Nichols College BSBA in Accounting: 2027 Review

Score

64.5 of 100

Cost (20%)

7.9 of 10

Graduate Earnings (20%)

5.5 of 10

Completion (15%)

8.3 of 10

Flexibility (15%)

4.0 of 10

Credential Alignment (10%)

10.0 of 10

Track Record (10%)

4.8 of 10

Program Reputation (10%)

4.4 of 10

Cost per Credit

$440 per credit

Military Rate

$250 per credit

Credits

120

Tuition

$52,800

Format

Fully Online, On Campus

Transfer Credits

Up to 90

Accreditation

AACSB (confirmed on the official list)

See exactly how we score on the methodology page. We checked the school's figures on October 7, 2026.

Nichols folds its master's into year four. The 3+1 path admits you to the Master of Science in Accounting as a senior and, the school says, meets the 150-hour certified public accountant (CPA) rule. As a business student, you'll finish an internship, a professional certification and a project before graduating.

The Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) in Accounting is taught by Nichols College, a private nonprofit in Dudley, Massachusetts, through its AACSB-accredited business program. You complete it 100% online. The school says you'll learn from the same faculty who teach on campus, including practicing CPAs.

• Adults with earlier college credit: Nichols accepts up to 90 credits from your previous coursework or professional experience.
• Future CPAs: the 3+1 path adds the MSA in your fourth year, using summer courses and internships.
• Police officers, firefighters and EMTs: you get a 20% tuition discount on undergraduate programs taken online.
• Active military and veterans: a dedicated course rate of $250 per credit applies.
• Students drawn to tax work: you can pick the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) tax clinic as your required experiential course.

Intermediate Accounting I, II and III take you from long-term assets and liabilities to revenue recognition, pensions, leases and income taxes. Cost Accounting covers job, activity-based and process costing. Federal Taxes looks at the tax issues behind business and personal decisions.

Advanced Analytics for Accountants teaches you the tools used to spot fraud and misstatements. Advanced Accounting handles partnerships, mergers and foreign currency. You choose Auditing or Internal Audit, and a required experiential course lets you pick the VITA clinic or an accounting internship. Any MSA course can count as an elective.

You'll earn credentials in Bloomberg Market Concepts, QuickBooks and Excel.

The standard path is four years and 120 credit hours. Online students study part-time or full-time, so your finish date follows your credit and schedule. Credit for Prior Learning can add up to 45 credits for work experience, military service or certifications. The 3+1 route compresses the bachelor's and master's into four years. The school says it fulfills the 150 credit-hour requirement for CPA licensure.

Tuition is $440 per credit. If you qualify for the Active Military and Veteran rate, you pay $250 per credit. Police officers, firefighters and EMTs receive a 20% discount.

You can take every course online. A 2021 Nichols news release described the undergraduate online courses as seven-week sessions taught by Nichols professors. With advisor approval, you can register for Nichols day courses. Advising, career counseling and tutoring centers are open to you.

The business program is AACSB-accredited. That's a mark the school says only about six percent of institutions worldwide hold. The accounting path is built toward the CPA, and you can pursue professional exam certifications while enrolled. The dual concentration in accounting and finance lets you cover both fields in one program.

Where this degree can lead: Accounting Degree Jobs.

Online Master's Degrees, an education research publisher, included Nichols' online Master of Science in Accounting in its January 2023 rankings, according to a Nichols release. The publisher said it weighed tuition affordability, online availability, student-faculty ratio and student and career support services. That's the master's degree your 3+1 path leads into. Nichols reports that six of its accounting students held internships at Bollus Lynch, EY, KPMG or PwC in 2024.

• Which of my previous credits count toward the 120, and could Credit for Prior Learning add more?
• What GPA and course sequence do I need to be admitted to the MSA in my senior year?
• Should I choose the VITA clinic or an accounting internship as my experiential course?
• Does the dual accounting and finance concentration fit my schedule?

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