University of Illinois Chicago Bachelor of Science in Accounting: 2027 Review

Score

64.0 of 100

Cost (20%)

3.8 of 10

Graduate Earnings (20%)

6.9 of 10

Completion (15%)

8.9 of 10

Flexibility (15%)

0.0 of 10

Credential Alignment (10%)

10.0 of 10

Track Record (10%)

10.0 of 10

Program Reputation (10%)

9.2 of 10

Credits

120

Format

On Campus

Time to Finish

48 months

Accreditation

AACSB (confirmed on the official list)

AACSB Accounting

Accounting accreditation listed by AACSB

See exactly how we score on the methodology page. We checked the school's figures on October 8, 2026.

UIC lets you point the accounting degree at one of five paths: corporate, government, nonprofit, public accounting-tax or public accounting-audit. The Meet the Firms career fair brought 32 accounting employers to campus in 2026.

The Bachelor of Science in Accounting comes from UIC Business, the College of Business Administration at the University of Illinois Chicago. It's a public, AACSB accredited degree of 120 credit hours. You'll take courses in person.

• Future Illinois certified public accountants (CPAs): the degree meets all the state's course requirements for the exam, and the 150 hours can come from the UIC MS in Accounting.
• Students drawn to public service: you get a full Governmental and Non-Profit Accounting course, and government and nonprofit are formal paths.
• Students who like case competitions: you can join teams like the UIC team that won the regional Deloitte FanTAXtic tax competition.
• Students who want fraud work: Fraud and Forensic Accounting is an elective, and the Accounting Club connects you with recruiters.
• Students who want data skills: you can pair the major with a Business Analytics minor and an advanced data analytics course.

Intermediate Financial Accounting I and II cover asset valuation, revenue recognition, leases, debt and cash flows. Cost Accounting teaches you costing methods, budgeting and performance evaluation. Auditing walks you through standards, materiality and sampling. A first tax course covers individual taxpayers and partnerships.

Accounting Information Systems focuses on transaction cycles and internal controls. Enterprise Accounting Systems uses enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and dashboards. Electives include Tax Research, Advanced Audit, Valuation and Analysis, and Accounting Cases, Research and Analysis, which uses Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings.

The Accounting Club runs recruiter and professional-skills events.

The degree is 120 credit hours and takes four years. Major requirements run 18 hours and the business core is 42. General education is 45 hours, and you choose 15 hours of accounting electives.

Before you reach 300-level accounting, you finish IDS 200 and IDS 270. You also finish ECON 120 and ECON 121. The CPA exam needs 150 hours in total, and you can add the rest through the UIC MS in Accounting.

The school reports about $962 per credit to federal data, based on its annual out-of-state tuition.

You'll attend classes in person in Chicago. The UIC Business Career Center hosts the Meet the Firms accounting career fair. At the Spring 2026 fair, 32 employers and more than 350 students attended, and more than 25 alumni came back as recruiters.

The degree is AACSB accredited. It satisfies the Illinois course requirements for the CPA exam. If you're CPA-bound, the department advises spending your five electives on Business Law I, Advanced Financial Accounting and the second tax course. The MS in Accounting is a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) program and AACSB accredited.

Where this degree can lead: Accounting Degree Jobs.

UIC Business reported in 2026 that its Meet the Firms fair drew 32 accounting employers. It also drew more than 350 students and returning alumni, with Wipfli and Medline among the corporate partners. In 2025 the school announced that three accounting students were selected as Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) Scholars, each receiving $15,000.

A UIC team won the regional Deloitte FanTAXtic Case Competition in 2023 and earned a national honorable mention. The business school describes its faculty as academically respected, professionally active and committed to supporting individual growth. The school also points to a 53,000-strong alumni network.

• Which of the five specialization paths fits the firms I want to work for?
• Should I use my five electives on the CPA-recommended courses?
• How does the MS in Accounting reach 150 hours, and can I start it right after the bachelor's?
• How do I join the Accounting Club and prepare for the spring career fair?

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