How We Rank Our Accounting Programs

What informs our rankings? The Accounting.com methodology page explains how we assess academic quality, affordability, availability, and reputation.

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To provide comprehensive, reliable rankings of accounting programs, we use a methodology unique to the specific needs of this website and its audience.

In each of Accounting.com's rankings, we consider these key factors to determine the best programs: academics, affordability, reputation, and program availability.

These rankings are free of outside influence, and based solely on data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a federal agency tasked with collecting, analyzing, and publishing education statistics in the U.S.

Schools cannot pay for a higher spot in our rankings; their programs earn features based on the data we collect and how they stack up in our ranking factors. Although our site features advertising partners, we do not consider those relationships when compiling rankings.

On this page, we explore the factors and subfactors in our rankings and how they weigh into our overall scores. We look at four key metrics:

Academics: We consider subfactors such as retention, graduation rates, and faculty.
Affordability: We assess overall costs, available financial aid, and post-graduation debt.
Reputation: We look at admission and acceptance rates and a school's overall return on investment (ROI).
Program availability: We examine online flexible learning options.

Explore this page to learn about our ranking methodology for the best accounting programs in the U.S.

About the Data We Use to Rank Accounting Schools

To create our accounting rankings, we rely on the most current and trusted sources, such as NCES. As part of the U.S. Department of Education (ED), the NCES annually updates and publishes statistical educational information through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).

IPEDS examines trends in enrollment numbers, tuition rates, faculty and staff employment, and degree conferral rates. We use this IPEDS data in our rankings to help students make the best choice for their accounting program.

We update our rankings annually, or sometimes more frequently if IPEDS releases new data. This means we may update our rankings for programs several times per year. When we update rankings, all new data from IPEDS is run through our rankings algorithms to create a list of the top accounting schools. Students can count on our data to stay current, accurate, and aimed at helping them find the best learning options.

When applicable, our independent third-party panel of experts reviews page content — excluding school descriptions — for accuracy.

Exclusion Criteria

Our quality assurance team verifies that schools without adequate data are not included in our rankings. For example, schools are ineligible for our affordability-focused lists if they did not provide data on the average net price after aid (i.e., the average amount students paid out of pocket). They also are not considered for the No. 1 spot on our rankings if they did not report all relevant data points used in our ranking methodology.

Schools are omitted entirely from our database if they:

Have a retention rate of <10%
Have a graduation rate of <10%
Have a four-year completion rate for low-income students of <10%
Did not provide any of the above data to IPEDS
Explicitly support anti-LGBTQ+ policies, groups, practices, and/or initiatives

A Breakdown of Our Accounting Rankings Methodology

When creating our rankings, we understand the importance of using the right methodology to assess accounting degrees.

We consider a school’s academics, affordability, reputation, and program availability. To create the rankings, we weigh each of these factors based on importance for that specific degree type. Explore the charts below to see how we weigh each factor.

Subfactors to Our Accounting Ranking System

At Accounting.com, we are committed to helping current and prospective students find pathways to success, offering helpful career guidance and data-backed recommendations for learners.

We take the reliability of our rankings seriously, considering a variety of key factors — and their subfactors — that matter most to students.

This information helps prospective accounting students make informed choices about the best program to meet their academic and career goals, while staying within their budget and providing the support they need to thrive.

We consider all of these factors to compile comprehensive, accurate rankings that students can trust.

Subfactors for Academics

Retention Rate: A school's retention rate indicates the number of students who remain enrolled during each fall semester. This number also includes students enrolled in the fall who graduate by the following fall semester. A high retention rate is often a positive indicator of a school's student satisfaction.
Graduation Rate: Graduation rate measures the number of full-time, first-time students who complete their degrees at the same school where they began their degrees, within 150% of the standard completion time. This number includes the students who graduate within six years of beginning a bachelor's degree and within four years of beginning an associate degree. It also includes certificate-seeking students who start and finish their education at the same institution.
Robust Faculty: Smaller class sizes often lend to more one-on-one faculty attention for students, which can help students thrive academically. We consider the proportion of full-time faculty along with the student-to-faculty ratio at each school.

Subfactors for Affordability

Price for Students With Grants or Scholarships: The overall price to earn a degree is likely one of the most critical factors students consider when choosing a program. Even with financial aid options, pursuing a degree can rack up costs quickly, so we weigh a school's overall costs into what makes a program the best.
Students Getting Financial Aid: The majority of undergraduate students pursuing degrees receive some form of financial aid. When we measure the number of students receiving aid at a school, we consider all forms of aid, including federal and private loans, grants, scholarships, work-study, tuition waivers, and assistantships. We also consider the average amount of aid each student receives at a school.
Students Getting Federal Aid: Students enrolled at accredited institutions often qualify for some form of federal aid. This includes federal loans, need-based grants, and work-study funds. We look at the percentage of students at each school who receive federal aid and the average amount of federal aid awarded per student.
Post-Graduation Student Debt: Students graduating with a bachelor's degree borrowed an average federal loan amount of $45,300 in 2020, according to the NCES. Loan amounts for students at private nonprofit four-year institutions were higher than those for students at other institutions, such as public and private two-year institutions.

Subfactors for Reputation

Percent of Applicants Admitted: When examining school admission rates, a lower rate can indicate a school is more competitive and sought after. This factors into how we consider and weigh a school's reputation in our ranking. More applicants and fewer admissions often reflect a higher level of interest in that institution or specific program.
Admission Yield: A school with a positive reputation may show a higher admission yield from their admitted students. A school's admission yield reflects the students who earn admission and ultimately enroll in classes at that institution. A higher enrollment rate can indicate a school or specific programs that are especially attractive to newly admitted students, which can point toward a school having a better reputation among applicants and current students alike.
Return on Investment: Pursuing an accounting degree is a significant investment for any student. When we measure a school's ROI, we compare the average earnings of students who enter the workforce after graduation to the school's overall cost.

Subfactors for Program Availability and Online Flexibility

Percent of Relevant Degree Level Offered: When considering overall program availability, we look at the total number of programs a school offers at each degree level relevant to that major. For instance, when ranking bachelor's degrees, we look at how many unique bachelor's programs a school offers.
Percent of Online Students Enrolled: Students looking for the flexibility of online programs should look at a school's online enrollment. A higher online enrollment percentage may signal a stronger interest in that school's online education options, more resources dedicated to online learning, and, potentially, a better online delivery experience.