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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Accounting in the Great Lakes Region

171 Ranked Colleges
8,250 Degrees Awarded
$15,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor's in the Great Lakes Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 75,655 accounting students received their degree, making the major the 7th most popular in the country.

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.

For this year’s “Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 171 colleges that offer a degree 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students.

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

#9 in overall quality

Out of the 171 schools in the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Wisconsin - La Crosse is a fairly large public school situated in La Crosse, Wisconsin. It awarded 96 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

UW - La Crosse also took the #9 spot in our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. It costs about $14,580 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students per year to attend UW - La Crosse.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.

Full University of Wisconsin - La Crosse Accounting Report

#22 in overall quality

Out of the 171 schools in the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater landed the #2 spot on the list. UW - Whitewater is located in Whitewater, Wisconsin and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 133 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Whitewater, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is $15,249 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students.

Full UW - Whitewater Accounting Report

#20 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Wisconsin - 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #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 per year to attend University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire.

Full UW - Eau Claire Accounting Report

#4

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois
Top 20% in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. NIU is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 171 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.

On top of its placing in this ranking, NIU also did well on our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. The estimated yearly cost for NIU is $18,259 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students.

Read full report on Accounting at Northern Illinois University

#5

University of Wisconsin - River Falls

River Falls, Wisconsin
Top 25% in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - River Falls. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region. Located in River Falls, Wisconsin, this medium-sized public school awarded 20 degrees to qualified bachelors’s accounting students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for University of Wisconsin - River Falls is $13,748 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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 full report on Accounting at UW - River Falls

#6

Franklin University

Columbus, Ohio
Top 25% in overall quality

Franklin University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Franklin University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 148 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,895 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students per year to attend Franklin University.

Read full report on Accounting at Franklin University

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. 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 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is $14,423 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students.

Full Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Accounting Report

University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #8. University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh is a public institution located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend UW Oshkosh is $15,463 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students.

Read more about Accounting at University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

#9

Walsh College

Troy, Michigan

Walsh College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #9. Walsh is located in Troy, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 68 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Accounting at Walsh College

Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #10. This fairly large school is located in Marion, Indiana, and it awarded 85 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for IWU is $22,207 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students.

Full Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global Accounting Report

#11

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

Green Bay, Wisconsin

With a ranking of #11, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s accounting 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.

Full University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Accounting Report

#12

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Platteville, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Platteville ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Platteville is a medium-sized school located in Platteville, Wisconsin that handed out 16 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

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

Read full report on Accounting at UW - Platteville

#13

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

Stevens Point, Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point is a medium-sized public school situated in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. It awarded 46 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UW - Stevens Point is $14,465 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students.

Read more about Accounting at UW - Stevens Point

#14

Purdue University Northwest

Hammond, Indiana

Purdue University Northwest did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #14. Purdue Northwest is a medium-sized public school situated in Hammond, Indiana. It awarded 71 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

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

Read more about Accounting at Purdue Northwest

#15

Grand Valley State University

Allendale, Michigan
Top 20% in overall quality

Grand Valley State University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Grand Valley State University is a large school located in Allendale, Michigan that handed out 142 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on this list, GVSU is in the top on our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in that analysis. It costs about $17,646 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students per year to attend GVSU.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Accounting at GVSU

#16

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois
#16 in overall quality

Illinois State University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 162 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students list, Illinois State has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Illinois State University is $20,895 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Accounting at Illinois State

University of Wisconsin - Parkside came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. UW - Parkside is a small public school situated in Kenosha, Wisconsin. It awarded 42 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,327 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students per year to attend UW - Parkside.

Full University of Wisconsin - Parkside Accounting Report

#18

Purdue University Global

Indianapolis, Indiana

With a ranking of #18, Purdue University Global did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Indianapolis, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s accounting degrees to 125 students in 2019-2020.

Read full report on Accounting at Purdue University Global

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 118 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $16,945 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students per year to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Full SIUC Accounting Report

#20

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, Michigan

Western Michigan University landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Western Michigan University is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 124 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend WMU is $19,433 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students.

Read full report on Accounting at WMU

#21

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #21. WIU is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 45 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for WIU is $16,210 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students.

Read more about Accounting at WIU

#22

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 39 degrees to qualified bachelors’s accounting students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend EIU is $14,607 for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students.

Full Eastern Illinois University Accounting Report

#23

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, Ohio

Youngstown State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Youngstown State University is located in Youngstown, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 59 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend Youngstown State University is $11,947 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students.

Read full report on Accounting at Youngstown State University

Top 25% in overall quality

With a ranking of #24, Bowling Green State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. BGSU is a fairly large school located in Bowling Green, Ohio that handed out 113 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Bowling Green State University - Main Campus is $18,394 for Great Lakes Region Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students.

Read full report on Accounting at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus

With a ranking of #25, Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Great Lakes Region list. Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses is located in Fort Wayne, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Accounting at Trine

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

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

#26

University of Wisconsin - Superior

Superior, Wisconsin

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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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