Accounting at Strayer University-Florida

Strayer University-Florida's accounting program delivers earnings that exceed Florida's median by nearly $5,000—landing graduates in the 60th percentile among the state's 42 accounting programs. That's a meaningful achievement for a university serving predominantly Pell-eligible students (70% receive grants). Starting at $52,373 and growing to $56,398 by year four, graduates outpace the typical Florida accounting graduate while remaining within striking distance of flagship programs.

The problem is the debt load. At $54,989, graduates carry more than double the state median of $22,615 and rank in the bottom 5th percentile nationally for debt burden. This creates an uncomfortable first-year squeeze where debt nearly equals annual earnings, though the 1.05 ratio does improve as salaries grow. For context, Florida's top programs deliver 15-20% higher starting salaries with roughly half the debt—University of Florida accounting grads start at $65,144 with far less borrowing.

The value calculation here depends heavily on alternatives. If your child can access Florida's flagship accounting programs, those offer superior economics. But if Strayer's flexible format or Tampa location makes degree completion feasible where traditional programs don't, the earnings performance is respectable enough to justify the investment—just understand that loan payments will dominate the early career years in ways they wouldn't at lower-debt programs.