2023 Best Value Accounting Schools in Illinois
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Accounting School for You
Accounting is one of the most popular subjects to study in Illinois. With 3,151 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 9th out of all the majors we track in the state.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. 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.
The Best Value Accounting Schools in Illinois ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 41 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best value programs for accounting students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Accounting Schools
Our analysis found University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to be the best value school for accounting students who want to pursue a degree in Illinois. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UIUC are $17,634 per year. Accounting majors at UIUC take out an average of $18,854 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $318, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
UIUC also took the #3 spot in our Best Accounting Schools in Illinois rankings.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Illinois State University is a great value for accounting students. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the suburb of Normal.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Illinois State are $13,968 per year. While working on their degree, accounting majors at Illinois State accumulate an average of around $21,500 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $303, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
In addition to its great value ranking, Illinois State is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Accounting Schools in Illinois list.
Full Accounting at Illinois State University Report
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Out of the 41 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Southwestern Illinois College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Belleville, SWIC is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
SWIC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,390 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Accounting Schools in Illinois list. SIUE is a large public school located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.
SIUE undergraduate students pay an average of $11,496 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, accounting graduates from SIUE take out $20,936 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $204.
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Out of the 41 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Rasmussen University - Illinois landed the # 5 spot on the list. Rasmussen University - Illinois is a small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Rockford.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Rasmussen University - Illinois are $13,883 per year. After completing their degree, accounting graduates from Rasmussen University - Illinois carry an average student debtload of $25,271.
Rasmussen University - Illinois also made our Best Accounting Schools in Illinois list, coming in at #5.
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Northern Illinois University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Accounting Schools in Illinois list. NIU is a large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at NIU are $14,738 a year. On average, accounting graduates from NIU take out $19,379 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $177.
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With a ranking of #7, University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well on this year’s best value schools for accounting students. UIS is a small public school located in the medium-sized city of Springfield.
UIS undergraduate students pay an average of $12,053 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, accounting graduates from UIS take out $20,102 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Western Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Accounting Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WIU are $13,297 per year. Accounting majors at WIU take out an average of $31,899 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Governors State University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Accounting Schools in Illinois list. Located in the rural area of University Park, GSU is a public college with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GSU are $10,108 per year. After completing their degree, accounting graduates from GSU carry an average student debtload of $22,125.
Full Accounting at Governors State University Report
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University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for accounting students. It came in at #10 on the list. UIC is a very large public school located in the large city of Chicago.
UIC undergraduate students pay an average of $15,603 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Accounting majors at UIC take out an average of $18,500 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $240.
Read full report on Accounting at University of Illinois at Chicago
Request InformationBest Value Accounting Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
Explore all the Best Value Accounting Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 2,435 |
| Ohio | 3,278 |
| Indiana | 1,707 |
| Wisconsin | 1,606 |
More Accounting Rankings in Illinois
Accounting Related Majors for Accounting
One of 21 majors within the area of study, accounting has other similar majors worth exploring.
Majors Similar to Accounting
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Business Administration & Management | 416,590 |
| Finance & Financial Management | 57,778 |
| General Business/Commerce | 56,042 |
| Marketing | 52,916 |
| Management Sciences & Quantitative Methods | 43,382 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 26 schools only.
- 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.