Best Colleges for Accounting
50 Accounting programs ranked by real graduate earnings, debt, and completion — from the College Scorecard Field-of-Study data.
For Accounting, University of Southern California (California) ranks #1 by our outcome score, with median graduate earnings of $121,101. Rankings reflect earnings, debt, and completion — not reputation or cost — across 50 programs with published outcome data.
| # | School | Credential | Median earnings | Median debt | Completers | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $121,101 | $16,491 | 160 | 95.9 |
| 2 | Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA | Bachelor's Degree | $126,461 | $18,000 | 123 | 94.9 |
| 3 | Georgetown University Washington, DC | Bachelor's Degree | $141,931 | $17,500 | 53 | 94 |
| 4 | Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $130,087 | $18,625 | 67 | 93.7 |
| 5 | Bryant University Smithfield, RI | Master's Degree | $111,632 | $14,194 | 40 | 92.9 |
| 6 | Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA | Bachelor's Degree | $118,946 | $16,750 | 37 | 92.7 |
| 7 | Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA | Post-baccalaureate Certificate | $115,965 | $12,500 | — | 92.6 |
| 8 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY | Master's Degree | $113,283 | $19,762 | 220 | 92.4 |
| 9 | Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA | Bachelor's Degree | $111,733 | $14,750 | 35 | 92.3 |
| 10 | University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN | Bachelor's Degree | $115,909 | $19,000 | 66 | 92.1 |
| 11 | Binghamton University Vestal, NY | Bachelor's Degree | $106,323 | $17,500 | 171 | 91.4 |
| 12 | Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX | Bachelor's Degree | $103,662 | $16,831 | 262 | 90.9 |
| 13 | Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX | Bachelor's Degree | $103,675 | $16,200 | 75 | 90.1 |
| 14 | Brigham Young University Provo, UT | Bachelor's Degree | $96,632 | $9,127 | 269 | 89.9 |
| 15 | Touro University New York, NY | Bachelor's Degree | $99,047 | $11,000 | 64 | 89.7 |
| 16 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX | Bachelor's Degree | $105,143 | $19,462 | 186 | 89.5 |
| 17 | University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $100,725 | $16,000 | 102 | 89.3 |
| 18 | Binghamton University Vestal, NY | Master's Degree | $113,379 | $20,500 | 89 | 89.2 |
| 19 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN | Master's Degree | $112,249 | $20,500 | 105 | 89.2 |
| 20 | Sacred Heart University Fairfield, CT | Master's Degree | $117,457 | $20,500 | 57 | 89 |
| 21 | Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX | Bachelor's Degree | $101,938 | $17,778 | 116 | 89 |
| 22 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA | Master's Degree | $110,498 | $20,500 | 152 | 88.9 |
| 23 | University of Central Florida Orlando, FL | Master's Degree | $105,203 | $17,950 | 52 | 88.7 |
| 24 | Pace University New York, NY | Master's Degree | $115,804 | $20,500 | 57 | 88.7 |
| 25 | University of Connecticut Storrs, CT | Master's Degree | $113,488 | $21,075 | 87 | 88.6 |
| 26 | University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL | Master's Degree | $110,979 | $18,563 | 24 | 88.6 |
| 27 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA | Master's Degree | $109,628 | $20,500 | 160 | 88.5 |
| 28 | Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX | Master's Degree | $108,934 | $20,500 | 204 | 88.5 |
| 29 | University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO | Master's Degree | $98,020 | $16,250 | 182 | 88.3 |
| 30 | University of Miami Coral Gables, FL | Bachelor's Degree | $102,344 | $17,750 | 63 | 88.2 |
| 31 | University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD | Bachelor's Degree | $97,314 | $15,000 | 154 | 88.2 |
| 32 | Brigham Young University Provo, UT | Master's Degree | $114,584 | — | 168 | 88.1 |
| 33 | University at Albany Albany, NY | Master's Degree | $110,374 | $20,500 | 87 | 88 |
| 34 | University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT | Master's Degree | $109,883 | $20,500 | 93 | 88 |
| 35 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA | Bachelor's Degree | $99,528 | $18,500 | 162 | 87.9 |
| 36 | University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY | Master's Degree | $98,554 | $16,000 | 78 | 87.7 |
| 37 | Bentley University Waltham, MA | Master's Degree | $115,201 | $20,500 | 37 | 87.5 |
| 38 | Texas State University San Marcos, TX | Master's Degree | $99,772 | $17,425 | 64 | 87.5 |
| 39 | James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA | Master's Degree | $111,224 | $20,500 | 52 | 87.5 |
| 40 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL | Bachelor's Degree | $101,098 | $20,125 | 353 | 87 |
| 41 | Fordham University Bronx, NY | Bachelor's Degree | $117,024 | $23,000 | 93 | 87 |
| 42 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL | Master's Degree | $107,577 | $20,732 | 87 | 86.9 |
| 43 | Elon University Elon, NC | Bachelor's Degree | $105,707 | $20,000 | 56 | 86.9 |
| 44 | University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI | Master's Degree | $107,090 | $20,500 | 84 | 86.9 |
| 45 | Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA | Master's Degree | $118,957 | — | 51 | 86.8 |
| 46 | Baylor University Waco, TX | Bachelor's Degree | $102,011 | $20,495 | 148 | 86.7 |
| 47 | Temple University Philadelphia, PA | Master's Degree | $110,473 | $20,500 | 46 | 86.6 |
| 48 | Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA | Bachelor's Degree | $125,874 | $23,179 | 58 | 86.5 |
| 49 | University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA | Bachelor's Degree | $112,202 | $20,500 | 34 | 86.5 |
| 50 | Western Governors University Salt Lake City, UT | Master's Degree | $92,442 | $12,750 | 320 | 86.5 |
How we ranked this
Programs are scored 0–100 within the Accounting field (CIP 52.03) using three College Scorecard figures: median graduate earnings (weighted 70%), median federal-loan debt (20%, inverted so lower debt scores higher), and completer count (10%, log-scaled). Each input is percentile-ranked against the other Accounting programs, so the score is robust to outliers and comparable across schools. Programs with no published earnings are excluded — never given a fabricated number. This is the same engine that powers our interactive Major Rankings. Minimum 5 scorable programs required to publish.
Frequently asked questions
Which college has the best Accounting program?+
By our outcome score, University of Southern California (California) ranks #1 for Accounting, with median graduate earnings of $121,101.
How are these Accounting programs ranked?+
Each program gets a 0–100 outcome score from three real College Scorecard figures: median graduate earnings (70%), median federal-loan debt (20%, lower is better), and completer count (10%). Programs are compared within the major so the score reflects the best schools for this field specifically.
Where does the earnings and debt data come from?+
The U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field-of-Study file, which publishes median earnings and median debt by institution and major (4-digit CIP). Figures are post-graduation medians; programs without published earnings are not scored and are omitted from this ranking.
Can I filter Accounting programs by state or degree level?+
Yes. This page shows the national top programs; use the interactive Major Rankings tool to filter the same data by state, and by credential level (bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral).
Keep exploring
Data sources: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Field of Study) · IPEDS Completions. Figures are the most recent values published in each federal dataset; cells with no published value are shown as “—” and never estimated. CertiHomes Education does not sell rankings or accept placement fees.