by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Accounting Major” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 73,172 accounting students received their degree, making the major the 7th most popular in the country.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Accounting Major” ranking analyzed 1,467 colleges that offered a degree in accounting. This ranking identifies schools that graduate the most students in accounting.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Accounting Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for accounting students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Western Governors University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Accounting Major list. Located in Salt Lake City, Utah, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 1,514 degrees to qualified ’s accounting students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern New Hampshire University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Accounting Major. SNHU is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Manchester, New Hampshire. It awarded 1,250 ’s accounting degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Baruch College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Accounting Major list. Baruch is a public institution located in New York, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 851 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Phoenix - Arizona. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Accounting Major list. University of Phoenix - Arizona is a large private for-profit school situated in Tempe, Arizona. It awarded 818 ’s accounting degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Accounting at University of Phoenix - Arizona
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas at Austin. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Accounting Major. The University of Texas at Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 534 ’s accounting degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Queens College ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Accounting Major list. Queens, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s accounting degrees to 521 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Houston landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Accounting Major ranking. University of Houston is a large public school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 506 ’s accounting degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The low undergrad 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%.
Florida Atlantic University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Accounting Major ranking. Florida Atlantic University is a public institution located in Boca Raton, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 502 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
The University of Texas at Dallas came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Accounting Major ranking. The University of Texas at Dallas is a large public school situated in Richardson, Texas. It awarded 440 ’s accounting degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #10, Liberty University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Accounting Major list. Liberty University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Lynchburg, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 498 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Mississippi landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Accounting Major ranking. Ole Miss is a public institution located in University, Mississippi. The school has a large population, and it awarded 429 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #12, Texas A&M University - College Station did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Accounting Major list. Located in College Station, Texas, this large public school handed out 416 diplomas to qualified ’s accounting students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Accounting at Texas A&M University - College Station
With a ranking of #13, The University of Alabama did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Accounting Major list. This large school is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and it awarded 406 ’s accounting degrees 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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #14, University of Georgia did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Accounting Major list. Located in Athens, Georgia, this large public school handed out 405 diplomas to qualified ’s accounting students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of South Florida - Main Campus landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Accounting Major ranking. This large school is located in Tampa, Florida, and it awarded 387 ’s accounting degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Accounting at University of South Florida - Main Campus
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #16 on this year’s Most Well Attended Accounting Major list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 385 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Colorado State University - Global Campus came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Accounting Major ranking. Colorado State University - Global Campus is a public institution located in Greenwood Village, Colorado. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 377 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad 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 more about Accounting at Colorado State University - Global Campus
Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Accounting Major ranking. This large school is located in Columbus, Ohio, and it awarded 367 ’s accounting degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Accounting at Ohio State University - Main Campus
With a ranking of #19, Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Accounting Major list. Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 354 ’s accounting degrees to qualified students.
Full Colorado Technical University - Colorado Springs Accounting Report
Rutgers University - Newark ranked #20 on this year’s Most Well Attended Accounting Major list. This fairly large school is located in Newark, New Jersey, and it awarded 348 ’s accounting degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Grand Canyon University ranked #21 on this year’s Most Well Attended Accounting Major list. This large school is located in Phoenix, Arizona, and it awarded 339 ’s accounting degrees in 2020-2021.
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%.
California State University - Northridge did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Accounting Major ranking, coming in at #22. California State University - Northridge is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 338 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad 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 California State University - Northridge
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Accounting Major ranking. Located in Norman, Oklahoma, this large public school handed out 332 degrees to qualified ’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 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%.
With a ranking of #24, University of Massachusetts Amherst did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Accounting Major list. University of Massachusetts Amherst is a large public school situated in Amherst, Massachusetts. It awarded 328 ’s accounting degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergrad 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 full report on Accounting at University of Massachusetts Amherst
Brooklyn College ranked #25 on this year’s Most Well Attended Accounting Major list. Brooklyn College is located in Brooklyn, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 320 ’s accounting degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ’top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville, TN |
| 52 | Texas State University | San Marcos, TX |
| 53 | Temple University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 54 | Utah Valley University | Orem, UT |
| 54 | University of Houston - Downtown | Houston, TX |
| 56 | St John’s University - New York | Queens, NY |
| 57 | University of Nevada - Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV |
| 58 | University of Cincinnati - Main Campus | Cincinnati, OH |
| 59 | Washington State University | Pullman, WA |
| 60 | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Madison, WI |
| 61 | The University of Texas at El Paso | El Paso, TX |
| 61 | University of Kentucky | Lexington, KY |
| 63 | Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI |
| 64 | Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA |
| 64 | Clemson University | Clemson, SC |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 215 | Northern Arizona University | Flagstaff, AZ |
| 217 | Texas A&M International University | Laredo, TX |
| 218 | Southeastern Louisiana University | Hammond, LA |
| 218 | Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi | Corpus Christi, TX |
| 220 | Duquesne University | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 220 | University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire | Eau Claire, WI |
| 220 | Rhode Island College | Providence, RI |
| 220 | William Paterson University of New Jersey | Wayne, NJ |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
