Accounting at The University of Texas at El Paso

UTEP's accounting program delivers an unexpected outcome: graduates start well below state and national averages but manage to catch up significantly by year four. That first-year salary of $37,562 ranks in just the 5th percentile nationally and the 25th percentile among Texas schools—roughly $12,000 below the state median. Yet within four years, earnings jump 33% to $49,940, nearly matching Texas's median and closing much of the gap with peer programs.

The debt picture helps offset those modest starting salaries. At $17,893, graduates carry about $4,400 less debt than the Texas median and $7,000 less than the national benchmark. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.48 means borrowers owe less than half their first-year salary—manageable even with those lower initial earnings. For a school serving predominantly working-class students (61% receive Pell grants), keeping debt this low matters enormously.

The fundamental question is whether your child can weather those lean early years. This program won't land them a Big Four position straight out of college like UT Austin or Texas A&M graduates typically secure. But if they're willing to build experience and advance over time—perhaps starting at a regional firm or corporate accounting role—the trajectory looks solid. The robust sample size confirms these patterns are real, not statistical noise. This is a program that rewards patience, not one that delivers immediate prestige or payoff.