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2024 Best Accounting Bachelor's Degree Schools

927 Colleges in the United States
51,042 Bachelor's Degrees
$46,891 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #8 in popularity, accounting is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 927 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for accounting students pursuing a bachelor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 51,042 bachelor's degrees in accounting to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Accounting School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Accounting Bachelor's Degree Schools The accounting bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality accounting program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for accounting students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Accounting Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Accounting Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 the Best Accounting Bachelor's Degree Schools.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Accounting in the United States

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in accounting. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Accounting

1
178 Annual Graduates
$64,753 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in accounting has to check out Bentley University. Located in the small city of Waltham, Bentley is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.

Accounting bachelor's degree recipients from Bentley University earn a boost of about $17,862 above the typical earnings of accounting majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from Bentley University

2
19 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat University of Pennsylvania if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in accounting. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from University of Pennsylvania

3
33 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat Washington University in St Louis if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in accounting. WUSTL is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Saint Louis.More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from Washington University in St Louis

4
385 Annual Graduates
$65,425 Median Starting Salary
$20,500 Median Student Debt

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great decision for students interested in a bachelor's degree in accounting. UIUC is a very large public university located in the city of Champaign.

Accounting bachelor's degree recipients from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign get an earnings boost of about $18,534 over the average income of accounting majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

5
175 Annual Graduates
$64,797 Median Starting Salary
$16,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Accounting bachelor's degree recipients from University of Southern California receive an earnings boost of about $17,906 over the typical income of accounting majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from University of Southern California

6
318 Annual Graduates
$17,641 Median Student Debt

Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of College Station.More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from Texas A&M University - College Station

7
106 Annual Graduates
$66,502 Median Starting Salary
$19,000 Median Student Debt

Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.

Those accounting students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Notre Dame make $19,611 more than the average accounting graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from University of Notre Dame

8
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
72 Annual Graduates
$77,441 Median Starting Salary
$17,500 Median Student Debt

Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington.

Accounting bachelor's degree recipients from Georgetown University get an earnings boost of about $30,550 over the average earnings of accounting graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from Georgetown University

9
129 Annual Graduates
$61,605 Median Starting Salary
$21,294 Median Student Debt

UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the large city of Madison.

Accounting bachelor's degree recipients from University of Wisconsin - Madison earn a boost of about $14,714 above the average income of accounting majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from University of Wisconsin - Madison

10
93 Annual Graduates
$69,420 Median Starting Salary
$25,858 Median Student Debt

Villanova is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Villanova.

Those accounting students who get their bachelor's degree from Villanova University make $22,529 more than the standard accounting grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from Villanova University

11
367 Annual Graduates
$57,105 Median Starting Salary
$23,284 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Accounting bachelor's degree recipients from Ohio State University - Main Campus get an earnings boost of about $10,214 above the typical income of accounting majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from Ohio State University - Main Campus

12
119 Annual Graduates
$65,893 Median Starting Salary
$21,898 Median Student Debt

UCONN is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Storrs.

Those accounting students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Connecticut receive $19,002 more than the standard accounting graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from University of Connecticut

13
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
256 Annual Graduates
$60,324 Median Starting Salary
$28,832 Median Student Debt

Drexel is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia.

Those accounting students who get their bachelor's degree from Drexel University receive $13,433 more than the typical accounting student.

More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from Drexel University

14
238 Annual Graduates
$60,568 Median Starting Salary
$8,727 Median Student Debt

Located in the medium-sized city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Accounting bachelor's degree recipients from Brigham Young University - Provo get an earnings boost of approximately $13,677 over the average income of accounting graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from Brigham Young University - Provo

15
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
101 Annual Graduates
$67,828 Median Starting Salary
$19,250 Median Student Debt

SCU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Santa Clara.

Accounting bachelor's degree recipients from Santa Clara University receive an earnings boost of around $20,937 over the average earnings of accounting majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from Santa Clara University

16
124 Annual Graduates
$58,714 Median Starting Salary
$22,342 Median Student Debt

UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis.

Accounting bachelor's degree recipients from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities earn a boost of approximately $11,823 over the typical earnings of accounting majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

17
226 Annual Graduates
$51,656 Median Starting Salary
$19,462 Median Student Debt

UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Austin.

Accounting bachelor's degree recipients from The University of Texas at Austin earn a boost of around $4,765 above the average income of accounting graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from The University of Texas at Austin

18
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
121 Annual Graduates
$69,899 Median Starting Salary
$18,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Chestnut Hill, Boston College is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the accounting program at Boston College make $23,008 more than the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from Boston College

19
81 Annual Graduates
$68,776 Median Starting Salary
$17,778 Median Student Debt

TCU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Fort Worth.

