2023 Best Accounting Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Finding the Best Accounting School for You
It's not easy to decide which business program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Business Degree Central has created the Best Accounting Schools in the Great Lakes Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 255 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best programs for business students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Accounting Schools in the Great Lakes Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Accounting Colleges.
Top 25 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Accounting
Our 2023 rankings named University of Notre Dame the best school in the Great Lakes Region for accounting students. Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.
After completing their degree, accounting graduates from Notre Dame carry an average student debtload of $22,250.
Out of the 255 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the # 2 spot on the list. UIUC is a very large public school located in the city of Champaign.
The average amount in student loans that accounting majors at UIUC take out is $20,125. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $410.
Read full report on Accounting at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Out of the 255 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the # 3 spot on the list. U-M is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor.
After completing their degree, accounting graduates from U-M carry an average student debtload of $20,500.
Out of the 255 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois Wesleyan University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Bloomington, Illinois Wesleyan is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their degree, accounting graduates from Illinois Wesleyan carry an average student debtload of $26,967. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $543.
Read full report on Accounting at Illinois Wesleyan University
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Indiana University - Bloomington is a great place for accounting students. Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, accounting graduates from IU Bloomington carry an average student debtload of $32,000.
University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #6 on this year’s Best Accounting Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the city of Madison.
The average amount in student loans that accounting majors at UW - Madison take out is $20,389.
With a ranking of #7, Madison Area Technical College did quite well on this year’s best schools for accounting students. Located in the city of Madison, Madison College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, accounting majors at Madison College accumulate an average of around $16,001 in student debt.
Michigan State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Accounting Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that accounting majors at Michigan State take out is $25,752. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $524, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Marquette University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for accounting students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the large city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, accounting majors at Marquette accumulate an average of around $25,000 in student debt.
Saint Mary’s College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best accounting programs. St. Mary's College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Notre Dame.
Accounting majors at St. Mary's College take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for accounting students. It came in at #11 on the list. Purdue is a fairly large public school located in the small city of West Lafayette.
While working on their degree, accounting majors at Purdue accumulate an average of around $19,500 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $278, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Ohio State University - Main Campus came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Accounting Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Ohio State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Columbus.
Accounting majors at Ohio State take out an average of $22,250 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $292.
Fox Valley Technical College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Accounting Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. FVTC is a large public school located in the suburb of Appleton.
After completing their degree, accounting graduates from FVTC carry an average student debtload of $8,352.
Northeast Wisconsin Technical College landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best accounting programs. NWTC is a large public school located in the midsize city of Green Bay.
While working on their degree, accounting majors at NWTC accumulate an average of around $14,485 in student debt.
Read full report on Accounting at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
With a ranking of #15, Augustana College did quite well on this year’s best schools for accounting students. Located in the small city of Rock Island, Augustana is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
After completing their degree, accounting graduates from Augustana carry an average student debtload of $27,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $330.
Hope College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Accounting Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the small city of Holland, Hope is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that accounting majors at Hope take out is $27,000.
Western Technical College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Accounting Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of La Crosse, Western Technical College is a public college with a small student population.
On average, accounting graduates from Western Technical College take out $13,980 in student loans while working on their degree.
John Carroll University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for accounting students. It came in at #18 on the list. John Carroll is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of University Heights.
Accounting majors at John Carroll take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
With a ranking of #19, Calvin University did quite well on this year’s best schools for accounting students. Located in the city of Grand Rapids, Calvin is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that accounting majors at Calvin take out is $23,250.
Butler University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Accounting Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the large city of Indianapolis, Butler is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
While working on their degree, accounting majors at Butler accumulate an average of around $23,250 in student debt.
Walsh College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Accounting Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of Troy, Walsh is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that accounting majors at Walsh take out is $25,529.
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse ranked #22 on this year’s Best Accounting Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of La Crosse, UW - La Crosse is a public school with a fairly large student population.
On average, accounting graduates from UW - La Crosse take out $20,518 in student loans while working on their degree.
With a ranking of #23, University of Dayton did quite well on this year’s best schools for accounting students. UDayton is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Dayton.
On average, accounting graduates from UDayton take out $26,973 in student loans while working on their degree.
Loyola University Chicago did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for accounting students. It came in at #24 on the list. Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.
While working on their degree, accounting majors at Loyola Chicago accumulate an average of around $22,000 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $781.
Miami University - Oxford did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for accounting students. It came in at #25 on the list. Miami University - Oxford is a large public school located in the town of Oxford.
Accounting majors at Miami University - Oxford take out an average of $22,500 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $398.
Rest of the Top Best Accounting Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Accounting Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 39 | Taylor University | Upland, IN |
| 40 | McKendree University | Lebanon, IL |
| 41 | Xavier University | Cincinnati, OH |
| 42 | Carthage College | Kenosha, WI |
| 43 | Franklin University | Columbus, OH |
| 44 | Northern Illinois University | Dekalb, IL |
| 45 | Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, OH |
| 46 | Cuyahoga Community College District | Cleveland, OH |
| 47 | Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses | Angola, IN |
| 48 | Carroll University | Waukesha, WI |
| 49 | Rasmussen University - Wisconsin | Green Bay, WI |
| 50 | Lakeland University | Plymouth, WI |
| 51 | Ohio Northern University | Ada, OH |
Best Accounting Colleges by State
Explore the best accounting schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 2,427 |
| Ohio | 3,277 |
| Illinois | 3,097 |
| Indiana | 1,668 |
| Wisconsin | 1,606 |
Accounting Related Rankings by Major
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 |
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.
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