by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2020-2021, 99,265 accounting students received their degree, making the major the 8th most popular in the country. In 2019-2020, accounting graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $47,712 and had an average of $26,539 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 14,839 accounting graduates with average earnings and debt of $48,417 and $25,672 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 7,979 accounting graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,343 and $26,790 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking looked at 199 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in accounting. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their accounting program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region”.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lakeland University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region. Lakeland is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Plymouth, Wisconsin. It awarded 107 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2020-2021.
Out of the 199 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Wilberforce University landed the #2 spot on the list. This small school is located in Wilberforce, Ohio, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Out of the 199 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwood University landed the #3 spot on the list. Northwood is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Midland, Michigan. It awarded 110 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Hiram College. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region. Hiram, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s accounting degrees to 24 students in 2020-2021.
Out of the 199 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Lake Erie College landed the #5 spot on the list. LEC is a small school located in Painesville, Ohio that handed out 19 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2020-2021.
Walsh College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #6. Troy, Michigan is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s accounting degrees to 48 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Wilmington College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small school is located in Wilmington, Ohio, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2020-2021.
Franklin University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #8. Franklin University is located in Columbus, Ohio and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 127 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 5.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Davenport University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Davenport University is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 99 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.
With a ranking of #10, Defiance College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Defiance College is located in Defiance, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.
Illinois Wesleyan University ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Bloomington, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 22 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s accounting students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% 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%.
Augustana College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Augustana is a small school located in Rock Island, Illinois that handed out 50 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
John Carroll University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. John Carroll University is located in University Heights, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 51 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Manchester University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #14. Located in North Manchester, Indiana, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 18 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s accounting students in 2020-2021.
Ohio Wesleyan University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. OWU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Delaware, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Finlandia University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. This small school is located in Hancock, Michigan, and it awarded 3 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Eureka College ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region list. 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 2020-2021.
Albion College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Albion, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 18 degrees to qualified bachelors’s accounting students in 2020-2021.
Siena Heights University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #19. Located in Adrian, Michigan, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 34 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s accounting students in 2020-2021.
North Central College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #20. North Central is a private not-for-profit institution located in Naperville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 39 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Quincy University ranked #21 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Quincy, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 12 degrees to qualified bachelors’s accounting students in 2020-2021.
Illinois College landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Illinois College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Jacksonville, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #23, Wittenberg University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Springfield, Ohio, and it awarded 18 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2020-2021.
Northeastern Illinois University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 79 degrees to qualified bachelors’s accounting students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Accounting at Northeastern Illinois University
Saint Norbert College landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small school is located in De Pere, Wisconsin, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Not only did these schools make the top 30 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
