College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
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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 take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination 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 complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools 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
Bentley crest
Bentley University
Waltham, MA
178 Annual Graduates
$64,753 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in accounting needs 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 receive an earnings boost of about $17,862 over the typical income of accounting majors.

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

2
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
19 Annual Graduates

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

3
33 Annual Graduates

It's 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 large 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 choice for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in accounting. UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Champaign.

Accounting bachelor's degree recipients from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign earn a boost of around $18,534 over the typical earnings of accounting graduates.

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 very large student population.

Accounting bachelor's degree recipients from University of Southern California receive an earnings boost of approximately $17,906 over the average 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 suburb of Notre Dame.

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

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 receive an earnings boost of about $30,550 over the typical 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 city of Madison.

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

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

10
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
93 Annual Graduates
$69,420 Median Starting Salary
$25,858 Median Student Debt

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

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

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 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 receive an earnings boost of approximately $10,214 above the typical income of accounting graduates.

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 fairly large public university located in the suburb of Storrs.

Those accounting students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Connecticut make $19,002 more than the typical accounting grad.

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 large city of Philadelphia.

Those accounting students who get their bachelor's degree from Drexel University earn $13,433 more than the standard 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 midsize city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Accounting bachelor's degree recipients from Brigham Young University - Provo earn a boost of about $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 earn a boost of about $20,937 above the typical earnings of accounting graduates.

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 very large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis.

Accounting bachelor's degree recipients from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities receive an earnings boost of about $11,823 over the average 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 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 majors.

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 fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the accounting program at Boston College earn $23,008 more than the typical college graduate in this field 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 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 make $21,885 more than 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 fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the 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 moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Bethlehem.

Those accounting students who get their bachelor's degree from Lehigh University make $24,629 more than the average accounting graduate.

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 small city of Coral Gables.

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

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

23
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
214 Annual Graduates
$58,100 Median Starting Salary
$23,250 Median Student Debt

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

Accounting bachelor's degree recipients from Michigan State University receive an earnings boost of approximately $11,209 above the average 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 midsize city of Athens.

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

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 fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the accounting major at University of Maryland - College Park make $15,091 more than the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

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27
Bucknell crest
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, PA
28
Providence crest
Providence College
Providence, RI
29
Seattle U crest
Seattle University
Seattle, WA
30
31
32

33
Fairfield U crest
Fairfield University
Fairfield, CT

34
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
35
36
37
38
39
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
40
Gonzaga crest
Gonzaga University
Spokane, WA
41

42

43
44
Drake crest
Drake University
Des Moines, IA
45
46
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48
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
49
50

Additional Award Winners

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

Rank College Location
51 Creighton University Omaha, NE
52 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX
53 Bryant University Smithfield, RI
54 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Norman, OK
55 Saint Joseph’s University Philadelphia, PA
56 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
57 University of Florida Gainesville, FL
58 Auburn University Auburn, AL
59 University of Phoenix - Arizona Phoenix, AZ
60 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
61 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
62 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
63 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA
64 Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Stillwater, OK
65 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
66 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI
67 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
68 University of San Diego San Diego, CA
69 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL
70 University of St Thomas Minnesota Saint Paul, MN
71 University of Scranton Scranton, PA
72 University of Houston Houston, TX
73 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
74 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
75 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
76 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
77 The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX
78 University of Dayton Dayton, OH
79 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
80 Florida International University Miami, FL
81 Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH
81 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA
82 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
83 Saint Mary’s College of California Moraga, CA
84 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
85 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
86 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
87 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
88 Butler University Indianapolis, IN
89 University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD
90 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
91 Baruch College New York, NY
92 Washington State University Pullman, WA
93 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
94 Bradley University Peoria, IL
95 Clemson University Clemson, SC
96 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
97 University of North Texas Denton, TX
98 Illinois State University Normal, IL
99 Chapman University Orange, CA
100 Rutgers University - Newark Newark, NJ
101 Kansas State University Manhattan, KS
102 Trinity University San Antonio, TX
103 Binghamton University Vestal, NY
104 Elon University Elon, NC
105 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
106 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
107 Suffolk University Boston, MA
108 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
109 Utah Valley University Orem, UT
110 Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ
111 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
112 Western Governors University Salt Lake City, UT
113 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
114 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA
115 Illinois Wesleyan University Bloomington, IL
115 University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL
117 Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA
118 Towson University Towson, MD
119 University of Toledo Toledo, OH
120 University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO
121 Colorado State University - Global Campus Aurora, CO
122 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
123 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ
124 Yeshiva University New York, NY
125 North Dakota State University - Main Campus Fargo, ND
126 University of Denver Denver, CO
127 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
128 Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global Marion, IN
129 Saint Louis University Saint Louis, MO
130 Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA
131 Franklin University Columbus, OH
132 Wayne State University Detroit, MI
133 The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX
134 Truman State University Kirksville, MO
135 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI
136 John Carroll University University Heights, OH
137 Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI
138 Maryville University of Saint Louis Saint Louis, MO
139 University of Nevada - Reno Reno, NV

Honorable Mentions

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

Rank College Location
140 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
141 Luther College Decorah, IA
142 Western Washington University Bellingham, WA
143 Park University Parkville, MO
144 Portland State University Portland, OR
145 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH
146 Mount St Mary’s University Emmitsburg, MD
147 Montclair State University Montclair, NJ
148 Xavier University Cincinnati, OH
149 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
150 Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS
151 Muhlenberg College Allentown, PA
152 Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL
153 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
154 Rowan University Glassboro, NJ
155 University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
156 University of Louisville Louisville, KY
157 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI
158 La Salle University Philadelphia, PA
159 Utah State University Logan, UT
160 Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN
161 Georgia State University Atlanta, GA
162 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse La Crosse, WI
163 Ball State University Muncie, IN
164 Benedictine University Lisle, IL
165 Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ
166 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
167 Central Connecticut State University New Britain, CT
168 Simpson College Indianola, IA
169 Furman University Greenville, SC
170 American University Washington, DC
171 Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI
172 University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH
173 Augustana College Rock Island, IL
174 Calvin University Grand Rapids, MI
175 University of Tulsa Tulsa, OK
176 The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ
177 Hope College Holland, MI
178 Missouri State University - Springfield Springfield, MO
179 Pace University - New York New York, NY
180 Bowling Green State University - Main Campus Bowling Green, OH
181 University of Mary Bismarck, ND
182 Samford University Birmingham, AL
183 Concordia College at Moorhead Moorhead, MN
184 Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA
185 North Central College Naperville, 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

Major Annual Graduates
Accounting 49,080
Accounting and Finance 842
Accounting and Business/Management 672
Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping 277
Other Accounting and Related Services 136
Auditing 35

Related Major Annual Graduates
Business Administration & Management 174,534
Finance & Financial Management 48,215
Marketing 45,122
General Business/Commerce 24,850
Human Resource Management 11,722
Management Sciences & Quantitative Methods 10,408
Hospitality Management 10,396
Management Information Systems 9,324
International Business 6,418
Business/Managerial Economics 5,360

Notes and References

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