Accounting at Elon University

Elon's accounting graduates start at nearly $70,000—outearning 95% of accounting programs nationally and 80% in North Carolina. That's about $30,000 more than the typical NC accounting graduate earns in their first year, and it beats even NC State and Appalachian State by substantial margins. With only $20,000 in debt (below the state median of $25,595), graduates face a debt-to-earnings ratio of just 0.29, meaning they owe less than four months of their first-year salary.

The trajectory looks equally strong: earnings jump to $87,000 by year four, a 25% increase that suggests these graduates are advancing into senior roles or public accounting positions with real upward mobility. For a university with a 67% admission rate, these outcomes rival or exceed what you'd see from more selective programs.

The meaningful caveat here is sample size—fewer than 30 graduates were tracked, so a few exceptionally successful alumni could skew these numbers upward. That said, the pattern is consistent: strong starting salaries, manageable debt, and solid growth. If your child is seriously considering accounting and Elon is a good fit otherwise, these numbers indicate the program delivers excellent ROI despite the small-sample uncertainty.