Accounting at Cleary University

Michigan's community colleges show accounting associate graduates earning around $36,000-$40,000 in their first year, and Cleary's estimated outcomes fall squarely in this range. The catch? While the $36,181 first-year earnings figure aligns with state norms, the estimated $26,291 in debt is notably higher than what similar Michigan programs typically produce—about $9,000 more than the state median for accounting associates.

That debt gap matters practically. With a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.73, graduates would be dedicating a substantial portion of early paychecks to loan repayment compared to peers who attended nearby community colleges. Oakland Community College grads, for instance, are earning slightly more while likely carrying significantly less debt—a combination that makes monthly budgeting considerably easier in those crucial early career years.

The challenge here is weighing Cleary's private university environment against the financial efficiency of Michigan's well-regarded community college system for this particular credential. If your child values smaller class sizes or specific campus culture enough to justify the additional borrowing, that's a valid choice. But purely from a return-on-investment standpoint, the estimated numbers suggest that peer programs in Michigan—particularly at community colleges—deliver similar or better earnings outcomes with substantially less debt burden.