Accounting at Randolph-Macon College

Randolph-Macon's accounting graduates start below both national and state benchmarks—earning about $4,000 less than typical Virginia accounting majors—but the program shows solid momentum with a 25% earnings increase by year four. Among Virginia's 32 accounting programs, this ranks in the 40th percentile, which places it in the middle of the pack but well behind state leaders like James Madison ($71,563) and Virginia Tech ($70,303). The $24,625 median debt is manageable, translating to a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.50 that suggests reasonable repayment prospects.

The small sample size here is worth noting—we're looking at fewer than 30 graduates, so these numbers could shift significantly with a larger cohort. That said, the pattern suggests this program delivers a traditional liberal arts college accounting education without the premium outcomes of Virginia's top-tier programs. For families weighing the full Randolph-Macon experience against a more affordable state school option, the earnings gap is real: graduates here are starting $15,000-$20,000 behind their peers at Virginia Tech or JMU.

If your child is set on the small college environment and values what Randolph-Macon offers beyond the classroom, the debt level won't create a crisis. But for families purely focused on return on investment in accounting, Virginia's larger public universities deliver stronger starting salaries without significantly higher debt loads.