ROI Major

Accounting and Related Services at Fayetteville State University

NC · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 52.03

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Accounting and Related Services degree from Fayetteville State University earn a median salary of $56,086 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in NC, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $57,348. The degree typically pays for itself in 9 years.

Quick Insights

Slow Burn / High Debt Risk

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$40,650

Typical Career

$56,086

Top Performers

$75,884

Estimated break-even: 9 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$374

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $4,674. Most students can comfortably afford about a $374 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.4x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.7x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in North Carolina buys what costs $0.98 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Educational Services, Health Care & Social Assistance, Public Administration.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 26.0%
Health Care & Social Assistance 24.1%
Public Administration 13.6%

Institution-wide industry mix for bachelor's graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$57,348

Nominal: $56,086 in North Carolina (COL 97.8% of national avg) · 2.2% higher purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

9 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $30,523 $43,588 $62,075
5 Years After Graduation $40,650 $56,086 $75,884
10 Years After Graduation $46,161 $71,212 $99,021

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $56,086 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in NC, which has a cost-of-living index of 97.8% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $56,086 × (1.0 ÷ 0.9780) = $57,348 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates from Fayetteville State University with a degree in Accounting and Related Services experience a positive earnings trajectory. Median earnings one year after graduation stand at $43,588, which increases to $56,086 five years post-graduation and reaches $71,212 after a decade. When adjusted for purchasing power, the median five-year salary aligns closely with the national equivalent at $57,347.65, indicating that graduates maintain competitive earnings relative to national standards despite a slightly lower cost of living in North Carolina.

The top industries for graduates include Educational Services (26.0%), Health Care & Social Assistance (24.1%), and Public Administration (13.6%), reflecting a diverse range of employment opportunities. The estimated break-even point for pursuing a degree versus a high-school-only path is approximately nine years, suggesting that the investment in higher education can yield significant long-term benefits. Overall, the return on investment for an Accounting and Related Services degree from Fayetteville State University appears favorable, particularly considering the stable career paths available in essential sectors.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Accounting and Related Services degree at Fayetteville State University stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.

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