Bachelor's recipients from the accounting program at Texas Christian University get $21,885 above the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from Texas Christian University

20
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
23 Annual Graduates

Emory is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Atlanta.More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from Emory University

21
Lehigh crest
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA
73 Annual Graduates
$71,520 Median Starting Salary
$23,179 Median Student Debt

Lehigh is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Bethlehem.

Those accounting students who get their bachelor's degree from Lehigh University receive $24,629 more than the standard accounting student.

More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from Lehigh University

22
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
71 Annual Graduates
$56,746 Median Starting Salary
$17,500 Median Student Debt

U Miami is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Coral Gables.

Bachelor's recipients from the accounting program at University of Miami make $9,855 more than the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from University of Miami

23
214 Annual Graduates
$58,100 Median Starting Salary
$23,250 Median Student Debt

Michigan State is a fairly large public university located in the city of East Lansing.

Accounting bachelor's degree recipients from Michigan State University get an earnings boost of about $11,209 above the typical income of accounting majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from Michigan State University

24
233 Annual Graduates
$57,828 Median Starting Salary
$23,250 Median Student Debt

UGA is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Athens.

Those accounting students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Georgia make $10,937 more than the standard accounting student.

More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from University of Georgia

25
200 Annual Graduates
$61,982 Median Starting Salary
$15,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the accounting major at University of Maryland - College Park get $15,091 above the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from University of Maryland - College Park

Rest of the Top 50 Best Accounting Bachelor's Degree Schools

26
27
Bucknell crest
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
28
Providence crest
Providence College
Providence, RI
29
30
31
32

33

34
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
35
36
37
38
39
40
41

42

43
44
Drake crest
Drake University
Des Moines, IA
45
46
47
48
49
50

Additional Award Winners

This list shows the rest of the schools awarded a Best Accounting Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 927 different United States accounting schools we analyzed.

RankCollegeLocation
51Creighton UniversityOmaha, NE
52Southern Methodist UniversityDallas, TX
53Bryant UniversitySmithfield, RI
54University of Oklahoma Norman CampusNorman, OK
55Saint Joseph’s UniversityPhiladelphia, PA
56Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, NY
57University of FloridaGainesville, FL
58Auburn UniversityAuburn, AL
59University of Phoenix - ArizonaPhoenix, AZ
60Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, OH
61University of ArkansasFayetteville, AR
62University of KansasLawrence, KS
63Loyola Marymount UniversityLos Angeles, CA
64Oklahoma State University - Main CampusStillwater, OK
65University of South Carolina - ColumbiaColumbia, SC
66Marquette UniversityMilwaukee, WI
67James Madison UniversityHarrisonburg, VA
68University of San DiegoSan Diego, CA
69Loyola University ChicagoChicago, IL
70University of St Thomas MinnesotaSaint Paul, MN
71University of ScrantonScranton, PA
72University of HoustonHouston, TX
73University of IowaIowa City, IA
74University of Cincinnati - Main CampusCincinnati, OH
75University of Nebraska - LincolnLincoln, NE
76University of Nevada - Las VegasLas Vegas, NV
77The University of Texas at DallasRichardson, TX
78University of DaytonDayton, OH
79University of Illinois at ChicagoChicago, IL
80Florida International UniversityMiami, FL
81Southern New Hampshire UniversityManchester, NH
81University of Northern IowaCedar Falls, IA
82The University of Tennessee - KnoxvilleKnoxville, TN
83Saint Mary’s College of CaliforniaMoraga, CA
84North Carolina State UniversityRaleigh, NC
85University of South Florida - Main CampusTampa, FL
86Purdue University - Main CampusWest Lafayette, IN
87California State University - NorthridgeNorthridge, CA
88Butler UniversityIndianapolis, IN
89University of Maryland Global CampusAdelphi, MD
90University of KentuckyLexington, KY
91Baruch CollegeNew York, NY
92Washington State UniversityPullman, WA
93Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA
94Bradley UniversityPeoria, IL
95Clemson UniversityClemson, SC
96University of Central FloridaOrlando, FL
97University of North TexasDenton, TX
98Illinois State UniversityNormal, IL
99Chapman UniversityOrange, CA
100Rutgers University - NewarkNewark, NJ
101Kansas State UniversityManhattan, KS
102Trinity UniversitySan Antonio, TX
103Binghamton UniversityVestal, NY
104Elon UniversityElon, NC
105Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeBaton Rouge, LA
106University of UtahSalt Lake City, UT
107Suffolk UniversityBoston, MA
108University of OregonEugene, OR
109Utah Valley UniversityOrem, UT
110Rider UniversityLawrenceville, NJ
111Florida Atlantic UniversityBoca Raton, FL
112Western Governors UniversitySalt Lake City, UT
113University of Wisconsin - WhitewaterWhitewater, WI
114West Chester University of PennsylvaniaWest Chester, PA
115Illinois Wesleyan UniversityBloomington, IL
115University of Alabama at BirminghamBirmingham, AL
117Duquesne UniversityPittsburgh, PA
118Towson UniversityTowson, MD
119University of ToledoToledo, OH
120University of Missouri - St LouisSaint Louis, MO
121Colorado State University - Global CampusAurora, CO
122Rutgers University - New BrunswickNew Brunswick, NJ
123Arizona State University - TempeTempe, AZ
124Yeshiva UniversityNew York, NY
125North Dakota State University - Main CampusFargo, ND
126University of DenverDenver, CO
127University of North DakotaGrand Forks, ND
128Indiana Wesleyan University - National & GlobalMarion, IN
129Saint Louis UniversitySaint Louis, MO
130Central Washington UniversityEllensburg, WA
131Franklin UniversityColumbus, OH
132Wayne State UniversityDetroit, MI
133The University of Texas at San AntonioSan Antonio, TX
134Truman State UniversityKirksville, MO
135University of Wisconsin - Eau ClaireEau Claire, WI
136John Carroll UniversityUniversity Heights, OH
137Grand Valley State UniversityAllendale, MI
138Maryville University of Saint LouisSaint Louis, MO
139University of Nevada - RenoReno, NV

