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Best Accounting Schools in Illinois

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2023 Best Accounting Schools in Illinois

41 Colleges
$52,181 Avg Salary
$23,744 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Accounting School for You

Accounting is one of the most popular subjects to study in Illinois. With 3,097 degrees and certificates handed out in <nil>, it ranked 3rd out of all the majors we track in the state.

It's not easy to decide which business program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Business Degree Central has created its Best Accounting Schools in Illinois ranking. Our analysis looked at 41 schools in Illinois to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for business students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Accounting Schools in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Accounting Colleges.

Top 10 Best Accounting Schools

Our 2023 rankings named University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign the best school in Illinois for accounting students. UIUC is a very large public school located in the small city of Champaign.

While working on their degree, accounting majors at UIUC accumulate an average of around $20,125 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $410, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#2

Illinois Wesleyan University

Bloomington, IL

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois Wesleyan University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Accounting Schools in Illinois list. Located in the small city of Bloomington, Illinois Wesleyan is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Accounting majors at Illinois Wesleyan take out an average of $26,967 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $543, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Accounting at Illinois Wesleyan University

#3

Augustana College

Rock Island, IL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Augustana College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Accounting Schools in Illinois list. Located in the city of Rock Island, Augustana is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Accounting majors at Augustana take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $330.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Loyola University Chicago is a great place for accounting students. Loyola Chicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

On average, accounting graduates from Loyola Chicago take out $22,000 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $781, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Accounting at Loyola University Chicago

#5

Bradley University

Peoria, IL

Out of the 41 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Bradley University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Bradley is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Peoria.

The average amount in student loans that accounting majors at Bradley take out is $25,250.

Full Accounting at Bradley University Report

Illinois State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Accounting Schools in Illinois list. Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a very large student population.

Accounting majors at Illinois State take out an average of $18,559 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $340, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Accounting at Illinois State University Report

#7

DePaul University

Chicago, IL

DePaul University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best accounting programs. DePaul is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

Accounting majors at DePaul take out an average of $34,958 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $421.

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With a ranking of #8, Rasmussen University - Illinois did quite well on this year’s best schools for accounting students. Located in the city of Rockford, Rasmussen University - Illinois is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

After completing their degree, accounting graduates from Rasmussen University - Illinois carry an average student debtload of $18,551.

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#9

McKendree University

Lebanon, IL

McKendree University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Accounting Schools in Illinois list. Located in the large suburb of Lebanon, McKendree is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

After completing their degree, accounting graduates from McKendree carry an average student debtload of $20,250.

Full Accounting at McKendree University Report

Northern Illinois University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for accounting students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, accounting graduates from NIU carry an average student debtload of $17,921. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $130.

Full Accounting at Northern Illinois University Report

Best Accounting Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Accounting Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 2,427
Ohio 3,277
Indiana 1,668
Wisconsin 1,606

One of 21 majors within the business area of study, accounting has other similar majors worth exploring.

Accounting Focus Areas

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

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.

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