Accounting at Lackawanna College

For a school serving primarily working-class students—58% receive Pell grants—Lackawanna's accounting program appears positioned in the middle tier. Based on comparable bachelor's programs in Pennsylvania, graduates can expect around $58,000 in first-year earnings with roughly $27,000 in debt. That 0.47 debt-to-earnings ratio suggests manageable repayment, though families should note these figures come from peer programs statewide, not Lackawanna's own graduates.

The estimated earnings align with Pennsylvania's median for accounting degrees, which is encouraging given that other Scranton-area accounting programs (like University of Scranton at $70,000) pull significantly higher starting salaries. This gap likely reflects differences in employer networks and recruiting pipelines rather than curriculum quality. What matters more practically: at this debt level and income, monthly loan payments would consume about 6-7% of gross monthly income under standard repayment—a reasonable burden that shouldn't derail other financial goals.

The key question is whether Lackawanna can deliver outcomes near these state medians. With no published data for this specific program, you're making an evidence-informed bet rather than relying on proven track record. Before committing, ask the school's career services office about accounting-specific job placement rates and which firms recruit on campus. Those concrete details matter more than regional averages when your child is the one entering the job market.