Utah Accounting Degree Programs

Financial services are critical to Utah’s economy. Utah hosts a booming financial technology industry and has the eighth-most banking assets of any U.S. state, according to the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity.

As the Utah Association of Certified Public Accountants notes, accounting professionals are in high demand in the state. To better respond to employer needs, Utah approved a more accessible path to licensure for certified public accountants (CPAs) in March 2025.

Utah’s new licensure pathway rules take effect in 2026. As an accounting student, you can take advantage of these changes. Start by exploring the data-rich information below to determine whether Utah’s profile aligns with your learning goals and career plans.

Like many other states, Utah has experienced a shortage of qualified accountants. This deficit prompted Utah to join a growing list of other states in reforming its CPA requirements to adopt a more attainable licensure pathway.

Under the outgoing system, CPA license-seekers were required to have 150 semester credits of college education or the equivalent. This requirement often amounted to an additional year of schooling beyond a bachelor’s degree, creating cost barriers to becoming a CPA. Labor market experts widely believe the 150-credit standard contributed to the state’s accounting talent shortfall.

In March 2025, Utah legislators unanimously approved a package of reforms that removed the traditional 150-credit requirement for CPA candidates. Under the new rules, a prospective CPA can now qualify for CPA licensure with a standard bachelor’s degree and two years of professional experience.

These developments create favorable conditions for emerging accounting professionals:

The promising trends also extend to non-licensed career paths in accounting. For example, Projections Central forecasts a 12.7% job growth rate for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in Utah from 2022-2032. This projection leads all states by a wide margin, and it is a remarkable growth rate for a career path in decline at the national level.

The figures in the table below point to several notable trends with implications for Utah accounting students:

However, Utah’s lower number of degree-granting institutions somewhat limits your study options — especially if you plan to start your studies at a two-year institution.

The U.S. higher education accreditation system underwent significant change in 2020. Under the changes, any recognized institutional accreditor can endorse schools in any state. However, most Utah institutions are recognized by the region’s legacy accreditor, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

You can also look for programmatic accreditation, which applies only to specific departments, programs, or degrees. Some reputable accreditors of Utah accounting programs include the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs.

To confirm a Utah school’s accreditation status, consult the U.S. Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Utah accounting programs include on-campus, online, and hybrid formats. Data compiled by the National Center for Education Statistics in 2023 indicates that online learning is especially popular in Utah. Students in Utah enroll in fully online education at a rate that nearly doubles the national average.

The subsections below introduce and explore the various program delivery formats available to Utah accounting students. Compare the details against your learning style, preferences, and scheduling needs as you seek out the right educational match.

Utah has a relatively small but developed network of higher education institutions, and studying on campus may work for you if:

For some, Utah’s quiet natural beauty is also an appealing factor in choosing to attend in-person education in the state.

In Utah, college students engage in fully online learning at a 94% higher rate than the national average, indicating the quality and success of Utah’s approach to distance learning.

As the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) notes, online learning is mainstream in the Beehive State. If you thrive as an independent learner and want maximum flexibility, this format might be right for you.

Hybrid programs combine in-person and online modalities. They tap into the unique advantages of each delivery format without requiring a full commitment to either method.

You may prefer this approach if you live near your Utah accounting school but still want or need some scheduling flexibility. Hybrid learning also allows you to complete academic coursework online while pursuing in-person experiential learning opportunities like internships and practicums.

Utah’s four-year degree-granting institutions offer huge cost advantages when compared to national averages. The savings are especially apparent when looking at the state’s private four-year colleges, which cost about 77% less than the national average of $35,248 per year.

In addition to the usual sources like scholarships, grants, and student loans, you can seek financial aid from the 22 state-based programs available through USHE’s Commissioner’s Office. Non-repayable aid sources like scholarships and grants carry extra value by reducing your costs without creating debt.

The links below connect Utah accounting students to additional financial and scholarship resources that make higher education more accessible:

Public colleges usually offer reduced tuition rates to state residents who directly contribute to school funding through their taxes. Out-of-state students still pay a premium in Utah, albeit significantly lower than you will find in most other states.

You may qualify for additional discounts and cost advantages as an out-of-state Utah accounting student if you hold resident status in one of the 15 other states and territories in the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE). WICHE operates tuition reciprocity programs offering reduced tuition to out-of-state students from included jurisdictions.

The programs include the Western Undergraduate Exchange and the Western Regional Graduate Program. You may qualify as a Utah accounting student at any supported degree level.

According to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC), Utah’s cost of living aligns with national averages. MERIC uses a baseline figure of 100 to represent the national average, and Utah posted an overall score of 102.2 in the second quarter of 2025. This figure means that Utah is only 2.2% more expensive than the typical U.S. locale.

Notably, Utah posted below-average cost of living figures in four areas: groceries, utilities, healthcare, and miscellaneous expenses. However, its housing costs are 14% higher than average, and its transportation costs are 6% above the national average.

In Utah, employment for core accounting professions — accountants, accounting clerks, and auditors — appears poised for growth that dramatically exceeds national averages.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects 5% national job growth for accountants and auditors from 2024-2034. While that figure exceeds average growth rates for all professions, it falls far below the Utah-specific projection of 31% job growth reported by the BLS-aligned O*NET Online labor market analysis tool for the 2022-2032 period.

However, these are far from the only Utah accounting careers you can pursue. Explore your many other options — and their Utah-specific growth projections and pay rates — in the sections below.

In general, accounting and financial professionals who work in Utah earn salaries that broadly align with national averages. Some roles, such as credit counselors and tax preparers, offer higher-than-average pay. Others, including careers that require a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree in accounting, tend to pay less.

Even so, a bachelor’s or master’s degree in accounting tends to lead to careers offering high pay. The six professions listed in the bachelor’s degree table above pay an average annual salary of more than $70,000, while the five listed in the bachelor’s or master’s degree table posted an average annual salary of nearly $92,000.

CPAs are licensed at the state level, and each state maintains specific qualification standards and requirements. As of July 1, 2026, when Utah’s new CPA licensing process goes into effect, the state’s CPA requirements will include:

Notably, Utah accounting candidates had the second-highest pass rate on the Uniform CPA Examination in 2024. This statistic indicates that the state’s accounting schools prepare students exceptionally well for success on this notoriously difficult exam.