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Accounting students that almost earned our Best Accounting Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

RankCollegeLocation
140Virginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmond, VA
141Luther CollegeDecorah, IA
142Western Washington UniversityBellingham, WA
143Park UniversityParkville, MO
144Portland State UniversityPortland, OR
145Ohio University - Athens CampusAthens, OH
146Mount St Mary’s UniversityEmmitsburg, MD
147Montclair State UniversityMontclair, NJ
148Xavier UniversityCincinnati, OH
149Texas State UniversitySan Marcos, TX
150Mississippi State UniversityMississippi State, MS
151Muhlenberg CollegeAllentown, PA
152Northern Illinois UniversityDekalb, IL
153Kent State University at KentKent, OH
154Rowan UniversityGlassboro, NJ
155University of San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA
156University of LouisvilleLouisville, KY
157Western Michigan UniversityKalamazoo, MI
158La Salle UniversityPhiladelphia, PA
159Utah State UniversityLogan, UT
160Minnesota State University - MankatoMankato, MN
161Georgia State UniversityAtlanta, GA
162University of Wisconsin - La CrosseLa Crosse, WI
163Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN
164Benedictine UniversityLisle, IL
165Seton Hall UniversitySouth Orange, NJ
166Wake Forest UniversityWinston-Salem, NC
167Central Connecticut State UniversityNew Britain, CT
168Simpson CollegeIndianola, IA
169Furman UniversityGreenville, SC
170American UniversityWashington, DC
171Oakland UniversityRochester Hills, MI
172University of Akron Main CampusAkron, OH
173Augustana CollegeRock Island, IL
174Calvin UniversityGrand Rapids, MI
175University of TulsaTulsa, OK
176The College of New JerseyEwing, NJ
177Hope CollegeHolland, MI
178Missouri State University - SpringfieldSpringfield, MO
179Pace University - New YorkNew York, NY
180Bowling Green State University - Main CampusBowling Green, OH
181University of MaryBismarck, ND
182Samford UniversityBirmingham, AL
183Concordia College at MoorheadMoorhead, MN
184Kennesaw State UniversityKennesaw, GA
185North Central CollegeNaperville, IL

Accounting by Region

View the Best Accounting Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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Accounting is one of 21 different types of Business, Management & Marketing programs to choose from.

Accounting Focus Areas

MajorAnnual Graduates
Accounting49,080
Accounting and Finance842
Accounting and Business/Management672
Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping277
Other Accounting and Related Services136
Auditing35

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Business Administration & Management174,534
Finance & Financial Management48,215
Marketing45,122
General Business/Commerce24,850
Human Resource Management11,722
Management Sciences & Quantitative Methods10,408
Hospitality Management10,396
Management Information Systems9,324
International Business6,418
Business/Managerial Economics5,360

Notes and References

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