Best colleges for accounting in Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranks first in Illinois for accounting value (#2 nationally, value score 89.2): graduates earn $101,098 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $13,042 a year.
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition · Source: College Scorecard field of study, reporting year 2025 · 19 Illinois colleges ranked · Updated November 4, 2026
Best accounting colleges in Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranks first in Illinois for accounting value (#2 nationally, value score 89.2): graduates earn $101,098 4 years after the bachelor's degree, and the average net price is $13,042 a year. 19 Illinois colleges qualify. At the median one, accounting graduates earn $75,023 and the average net price is $14,505 a year.
Source: U.S. College Scorecard field of study, 2025
What the data shows
Key findings
- 19 Illinois colleges qualify. At the median one, accounting graduates earn $75,023 and the average net price is $14,505 a year.
- The lowest average net price among them is at University of Illinois at Springfield: $7,528 a year.
- Median earnings
- $75,023
- National: $76,108
- Median net price
- $14,505
- National: $17,285
- Median federal debt
- $19,312
- accounting graduates
- Public colleges
- 11 of 19
- in this list
19 colleges
The Illinois ranking
Ordered by the national value score; the national rank is shown with each college. Earnings are medians 4 years after the bachelor's degree.
- Rank in Illinois 1
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL · Public · #2 nationally
89.2Value- Earnings
- $101,098
- Net price
- $13,042
- Federal debt
- $15,500
- Graduation rate
- 86%
- Earnings
- $86,088
- Net price
- $9,540
- Federal debt
- $15,500
- Graduation rate
- 61%
- Earnings
- $83,573
- Net price
- $14,505
- Federal debt
- $15,000
- Graduation rate
- 48%
- Earnings
- $84,458
- Net price
- $17,829
- Federal debt
- $19,006
- Graduation rate
- 67%
- Rank in Illinois 5
Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · #116 nationally
61.7Value- Earnings
- $97,667
- Net price
- $36,340
- Federal debt
- $23,000
- Graduation rate
- 72%
- Rank in Illinois 6
Chicago, IL · Private nonprofit · #117 nationally
61.7Value- Earnings
- $93,592
- Net price
- $27,308
- Federal debt
- $21,500
- Graduation rate
- 67%
- Rank in Illinois 7
Rock Island, IL · Private nonprofit · #136 nationally
59.0Value- Earnings
- $91,143
- Net price
- $21,153
- Federal debt
- $26,750
- Graduation rate
- 73%
- Earnings
- $75,023
- Net price
- $10,171
- Federal debt
- $18,498
- Graduation rate
- 55%
- Earnings
- $68,328
- Net price
- $9,377
- Federal debt
- $12,300
- Graduation rate
- 25%
- Rank in Illinois 10
North Central College-Illinois
Naperville, IL · Private nonprofit · #207 nationally
49.1Value- Earnings
- $78,125
- Net price
- $22,836
- Federal debt
- $19,312
- Graduation rate
- 62%
- Earnings
- $80,877
- Net price
- $22,469
- Federal debt
- $27,000
- Graduation rate
- 73%
- Rank in Illinois 12
Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
Edwardsville, IL · Public · #234 nationally
45.6Value- Earnings
- $69,610
- Net price
- $13,111
- Federal debt
- $18,500
- Graduation rate
- 56%
- Earnings
- $74,820
- Net price
- $19,385
- Federal debt
- $20,875
- Graduation rate
- 61%
- Rank in Illinois 14
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Carbondale, IL · Public · #256 nationally
43.5Value- Earnings
- $70,478
- Net price
- $12,554
- Federal debt
- $23,500
- Graduation rate
- 59%
- Rank in Illinois 15
University of Illinois at Springfield
Springfield, IL · Public · #259 nationally
43.3Value- Earnings
- $64,048
- Net price
- $7,528
- Federal debt
- Not reported
- Graduation rate
- 53%
- Earnings
- $72,812
- Net price
- $17,318
- Federal debt
- $20,000
- Graduation rate
- 57%
- Earnings
- $71,059
- Net price
- $10,018
- Federal debt
- $24,249
- Graduation rate
- 49%
- Earnings
- $66,840
- Net price
- $12,717
- Federal debt
- Not reported
- Graduation rate
- 50%
- Rank in Illinois 19
University Park, IL · Public · #373 nationally
25.7Value- Earnings
- $61,223
- Net price
- $15,833
- Federal debt
- $17,793
- Graduation rate
- 23%
Method: the same value score as the national accounting ranking (earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate, each a national percentile). Data: College Scorecard, reporting year 2025; 2026–27 edition, verified Nov 2026.
Questions about accounting colleges in Illinois
What are the best colleges for accounting in Illinois?
By CollegesRef value score, the top 3 Illinois colleges for accounting are University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (value score 89.2), University of Illinois at Chicago (value score 78) and Northern Illinois University (value score 64.8). The score weighs graduate earnings, debt relative to earnings, average net price and graduation rate.
Which Illinois college has the highest earnings for accounting graduates?
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: its accounting graduates have median earnings of $101,098 4 years after the bachelor's degree.
What is the most affordable accounting college in Illinois on this list?
University of Illinois at Springfield has the lowest average net price of the ranked Illinois colleges, $7,528 a year after grants. A family's own price depends on income and aid.
How many Illinois colleges are ranked for accounting?
19 Illinois colleges have a accounting bachelor's program with enough graduates and reported earnings, plus a published net price and graduation rate. Ranks shown are national; the state rank is their order within Illinois.