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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Accounting in Illinois

38 Ranked Colleges
2,298 Degrees Awarded
$18,300 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor's in Illinois

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

With 101,094 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, accounting is the 8th most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, accounting graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $44,557 and had an average of $26,381 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 3,895 accounting graduates with average earnings and debt of $49,902 and $25,930 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 2,298 accounting graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,319 and $24,183 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois” ranking, we looked at 38 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 Illinois” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Accounting in Illinois

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 Illinois list. This large school is located in Champaign, Illinois, and it awarded 374 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for UIUC is $15,880 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, 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 UIUC

#2

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois. Illinois State is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 162 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also made our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. The estimated yearly cost for Illinois State University is $20,895 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students.

The low student loan default rate of 4.4% 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 Illinois State

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Out of the 38 schools in the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Northern Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s accounting degrees to 171 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NIU, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $18,259 for illinois bachelor’s degree accounting students per year to attend Northern Illinois University.

Read full report on Accounting at NIU

Out of the 38 schools in the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #4 spot on the list. Edwardsville, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s accounting degrees to 83 students in 2019-2020.

SIUE did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. It costs about $14,423 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students per year to attend SIUE.

Read full report on Accounting at SIUE

Out of the 38 schools in the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #5 spot on the list. UIC is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 172 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIC, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for UIC is $13,312 for illinois bachelor’s degree accounting students.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Accounting at University of Illinois at Chicago

University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Springfield, Illinois, and it awarded 46 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree accounting students list, UIS has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $12,477 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students per year to attend UIS.

Read full report on Accounting at University of Illinois at Springfield

#7

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois

Eastern Illinois University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 39 degrees to qualified bachelors’s accounting students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois bachelor’s degree accounting students list, EIU has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend EIU is $14,607 for illinois bachelor’s degree accounting students.

Read more about Accounting at EIU

With a ranking of #8, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 118 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC also made our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale is $16,945 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students.

Read more about Accounting at SIUC

#9

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Western Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. Macomb, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s accounting degrees to 45 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $16,210 for illinois bachelor’s degree accounting students per year to attend WIU.

Read more about Accounting at WIU

#10

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

With a ranking of #10, Governors State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Located in University Park, Illinois, this small public school awarded 42 degrees to qualified bachelors’s accounting students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,077 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students per year to attend GSU.

Read full report on Accounting at Governors State University

Northeastern Illinois University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 78 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $15,843 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students per year to attend Northeastern Illinois University.

Read more about Accounting at Northeastern Illinois University

#12

University of Phoenix - Illinois

Schaumburg, Illinois

University of Phoenix - Illinois landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. This small school is located in Schaumburg, Illinois, and it awarded 1 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read more about Accounting at University of Phoenix - Illinois

#13

DeVry University - Illinois

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #13, DeVry University - Illinois did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out bachelors’s accounting degrees to 23 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend DeVry University - Illinois is $28,551 for illinois bachelor’s degree accounting students.

Read full report on Accounting at DeVry University - Illinois

#14

Aurora University

Aurora, Illinois

Aurora University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #14. This medium-sized school is located in Aurora, Illinois, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

Aurora not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for Aurora University is $17,215 for Illinois 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 Aurora

#15

Judson University

Elgin, Illinois
#21 in overall quality

Judson University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Judson is located in Elgin, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Judson, the school also landed the #21 spot in our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Judson University is $18,737 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read full report on Accounting at Judson

#16

Eureka College

Eureka, Illinois

Eureka College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #16. Eureka, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s accounting degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Eureka College is $21,344 for illinois bachelor’s degree accounting students.

Read more about Accounting at Eureka College

#17

Bradley University

Peoria, Illinois

Bradley University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #17. Bradley University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Peoria, Illinois. It awarded 38 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

Bradley also took the #7 spot in our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Bradley is $25,634 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Bradley University Accounting Report

#18

Benedictine University

Lisle, Illinois

With a ranking of #18, Benedictine University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Benedictine U is located in Lisle, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 33 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for Benedictine University is $25,143 for illinois bachelor’s degree accounting students.

Read more about Accounting at Benedictine University

#19

Trinity Christian College

Palos Heights, Illinois

Trinity Christian College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Palos Heights, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s accounting degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Trinity Christian College is $21,904 for illinois bachelor’s degree accounting students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Accounting at Trinity Christian College

#20

McKendree University

Lebanon, Illinois

McKendree University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #20. McKendree University is located in Lebanon, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 26 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at McKendree, the school also landed the #25 spot in our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. It costs about $19,844 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students per year to attend McKendree University.

Full McKendree Accounting Report

#21

Illinois College

Jacksonville, Illinois

Illinois College landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. Jacksonville, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s accounting degrees to 19 students in 2019-2020.

Illinois College also made our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #20. The yearly cost to attend Illinois College is $16,562 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students.

Read full report on Accounting at Illinois College

#22

Quincy University

Quincy, Illinois

Quincy University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #22. Located in Quincy, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 14 degrees to qualified bachelors’s accounting students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Quincy U is $17,497 for illinois bachelor’s degree accounting students.

Read more about Accounting at Quincy University

#23

Lewis University

Romeoville, Illinois
#14 in overall quality

Lewis University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Romeoville, Illinois, and it awarded 31 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

Lewis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The yearly cost to attend Lewis is $18,664 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students.

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%.

Full Lewis University Accounting Report

#24

University of St Francis

Joliet, Illinois

University of St Francis landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois ranking. University of St Francis is a small school located in Joliet, Illinois that handed out 19 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Saint Francis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Saint Francis is $17,538 for Illinois Bachelor’s Degree Accounting students.

The student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Accounting at University of Saint Francis

#25

Dominican University

River Forest, Illinois

Dominican University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Accounting Schools for a Bachelor’s in Illinois list. Dominican U is a small school located in River Forest, Illinois that handed out 22 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Dominican U, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Accounting Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Dominican University is $19,268 for illinois bachelor’s degree accounting students.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Accounting at Dominican U

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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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