University Headquarters (HQ) is an industry-leading, independent educational organization that provides independent college rankings using a proprietary formula to create first class unbiased rankings. The team at University HQ strives to provide accurate and trustworthy rankings that highlights the best programs for accounting.
If you’re looking to enter college and earn yourself an accounting diploma from one of the best accounting bachelor's programs online, you may be wondering where the best place would be to start this step in your academic career. If that’s the case, then you’re in the right spot. Not only have we listed the top colleges and universities for an accounting degree in the US, but you’ll also be able to compare them based on school size, tuition, graduation rate, etc. Take a look through our list and see if you can find the best school for you, whether it’s the most prestigious, the most likely to get you a job, or just the closest one to home.
Choosing the right institution to pursue an education in accounting is a substantial decision that can shape your career trajectory. The best accounting schools distinguish themselves through rigorous curricula that not only prepare accounting students for the CPA exam but also equip them with a comprehensive understanding of business principles and financial management. When you consider these top-tier programs, you're looking at colleges and universities that have earned their reputations for excellence through high placement rates in prestigious firms, expert faculty, and strong professional networks.
Your journey towards a successful career in accounting starts with selecting a program that aligns with your professional goals and learning style. Accredited institutions that rank highly for their accounting major programs often provide a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical experience, ensuring that you are well-versed in the latest industry practices. Additionally, these premier schools offer a variety of specializations, from managerial accounting to auditing and tax accounting, which can enable you to tailor your educational experience to suit your interests and career aspirations.
It's important to assess each school's accounting resources, such as career support services and alumni networks, as they can play a crucial role in your post-graduate success. The schools that come out on top in rankings typically facilitate substantial connections with the business world, thereby offering you a clear pathway to internships and employment opportunities. Deliberate on what each program has to offer and consider how it fits into your broader career plan, because the choice you make today can be instrumental in defining your future in the world of business and accounting.
Featured Online Accounting Programs
Top 25 Best Campus Accounting Schools
Rice University
Score: 92.84
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $58,128
- Out-of-State: $58,128
- Net Price: $19,902
- Acceptance Rate: 9%
- Retention Rate: 98%
- Graduation Rate: 94%
- Total Enrollment: 8,672
- Undergrad Students: 4,494
- Graduate Students: 4,178
- Grads Salary: $92,000
- Student-to-faculty: 6:1
University of Pennsylvania
Score: 91.95
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $66,104
- Out-of-State: $66,104
- Net Price: $26,123
- Acceptance Rate: 7%
- Retention Rate: 98%
- Graduation Rate: 96%
- Total Enrollment: 28,201
- Undergrad Students: 11,250
- Graduate Students: 16,951
- Grads Salary: $94,000
- Student-to-faculty: 8:1
Washington and Lee University
Score: 90.13
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $64,525
- Out-of-State: $64,525
- Net Price: $24,733
- Acceptance Rate: 17%
- Retention Rate: 98%
- Graduation Rate: 95%
- Total Enrollment: 2,243
- Undergrad Students: 1,867
- Graduate Students: 376
- Grads Salary: $90,000
- Student-to-faculty: 7:1
Vanderbilt University
Score: 89.26
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $63,946
- Out-of-State: $63,946
- Net Price: $25,606
- Acceptance Rate: 7%
- Retention Rate: 96%
- Graduation Rate: 93%
- Total Enrollment: 13,710
- Undergrad Students: 7,151
- Graduate Students: 6,559
- Grads Salary: $89,000
- Student-to-faculty: 7:1
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Score: 89.21
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $17,228
- Out-of-State: $58,072
- Net Price: $19,318
- Acceptance Rate: 18%
- Retention Rate: 97%
- Graduation Rate: 93%
- Total Enrollment: 51,225
