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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Accounting in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

167 Ranked Colleges
8,250 Degrees Awarded
$14,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Accounting is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 7th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 75,655 degrees were awarded to students with this major.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 11,764 accounting graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 8,250 accounting graduates with average earnings and debt of $39,075 and $25,381 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 167 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in accounting. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality accounting programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the accounting program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Accounting Schools

The accounting school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Accounting in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)

#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 374 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $15,880 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students with aid per year to attend UIUC.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Accounting at UIUC

#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school awarded 126 degrees to qualified bachelors’s accounting students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students with aid list, UW - Madison has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $17,708 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students with aid per year to attend UW - Madison.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Accounting at University of Wisconsin - Madison

#3

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#8 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Purdue University - Main Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, and it awarded 127 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

Purdue also made our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #8. The estimated yearly cost for Purdue University - Main Campus is $13,986 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students with aid.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Accounting at Purdue University - Main Campus

#4

Franklin University

Columbus, Ohio
Top 25% in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Franklin University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid. Franklin University is a medium-sized school located in Columbus, Ohio that handed out 148 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Franklin University is $12,895 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students with aid.

Read full report on Accounting at Franklin University

#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is a fairly large school located in La Crosse, Wisconsin that handed out 96 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - La Crosse also made our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #9. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is $14,580 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Accounting at UW - La Crosse

#22 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Whitewater, Wisconsin is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s accounting degrees to 133 students in 2019-2020.

UW - Whitewater not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #22 on our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $15,249 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students with aid per year to attend UW - Whitewater.

Read more about Accounting at UW - Whitewater

#24 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large public school awarded 172 degrees to qualified bachelors’s accounting students in 2019-2020.

UIC also made our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list, coming in at #24. The yearly cost to attend University of Illinois at Chicago is $13,312 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students with aid.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Accounting at University of Illinois at Chicago

#8

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#6 in overall quality

Michigan State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Michigan State is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 231 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.

Michigan State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Michigan State University is $19,173 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Accounting at Michigan State

#20 in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UW - Eau Claire is a fairly large school located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin that handed out 82 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - Eau Claire did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $16,020 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.

Read more about Accounting at University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

University of Wisconsin - Parkside did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #10. UW - Parkside is a public institution located in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The school has a small population, and it awarded 42 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Parkside is $11,327 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students with aid.

Read full report on Accounting at University of Wisconsin - Parkside

#11

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

Green Bay, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is a public institution located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Green Bay is $14,395 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students with aid.

Read full report on Accounting at UW - Green Bay

#12

Purdue University Northwest

Hammond, Indiana

Purdue University Northwest ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. This medium-sized school is located in Hammond, Indiana, and it awarded 71 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Purdue Northwest is $11,250 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students with aid.

Read more about Accounting at Purdue Northwest

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This fairly large school is located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,463 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh.

Read more about Accounting at UW Oshkosh

#14

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
Top 20% in overall quality

Northern Illinois University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 171 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU excels when it comes to accounting quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It costs about $18,259 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students with aid per year to attend NIU.

Read more about Accounting at NIU

#5 in overall quality

Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 451 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

Ohio State also took the #5 spot in our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $17,616 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students with aid per year to attend Ohio State University - Main Campus.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read full report on Accounting at Ohio State

#16

University of Illinois at Springfield

Springfield, Illinois

University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. UIS is located in Springfield, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 46 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend UIS is $12,477 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students with aid.

Full UIS Accounting Report

#17

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin
Top 25% in overall quality

University of Wisconsin - River Falls landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. River Falls, Wisconsin is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s accounting degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $13,748 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students with aid per year to attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Wisconsin - River Falls Accounting Report

#18

Ball State University

Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. Ball State University is a public institution located in Muncie, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 86 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,147 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students with aid per year to attend Ball State University.

Read full report on Accounting at Ball State University

#19

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. UW - Stevens Point is a public institution located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 46 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $14,465 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students with aid per year to attend UW - Stevens Point.

Read full report on Accounting at UW - Stevens Point

University of Michigan - Dearborn ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Dearborn, Michigan, this medium-sized public school awarded 63 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s accounting students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UM Dearborn is $11,473 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 4.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Accounting at University of Michigan - Dearborn

#21

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

Governors State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. GSU is a small school located in University Park, Illinois that handed out 42 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Governors State University is $12,077 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students with aid.

Read more about Accounting at Governors State University

#22

Oakland University

Rochester Hills, Michigan

Oakland University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. Oakland is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 98 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Oakland University is $11,802 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students with aid.

Full Oakland Accounting Report

#23

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #23, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. UWM is a large school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that handed out 88 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is $17,876 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students with aid.

Read more about Accounting at UWM

#24

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #24, University of Wisconsin - Platteville did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid list. University of Wisconsin - Platteville is a medium-sized public school situated in Platteville, Wisconsin. It awarded 16 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,718 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students with aid per year to attend UW - Platteville.

Full UW - Platteville Accounting Report

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid ranking. SIUE is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 83 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend SIUE is $14,423 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students with aid.

Read full report on Accounting at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Rest of the Best 26 in Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region For Those Getting Aid

Not only did these schools make the top 26 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:

#26

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Pixabay.

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