share of first-year pay	35%	46%	45%
Programs compared		24	636

Five years out, Walsh College graduates earn less than the national figure and about the same as the Michigan median.

Debt and first-year pay at every Michigan accounting program

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

Walsh CollegeOther Michigan 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 9% between the first and fifth year.

Walsh College grads, year 1$61,960

Walsh College grads, year 5$67,523

All Michigan accounting grads, year 5$68,052

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 $5,546 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$57,987Median debt $21,592

Other graduates, year 1 earnings$63,533Median debt $20,887

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $229 a month, or 4.4% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (93 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

101% of graduates (79 of 78) were working in Michigan one year after graduating. Prices in the Detroit 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

$78,820

Median pay in Michigan. 41,460 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $52,620Top 10%: $131,080

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

$48,980

Median pay in Michigan. 37,550 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $36,250Top 10%: $67,480

Financial Managers

$139,370

Median pay in Michigan. 22,490 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $80,280Top 10%: $258,480

Financial and Investment Analysts

$95,420

Median pay in Michigan. 7,400 people work in this job in Michigan. 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%: $63,180Top 10%: $154,230

About Walsh College

Undergraduate students

445

Accounting ranks 1st of 5 bachelor's programs at Walsh College by first-year earnings. The top three are Accounting ($61,960), Finance ($58,735), and Business ($55,524).

Other accounting bachelor's programs near Troy

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Walsh CollegeTroy, MI · private nonprofit		$61,960	$21,587
Oakland UniversityRochester Hills, MI · public	8 mi	$59,833	$23,500
Wayne StateDetroit, MI · public	15 mi	$52,668	$21,504
UM-DearbornDearborn, MI · public	18 mi	$57,833	$24,850
Eastern Michigan UniversityYpsilanti, MI · public	33 mi	$57,500	$24,771
Cleary UniversityHowell, MI · private nonprofit	37 mi	$43,665	$24,039
UM-FlintFlint, MI · public	41 mi	$45,553	$30,899
Baker CollegeOwosso, MI · private nonprofit	59 mi	$46,471	$42,556

Common questions

The median graduate earns $61,960 one year after graduating and $67,523 five years after. The median across accounting bachelor's programs in Michigan is $53,042.

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 Michigan 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 Michigan, ranked24 programs by pay and debt Accounting bachelor's programs in the US, ranked636 programs by pay and debt All Walsh College programs, ranked5 programs by pay and debt