by our College Data Analytics Team
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Accounting is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 8th of all the majors we analyze. In 2021-2022, 93,982 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In , accounting graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $48,323 and had an average of $24,511 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 14,167 accounting graduates with average earnings and debt of $48,804 and $22,856 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 7,246 accounting graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,415 and $23,858 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 199 colleges that offer a degree in accounting. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in accounting.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region bachelor’s degree accounting students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lakeland University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Lakeland is a small school located in Plymouth, Wisconsin that handed out 88 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 199 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Wilberforce University landed the #2 spot on the list. Wilberforce, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s accounting degrees to 4 students in 2021-2022.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwood University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region. Northwood is a small school located in Midland, Michigan that handed out 96 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Out of the 199 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Hiram College landed the #4 spot on the list. This small school is located in Hiram, Ohio, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Out of the 199 schools in the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Lake Erie College landed the #5 spot on the list. LEC is a private not-for-profit institution located in Painesville, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a ranking of #6, Walsh College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Walsh College is located in Troy, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 59 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Wilmington College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Wilmington College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Wilmington, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Franklin University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Columbus, Ohio is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s accounting degrees to 127 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Davenport University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Davenport University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 101 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Defiance College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small school is located in Defiance, Ohio, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Illinois Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #11. Bloomington, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s accounting degrees to 20 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Augustana College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #12. Augustana College is located in Rock Island, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 31 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
John Carroll University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #13. John Carroll is a small private not-for-profit school situated in University Heights, Ohio. It awarded 59 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #14, Manchester University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Manchester University is located in North Manchester, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 13 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Ohio Wesleyan University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #15. Located in Delaware, Ohio, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 17 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s accounting students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Finlandia University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This small school is located in Hancock, Michigan, and it awarded 4 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Eureka College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #17. Eureka College is located in Eureka, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s accounting degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Albion College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small school is located in Albion, Michigan, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Siena Heights University landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Siena Heights University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Adrian, Michigan. The school has a small population, and it awarded 32 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
North Central College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. North Central is a small school located in Naperville, Illinois that handed out 37 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Quincy University landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Quincy University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Quincy, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Illinois College landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Jacksonville, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 20 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s accounting students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Wittenberg University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Springfield, Ohio, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s accounting students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Northeastern Illinois University ranked #24 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 73 bachelors’s accounting degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Saint Norbert College landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Accounting Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. De Pere, Wisconsin is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s accounting degrees to 29 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Not only did these schools make the top 30 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
Read more about our data sources and methodologies