- Undergrad Students: 32,695
- Graduate Students: 18,530
- Grads Salary: $88,000
- Student-to-faculty: 12:1
University of Notre Dame
Score: 87.67
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $62,693
- Out-of-State: $62,693
- Net Price: $28,474
- Acceptance Rate: 13%
- Retention Rate: 97%
- Graduation Rate: 96%
- Total Enrollment: 13,105
- Undergrad Students: 8,971
- Graduate Students: 4,134
- Grads Salary: $87,000
- Student-to-faculty: 9:1
Washington University in St. Louis
Score: 87.42
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $62,982
- Out-of-State: $62,982
- Net Price: $23,432
- Acceptance Rate: 12%
- Retention Rate: 96%
- Graduation Rate: 94%
- Total Enrollment: 17,012
- Undergrad Students: 8,132
- Graduate Students: 8,880
- Grads Salary: $83,000
- Student-to-faculty: 7:1
University of Virginia
Score: 87.31
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $20,986
- Out-of-State: $58,014
- Net Price: $19,469
- Acceptance Rate: 19%
- Retention Rate: 97%
- Graduation Rate: 95%
- Total Enrollment: 26,082
- Undergrad Students: 17,444
- Graduate Students: 8,638
- Grads Salary: $84,000
- Student-to-faculty: 15:1
University of California-Irvine
Score: 87.19
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $14,237
- Out-of-State: $45,014
- Net Price: $14,033
- Acceptance Rate: 21%
- Retention Rate: 91%
- Graduation Rate: 87%
- Total Enrollment: 35,937
- Undergrad Students: 28,662
- Graduate Students: 7,275
- Grads Salary: $88,000
- Student-to-faculty: 18:1
University of Southern California
Score: 86.2
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $68,237
- Out-of-State: $68,237
- Net Price: $36,808
- Acceptance Rate: 12%
- Retention Rate: 97%
- Graduation Rate: 92%
- Total Enrollment: 48,945
- Undergrad Students: 20,699
- Graduate Students: 28,246
- Grads Salary: $92,000
- Student-to-faculty: 9:1
University of Florida
Score: 85.87
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $6,381
- Out-of-State: $28,659
- Net Price: $11,740
- Acceptance Rate: 23%
- Retention Rate: 97%
- Graduation Rate: 90%
- Total Enrollment: 55,211
- Undergrad Students: 34,552
- Graduate Students: 20,659
- Grads Salary: $79,000
- Student-to-faculty: 16:1
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Score: 85.65
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $8,989
- Out-of-State: $39,330
- Net Price: $10,614
- Acceptance Rate: 17%
- Retention Rate: 96%
- Graduation Rate: 91%
- Total Enrollment: 31,705
- Undergrad Students: 20,029
- Graduate Students: 11,676
- Grads Salary: $77,000
- Student-to-faculty: 17:1
Emory University
Score: 85.31
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $60,774
- Out-of-State: $60,774
- Net Price: $26,680
- Acceptance Rate: 11%
- Retention Rate: 95%
- Graduation Rate: 90%
- Total Enrollment: 14,841
- Undergrad Students: 7,101
- Graduate Students: 7,740
- Grads Salary: $84,000
- Student-to-faculty: 9:1
Lehigh University
Score: 85.31
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $62,180
- Out-of-State: $62,180
- Net Price: $30,453
- Acceptance Rate: 37%
- Retention Rate: 91%
- Graduation Rate: 91%
- Total Enrollment: 7,394
- Undergrad Students: 5,624
- Graduate Students: 1,770
- Grads Salary: $91,000
- Student-to-faculty: 10:1
University of Washington
Score: 85.25
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $12,643
- Out-of-State: $41,997
- Net Price: $10,603
- Acceptance Rate: 48%
- Retention Rate: 94%
- Graduation Rate: 84%
- Total Enrollment: 52,319
- Undergrad Students: 36,213
- Graduate Students: 16,106
- Grads Salary: $87,000
- Student-to-faculty: 21:1
Villanova University
Score: 85.22
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $64,701
- Out-of-State: $64,701
- Net Price: $34,837
- Acceptance Rate: 23%
- Retention Rate: 96%
- Graduation Rate: 91%
- Total Enrollment: 10,383
- Undergrad Students: 6,989
- Graduate Students: 3,394
- Grads Salary: $91,000
- Student-to-faculty: 10:1
Georgetown University
Score: 85.11
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $65,081
- Out-of-State: $65,081
- Net Price: $35,566
- Acceptance Rate: 12%
- Retention Rate: 97%
- Graduation Rate: 96%
- Total Enrollment: 20,984
- Undergrad Students: 7,900
- Graduate Students: 13,084
- Grads Salary: $87,000
- Student-to-faculty: 11:1
New York University
Score: 85.08
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $60,438
- Out-of-State: $60,438
- Net Price: $29,499
- Acceptance Rate: 12%
- Retention Rate: 95%
- Graduation Rate: 87%
