Best Accounting Programs in Illinois in 2027

• Best Bachelor's71.1 out of 100

  Northern Illinois University

  Bachelor of Science in Accountancy

  Illinois · BS

  Northern Illinois University's BS Review
• Best Master's69.4 out of 100

  Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

  Master of Science in Accountancy

  Illinois · MS

  Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's MS Review

You'll find these programs in Chicago, DeKalb, Champaign, Normal, Macomb, Carbondale and Edwardsville. Once you're working, Illinois accountants and auditors earn a median of $80,230, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Graduates of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's bachelor's report earnings of $101,098, so you can see where the path can lead. Master's graduates at Northern Illinois earn $101,106, and at DePaul they earn $100,161.

We looked at every Illinois accounting degree that sits in a business school, whatever the format. Accreditation only counts when a program shows up on a member list. Each accreditor publishes its own: AACSB, the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) or the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE).

Where we cite federal data, it comes from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the database every college reports to. You'll find bachelor's and master's degrees scored separately on price, graduate earnings, completion, flexibility, track record, accreditation and reputation. Want the details? They're on the methodology page.

• The school is based in Illinois
• In-state rate shown when the school publishes one
• Scored the same way as every list, and compared only with programs at its own degree level

Each Program Score blends seven factors: Cost 20%, Graduate Earnings 20%, Completion 15%, Flexibility 15%, Credential Alignment 10%, Track Record 10%, Program Reputation 10% (method version 2.0).

Rates at the Public Universities

Western Illinois lists $350.10 per credit for its bachelor's for US students. If you're leaning toward a master's, you'll pay $556.75 per credit at Southern Illinois Edwardsville or $877.18 at Northern Illinois. That rate is the same for every student at both.

Southern Illinois Carbondale's Extended Campus page lists standard undergraduate tuition at $327.75 per credit hour. Ask the school to confirm the rate for accounting before you budget.

Study on Campus or Complete Your Degree

Prefer a campus? Urbana-Champaign, Northern Illinois, Illinois State, Chicago and Edwardsville all have bachelor's degrees on campus. Northern Illinois graduates go on to firms like KPMG, Deloitte, PwC and EY.

Urbana-Champaign lists the same firms among its sample employers, and you can add a fifth-year master's. At Illinois State, you can take a sequence that blends accounting and business analytics.

Edwardsville's bachelor's ends with a senior assignment where you research recent accounting issues.

Already have some credits? Carbondale's degree-completion program takes 18 to 24 months in 8-week courses, and you'll get your own teaching assistant. At Western Illinois you can pick Management Accounting or Taxation, or go for the five-year bachelor's and master's.

Master's Options and the 150-Hour Path

You need 150 credit hours for Illinois CPA licensure, so a master's often follows the bachelor's. Southern Illinois Edwardsville's master's runs 7-week courses and you can finish in as few as 10 months, with Business Analytics and Taxation concentrations. Northern Illinois' Master of Accountancy (MAC) takes about two years at two courses per semester, and it reports a CPA pass rate above the national and state rate.

At DePaul, you can finish the Master of Science in Accountancy in as little as 12 months. You'll take the core courses on your own schedule and check in with faculty each week. DePaul's and Southern Illinois Edwardsville's master's programs are both on the working adults list. Before you choose, read our guide to CPA requirements.