Washington and Lee University Bachelor of Science in Accounting: 2027 Review

Score

59.9 of 100

Cost (20%)

0.0 of 10

Graduate Earnings (20%)

10.0 of 10

Completion (15%)

10.0 of 10

Flexibility (15%)

0.0 of 10

Credential Alignment (10%)

10.0 of 10

Track Record (10%)

7.2 of 10

Program Reputation (10%)

7.6 of 10

Format

On Campus

Transfer Credits

Up to 6

Accreditation

AACSB (confirmed on the official list)

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

You earn a Bachelor of Science in Accounting on a liberal arts campus, where the school says about one-third of graduates are recruited by Big Four accounting firms. Articulation agreements with the University of Virginia and Wake Forest University give you a clear path to the one-year graduate program that finishes your 150 hours.

Washington and Lee University awards this degree through its Williams School, in Lexington, Virginia. It's a 45-credit major that builds on a liberal arts foundation, with accounting, economics, finance and business courses. The Williams School has held AACSB accreditation since 1927.

• You want to work at a Big Four firm. A fall alumni panel brings in people from EY, PwC, KPMG and Deloitte, and an accounting trip is hosted by PwC.
• You like small classes. The school says students get close relationships with professors, including one who spent 12 years in industry investigating financial statement fraud.
• You want to prepare tax returns for others. Student volunteers certified by the Internal Revenue Service run a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance site in the winter term.
• You'd like to study or intern abroad. The department points to opportunities in Sydney, Cape Town and London, and up to 6 preapproved credits from abroad count toward the major.
• You want to write an honors thesis. You'll need at least a 3.6 GPA, and the thesis earns 6 credits toward graduation.

You'll start with Introduction to Accounting, then Corporate Financial Reporting and the two Intermediate Financial Reporting courses. Managerial Finance rounds out the core. From there you choose upper-level courses such as Auditing, which covers audit planning, evidence gathering and reporting. Accounting Information Systems has you work hands-on with the systems that move data into reports.

Strategic Cost Management and Analysis, Financial Statement Analysis and Individual Income Tax are also on the list. Electives get creative. Anatomy of a Fraud asks what causes executives to cook the books, Sustainability Accounting covers impact reporting, and History Through Accounting uses museum and library visits.

The major is 45 credits within a four-year degree. The department says taking about 15 credits in the fall and winter terms, plus a spring term course each year, gets you to 130 or more credits by graduation. You reach 150 with a one-year graduate program or with extra credits such as summer school.

Washington and Lee reports a per-credit charge of $2,386 to federal data. Starting in 2027-28, undergraduates whose total family income is under $200,000, with typical assets, who meet eligibility requirements, receive a minimum grant covering full tuition.

Classes meet on the Lexington campus in fall, winter and spring terms. Spring term is a shorter session where you take a single course.

The Williams School has been fully accredited by AACSB since 1927. The school says that to take the certified public accountant (CPA) exam in most states you need 150 hours of college credit. For Virginia's education requirements, it recommends all five upper-level accounting courses plus three more credits in business, economics or finance.

Where this degree can lead: Accounting Degree Jobs.

A Class of 2019 graduate quoted by the school said accounting was a great fit because it showed how people analyze the exchange of money. Washington and Lee cites a 2026 Wall Street Journal student poll in which its students ranked it first among liberal arts colleges for career preparation.

• Which path to 150 hours fits me best, a graduate program or extra credits?
• When should I apply for an accounting externship or internship?
• How does the Williams School advise first-year students who want to start Introduction to Accounting in winter?
• Can I fit study abroad and the major together without overloading?

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