How much debt do Western Connecticut State finance graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $22,000, which ranks 3rd lowest of 9 finance bachelor's programs in Connecticut. That works out to about $233 a month over 10 years.

Is a finance degree from Western Connecticut State worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 47% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 44%. Compare the cost with other Connecticut programs before deciding.

Western Connecticut State Finance (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Western Connecticut State finance graduates stay in Connecticut?

Most do. 90% (35 of 39) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Finance and Financial Management Services
Public university
Danbury, CT
About 34 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Western Connecticut State finance graduates earn less than graduates of most finance programs nationally, $46,470 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $22,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $23,250. Several Connecticut programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$46,47015th percentile of 407 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$76,89165% more than year one

Median federal debt$22,0003rd lowest of 9 Connecticut programs

Debt-to-earnings47%Connecticut median 48%, national 44%

How it compares

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

	Western Connecticut State	Connecticut	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$46,470	$54,098	$53,373
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$76,891	$93,070	$77,457
Median federal debt at graduation	$22,000	$26,750	$23,250
Debt as share of first-year pay	47%	48%	44%
Programs compared		9	407

Five years out, Western Connecticut State graduates earn about the national figure but about $16,179 less than the Connecticut median. Several Connecticut programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every Connecticut finance program

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

Western Connecticut StateOther Connecticut 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 65% between the first and fifth year.

Western Connecticut State grads, year 1$46,470

Western Connecticut State grads, year 5$76,891

All Connecticut finance grads, year 5$93,070

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 $233 a month, or 6.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Two years into repayment (31 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

90% of graduates (35 of 39) were working in Connecticut one year after graduating. Prices in the Bridgeport area are about 7% above the national average, so a $46,470 salary here buys what about $43,485 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 finance, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

General and Operations Managers

$137,220

Median pay in Connecticut. 39,070 people work in this job in Connecticut. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, with about 285,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $68,010Top 10%: $312,890

Financial Managers

$174,830

Median pay in Connecticut. 20,040 people work in this job in Connecticut. 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%: $98,540Top 10%: $333,370

Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents

$98,560

Median pay in Connecticut. 5,730 people work in this job in Connecticut. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 35,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $51,310Top 10%: $283,730

Financial and Investment Analysts

$109,500

Median pay in Connecticut. 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%: $75,470Top 10%: $213,120

About Western Connecticut State

In-state tuition and fees	$13,401 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$16,901 / year
Average net price after aid	$17,604 / year
Admission rate	87%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	52%
Undergraduate students	3,511

Finance ranks 5th of 19 bachelor's programs at Western Connecticut State by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($86,600), Computer and Information Science ($77,969), and Accounting ($58,144).

Other finance bachelor's programs near Danbury

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Western Connecticut StateDanbury, CT · public		$46,470	$22,000
Sacred Heart UniversityFairfield, CT · private nonprofit	16 mi	$56,081	$27,000
Fairfield UniversityFairfield, CT · private nonprofit	19 mi	$62,952	$27,000
Post UniversityWaterbury, CT · private for-profit	21 mi	$55,402	$33,812
Quinnipiac UniversityHamden, CT · private nonprofit	29 mi	$51,589	$26,000
Manhattanville UniversityPurchase, NY · private nonprofit	29 mi	$53,434	$25,000
Iona UniversityNew Rochelle, NY · private nonprofit	37 mi	$53,084	$22,656
Central Connecticut StateNew Britain, CT · public	40 mi	$51,282	$20,348
SUNY New PaltzNew Paltz, NY · public	41 mi	$43,834	$19,550

Common questions

The median graduate earns $46,470 one year after graduating and $76,891 five years after. The median across finance bachelor's programs in Connecticut is $54,098.

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 Connecticut 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 finance 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

Finance bachelor's programs in Connecticut, ranked9 programs by pay and debt Finance bachelor's programs in the US, ranked407 programs by pay and debt All Western Connecticut State programs, ranked19 programs by pay and debt