- Total Enrollment: 59,144
- Undergrad Students: 29,401
- Graduate Students: 29,743
- Grads Salary: $87,000
- Student-to-faculty: 8:1
University of California-Davis
Score: 84.49
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $15,247
- Out-of-State: $46,024
- Net Price: $17,385
- Acceptance Rate: 37%
- Retention Rate: 92%
- Graduation Rate: 86%
- Total Enrollment: 39,679
- Undergrad Students: 31,532
- Graduate Students: 8,147
- Grads Salary: $88,000
- Student-to-faculty: 21:1
The University of Texas at Austin
Score: 84.19
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $11,678
- Out-of-State: $42,778
- Net Price: $17,434
- Acceptance Rate: 31%
- Retention Rate: 95%
- Graduation Rate: 88%
- Total Enrollment: 52,384
- Undergrad Students: 41,309
- Graduate Students: 11,075
- Grads Salary: $83,000
- Student-to-faculty: 18:1
University of Maryland
Score: 84.08
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $11,505
- Out-of-State: $40,306
- Net Price: $16,210
- Acceptance Rate: 45%
- Retention Rate: 95%
- Graduation Rate: 89%
- Total Enrollment: 40,792
- Undergrad Students: 30,353
- Graduate Students: 10,439
- Grads Salary: $83,000
- Student-to-faculty: 18:1
Binghamton University
Score: 83.94
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $10,363
- Out-of-State: $29,453
- Net Price: $19,535
- Acceptance Rate: 42%
- Retention Rate: 91%
- Graduation Rate: 83%
- Total Enrollment: 18,312
- Undergrad Students: 14,402
- Graduate Students: 3,910
- Grads Salary: $90,000
- Student-to-faculty: 19:1
Boston College
Score: 83.82
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $67,680
- Out-of-State: $67,680
- Net Price: $30,559
- Acceptance Rate: 17%
- Retention Rate: 95%
- Graduation Rate: 91%
- Total Enrollment: 15,287
- Undergrad Students: 9,982
- Graduate Students: 5,305
- Grads Salary: $85,000
- Student-to-faculty: 12:1
Purdue University
Score: 83.56
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $9,992
- Out-of-State: $28,794
- Net Price: $12,576
- Acceptance Rate: 53%
- Retention Rate: 90%
- Graduation Rate: 83%
- Total Enrollment: 51,528
- Undergrad Students: 38,593
- Graduate Students: 12,935
- Grads Salary: $83,000
- Student-to-faculty: 14:1
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Score: 83.38
- Undergraduate Tuition
- In-State: $11,205
- Out-of-State: $40,603
- Net Price: $13,376
- Acceptance Rate: 49%
- Retention Rate: 94%
- Graduation Rate: 89%
- Total Enrollment: 48,956
- Undergrad Students: 36,306
- Graduate Students: 12,650
- Grads Salary: $80,000
- Student-to-faculty: 18:1
Academic Excellence and Curriculum
When choosing a school for your accounting degree program, the variety of majors and hands-on learning opportunities are pivotal in shaping your expertise and career readiness.
Accounting Majors and Specializations
Your journey in accounting starts with selecting a major or specialization that aligns with your career goals. Degree programs might include a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Accounting, or even a PhD for those inclined toward academic research. Within these programs, courses cover an array of topics, from basic principles to advanced financial analysis.
- Bachelor's Level: Fundamental accounting principles, tax accounting, auditing
- MBA Level: Advanced management accounting, strategic cost analysis, international accounting
- PhD Level: Research methodologies, statistical analysis in accounting
Undergraduate programs often offer study abroad opportunities, allowing you to understand accounting in a global context, which is invaluable in today's interconnected market.
Find Your Online Accounting Program
Internship and Hands-on Learning Opportunities
To enhance your employability, seek programs that incorporate internships or project-based learning. Internships provide you with practical experience, networking opportunities, and could potentially lead to job offers post-graduation.
- Internship Examples:
- Big Four accounting firms
- Corporate finance departments
- Non-profit organizations
Hands-on projects may involve real-world case studies or simulations. Such experiential learning ensures you're not only theoretically knowledgeable but also proficient in applying accounting practices in professional settings.
When researching degree-level rankings or major-specific rankings, consider how well these programs integrate practical experiences within their curriculum, as these will be crucial to your development as an accounting professional.