technology
Accounting Field Sees Increased Interest from Gen Z Graduates Amid High Placement Rates and Salaries
Accounting programs report near-perfect job placement rates for recent graduates, with starting salaries around $80,000. Factors such as job security, work-life balance discussions, and AI integration are attracting Gen Z students to the profession. This resurgence contrasts with broader job market challenges for other graduates.
Apr 5, 6:09 AM·2m read1 source
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The accounting profession, which faced talent shortages due to an aging workforce and over 300,000 departures between 2019 and 2022, is experiencing renewed interest from Gen Z graduates. Colleges report placement rates exceeding 95% for accounting majors, with median starting salaries of $75,000 to $82,000.
These trends occur amid broader concerns about white-collar job stability and AI's impact on employment.
Lower entry barriers, increased focus on work-life balance, and AI's role in automating repetitive tasks have contributed to the field's changing image. Gen Z graduates prioritize job security and compensation, leading to higher enrollment in accounting programs.
In the 2023–2024 academic year, approximately 55,000 students earned bachelor's or master's degrees in accounting, though this represents a 6.6% decline from the previous year.
Jack Blazevich, a 24-year-old University of Iowa graduate from late 2024, received a job offer as an assurance associate at PwC in Chicago with a near-six-figure salary. He delayed his start until September 2025 to complete all four sections of the CPA exam. Blazevich told Fortune, “I have not talked to another accounting person who has a degree in accounting who cannot find a job.”
Austin Price, who graduated from Brigham Young University in spring 2024 and works in technology risk assurance at EY, described a competitive recruiting environment. “For many of my classmates, it felt like we were recruiting firms just as much as they were recruiting us,” Price said.
“We had the luxury of choosing from multiple offers rather than worrying about whether we’d land a job at all.
At the University of Iowa, 95% of the class of 2025's accounting graduates secured employment or continued education, with a median salary of $75,000. The University of Texas, ranked No. 1 in accounting by U.S. News & World Report, reported that 96.5% of master's in professional accounting graduates accepted jobs within six months, with median salaries of $80,000.
