University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Bachelor of Science in Accountancy: 2027 Review

Score

64.9 of 100

Cost (20%)

2.6 of 10

Graduate Earnings (20%)

9.8 of 10

Completion (15%)

6.8 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%)

9.9 of 10

Credits

124

Format

On Campus

Terms

16 weeks

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.

Illinois pairs a 124-hour accountancy degree with a full year of business analytics, a required client project, and a for-credit course where you prepare real tax returns.

The Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign awards the Bachelor of Science in Accountancy on its Champaign campus. You apply to Business Undeclared as a first-year student and move into Accountancy once you're admitted to Gies.

• Students who want hands-on tax work: the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) course trains you through the IRS program and has you prepare returns for community members.
• Future certified public accountants (CPAs): a review course for the Uniform CPA Examination is offered, and the curriculum is built around exam content.
• Double-major planners: you'll be in good company, since more than half of Gies accountancy students in Fall 2025 pair accounting with another business area, most often Finance.
• Data-minded students: you take a full year of data analytics, like every Gies undergraduate.
• Students aiming at a master's: a fifth-year path earns you a bachelor's and a master's in five years.

The major is 21 hours, inside a 57-hour business core. Accounting and Accountancy I and II start you with financial statements and accrual accounting. Accounting Institutions and Regulation shows you liabilities, bonds, leases, pensions and equity. Accounting Control Systems looks at internal controls and ethics codes. Principles of Taxation introduces how income tax applies to businesses and owners.

Assurance and Attestation explains independence, risk and evidence. Then you choose Advanced Financial Reporting or Advanced Income Tax Problems. Electives include Auditing Standards and Practice, Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting, and a credit-bearing professional internship. Every Gies undergraduate completes at least one real client project, and the Beta Alpha Psi chapter connects members with firm professionals and alumni.

The degree requires 124 hours, and the school publishes a four-year sample plan by semester. Accounting courses begin in the second year. Study abroad, minors and internships can reshape that plan. The optional fifth-year master's route lets you earn both degrees in five years.

The school lists annual tuition rather than a per-credit price. Based on the annual out-of-state tuition the school reports, that works out to about $1,227 per credit.

It's an in-person degree on the Urbana-Champaign campus. Leading accounting firms visit classrooms, mentor students and recruit on site. You can also use your skills in the VITA program and join more than 30 student organizations.

Gies is AACSB accredited. The curriculum prepares you for the content of the CPA and certified management accountant (CMA) exams. A department-run review course serves the Uniform CPA Examination. Gies also granted the nation's first PhD in accounting.

Where this degree can lead: Accounting Degree Jobs.

The school announced in 2025 that U.S. News & World Report recognized its undergraduate accounting program in the latest rankings. The school's major page lists KPMG, Deloitte, PwC, EY, RSM, Plante Moran, Crowe and Grant Thornton among employers of recent graduates.

Poets&Quants ranked Gies number three in academic experience in 2025, using data from an alumni survey. A 2026 school feature on placement quoted a student summing up the college as one that cares.

• How does admission to Gies work if I start in Business Undeclared?
• Which firms recruit on campus in the fall of my third year?
• Can I fit the VITA tax course and an internship in the same year?
• How would the fifth-year master's change my CPA timeline?

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