2023 Best Accounting Schools in California
Finding the Best Accounting School for You
In <nil>, accounting students earned 3,971 degrees and certificates from a California school, making the subject the 4th in the state.
With all the business programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Business Degree Central has created the Best Accounting Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 74 schools in California to see which ones offered the best programs for business students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Accounting Schools in California
The following schools top our list of the Best Accounting Colleges.
Top 15% Best Accounting Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Santa Clara University the best school in California for accounting students. SCU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Santa Clara.
After completing their degree, accounting graduates from SCU carry an average student debtload of $15,563.
The excellent programs at University of Southern California helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best accounting schools in California. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
While working on their degree, accounting majors at USC accumulate an average of around $32,579 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $555.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Accounting Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Accounting majors at UC Davis take out an average of $49,971 in student loans while working on their egree.
The excellent programs at Loyola Marymount University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best accounting schools in California. Loyola Marymount is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
After completing their degree, accounting graduates from Loyola Marymount carry an average student debtload of $14,750.
The excellent programs at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best accounting schools in California. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Accounting at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Saint Mary’s College of California came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Accounting Schools in California ranking. Located in the suburb of Moraga, SMC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
On average, accounting graduates from SMC take out $33,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Accounting at Saint Mary’s College of California Report
University of San Diego landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best accounting programs. Located in the city of San Diego, USD is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
Accounting majors at USD take out an average of $24,969 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $915, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
University of San Francisco ranked #8 on this year’s Best Accounting Schools in California list. USFCA is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Francisco.
While working on their degree, accounting majors at USFCA accumulate an average of around $20,500 in student debt.
California Lutheran University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Accounting Schools in California ranking. CLU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Thousand Oaks.
On average, accounting graduates from CLU take out $22,078 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Accounting at California Lutheran University
Golden Gate University - San Francisco came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Accounting Schools in California ranking. Located in the large city of San Francisco, Golden Gate University - San Francisco is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
While working on their degree, accounting majors at Golden Gate University - San Francisco accumulate an average of around $48,218 in student debt.
Full Accounting at Golden Gate University - San Francisco Report
University of Redlands did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for accounting students. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the small city of Redlands, University of Redlands is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that accounting majors at University of Redlands take out is $27,000.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for Accounting students in the state of California that almost earned our Best Accounting Schools in California award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Chapman University | Orange, CA |
| 13 | Menlo College | Atherton, CA |
| 14 | San Diego State University | San Diego, CA |
Best Accounting Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Accounting Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 1,628 |
| Oregon | 718 |
| Nevada | 396 |
| Hawaii | 215 |
| Alaska | 135 |
Rankings in Majors Related to Accounting
Accounting is one of 21 different types of business programs to choose from.
Accounting Concentrations
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Accounting | 68,501 |
| Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping | 19,139 |
| Accounting and Finance | 3,781 |
| Accounting and Business/Management | 1,538 |
| Other Accounting and Related Services | 844 |
| Auditing | 179 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Accounting
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Business Administration & Management | 403,753 |
| General Business/Commerce | 56,779 |
| Finance & Financial Management | 54,690 |
| Marketing | 52,078 |
| Management Sciences & Quantitative Methods | 48,037 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Pixabay.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
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