Accounting at The University of Texas at Arlington

UTA's accounting program punches above its weight—graduates earn $62,527 four years out, placing them in the 60th percentile among Texas accounting programs despite the university's 81% admission rate. That's roughly $13,000 more than the typical Texas accounting graduate earns, and students get there with just $19,458 in debt, about $3,000 below the Texas median. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.36 means graduates owe less than five months of their starting salary, a manageable burden that gets easier as earnings grow 14% over the first four years.

The gap to elite programs is real—TCU and UT Austin grads start around $68,000—but those schools cost considerably more and offer no guarantee of landing in Big Four accounting. UTA serves a large share of Pell-eligible students (40%) and delivers solid middle-class outcomes without the debt trap that plagues many business programs. The robust sample size (100+ graduates tracked) confirms these aren't outliers.

For families prioritizing value over prestige, this is a straightforward win: above-average earnings for Texas, below-average debt, and a clear path to professional certification. If your child plans to work in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where UTA's alumni network is strongest, the returns look even better relative to the investment.