Accounting at Wofford College

Wofford's accounting graduates start below the middle of the pack—earning roughly $51,500 in their first year, which lands them at the 40th percentile both nationally and among South Carolina programs. However, strong earnings growth to $65,000 by year four suggests the liberal arts foundation may pay off over time, even if the initial launch is modest. The $26,900 in typical debt is manageable, representing just half a year's starting salary, and sits below both national and state medians.

The challenge is context: Wofford trails the state's top programs by $8,000-$10,000 in starting salary, with USC-Columbia and Bob Jones graduates both clearing $59,000. For a selective school (average SAT of 1297), these middle-of-the-road outcomes might surprise families expecting a premium return on a private college investment.

The small sample size here matters—with fewer than 30 graduates in the dataset, one or two outliers could skew these numbers either direction. If your child is drawn to Wofford's intimate campus and strong mentoring culture, the debt load won't be crushing. But purely as an accounting credential, it's competing with larger state programs that deliver similar or better early earnings at potentially lower cost. The value proposition depends heavily on fit beyond the spreadsheet.