2025 Best Accounting Bachelor's Degree Schools in California
Accounting is of the hottest bachelor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #8 most popular major in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
College Factual reviewed 19 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of accounting. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,037 bachelor's degrees in accounting during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Accounting School for Your Bachelor's Degree
Your choice of accounting for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A Great Overall School
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Early-Career Earnings
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to accounting students as compared to other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of accounting students who choose to seek a bachelor's degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
- Student Debt - How much debt accounting students go into to obtain their bachelor's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized accounting related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for accounting students working on their bachelor's degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Accounting Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat.
Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Accounting in California
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in accounting.
10 Top California Schools for a Bachelor's in Accounting
Santa Clara University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in accounting. Located in the midsize city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.
Accounting bachelor's degree recipients from Santa Clara University get an earnings boost of around $15,919 over the typical earnings of accounting graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from Santa Clara University
Loyola Marymount University is a great choice for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in accounting. Loyola Marymount is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles.
Those accounting students who get their bachelor's degree from Loyola Marymount University earn $8,462 more than the standard accounting graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from Loyola Marymount University
It's hard to beat University of San Diego if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in accounting. USD is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of San Diego.
Bachelor's recipients from the accounting major at University of San Diego earn $6,742 more than the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from University of San Diego
Saint Mary's College of California is a good decision for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in accounting. SMC is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Moraga.
Accounting bachelor's degree recipients from Saint Mary's College of California receive an earnings boost of about $4,130 over the typical income of accounting graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from Saint Mary’s College of California
Located in the city of Northridge, CSUN is a public university with a very large student population.
Those accounting students who get their bachelor's degree from California State University - Northridge receive $6,406 more than the standard accounting student.
More information about a bachelor’s in accounting from California State University - Northridge
