Accounting at Hastings College

A debt load just under $27,000 against first-year earnings around $55,000 suggests a manageable financial starting point for accounting graduates, though these figures come from comparable Nebraska programs rather than Hastings' own outcomes. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.49 means students would owe roughly half their first year's salary—well within the range financial advisors consider reasonable for a professional degree.

Accounting programs across Nebraska cluster tightly in the mid-$50,000s for starting pay, with the notable exceptions being Creighton and Nebraska Wesleyan breaking into the $60,000s. Based on peer programs, Hastings graduates would likely land near the state median, performing on par with larger universities like Nebraska-Lincoln. The estimated debt is slightly above the national benchmark for accounting bachelor's degrees ($25,000), though not dramatically so.

For a family evaluating this investment, the fundamentals appear sound: accounting remains a consistently employable field, and the projected debt burden shouldn't be crushing on typical entry-level salaries. However, the lack of program-specific data means you're betting on Hastings performing like its Nebraska peers rather than having concrete evidence of its graduates' outcomes. If you can afford to visit campus and speak directly with recent alumni about their job placement experiences, that would help fill the gap these estimates leave.