Accounting at Bryant & Stratton College-Virginia Beach

Bryant & Stratton's accounting associate program puts graduates roughly in the middle of the national pack for earnings, but its debt load tells a more troubling story. While first-year earnings of $37,000 match the national median exactly and place graduates at the 60th percentile among Virginia accounting programs, students are borrowing $26,291—significantly above the national median of $19,354. That puts this program in the bottom 5% nationally for debt burden, a striking outlier that demands attention.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.71 means graduates carry debt equivalent to roughly nine months of their starting salary. With 62% of students receiving Pell grants, many families here are already stretching financially, making that above-average debt particularly consequential. Earnings do inch up to $38,715 by year four, but that modest 5% growth won't dramatically change the debt payoff timeline.

For Virginia families, this creates a difficult comparison. Liberty University grads earn $40,500 (presumably with similar or higher debt at a private university), while Tidewater Community College produces lower earnings at $29,056 but likely with substantially less debt as a public community college. The core question: is matching the state median worth borrowing 36% more than the typical accounting associate program? For most families, especially those already relying on Pell grants, finding a lower-cost path to similar credentials would preserve more financial flexibility in those crucial early career years.