The List of All U.S. Colleges With an Accounting Major

Gone are the days of the stereotypical accountant buried in a dark cubicle at the back of the office, tapping away on a calculator or adding machine. Today’s accountants are critical thinkers and problem solvers who use numbers and technology to help businesses build and implement strategies in a wide variety of roles.

Why Should You Study Accounting in College?

One of the most appealing aspects of an accounting degree is that it offers a clearly defined path to a stable, well-paying career. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average accountant earned $69,350 in 2017, substantially more than the national median salary of $37,040.

Unlike some degrees—for example, English, History, and Philosophy—an accounting degree gives students a easily recognizable and transferable skill: the ability to understand and analyze numbers. Jobs in accounting also have standard routes leading to a wide variety of positions including financial analyst, accountant, bookkeeper, financial advisor, accounting manager, tax professional, payroll specialist, loan officer, and compliance analyst. Entrepreneurial accountants can even open their own firm.

Accounting is also a growing field. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 10% job growth for accountants and auditors between 2016 and 2026. Every business is in need of an accountant, with some business requiring an entire team of them. A growing economy and increased globalization will fuel the need for workers to handle, prepare, and examine financial records.

Although technology and automation may consume some of the routine tasks performed by an accountant (like data entry), it should not affect the overall job market for them. Rather, it simply puts more focus on positions involved with advising and analyzing.  

Think an accounting degree is for you? Just remember Albert Einstein once said, “The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax.” With the CollegeVine Early Advising Program, you can start planning for your college applications as early as 9th or 10th grade. You’ll work with a specialist who will help you choose the best courses and extracurriculars to get involved in and show your passion for English.

How Can You Increase Your Chances of Acceptance?

Students interested in pursuing accounting at their top choice school should focus on the normal things that colleges look for in an applicant. A student with a high GPA who challenged themselves by taking more difficult courses, and who scored well on standardized tests like the SAT or ACT, will generally find themselves moving to the top of an admission officer’s pile.

Extracurricular activities are a way for students to separate themselves from other applicants with similar grades and scores. If your high school has a math club or team, this could be the perfect avenue for a student to demonstrate their interest in numbers. A part-time job could also be the extracurricular activity that makes a student pop off the page. While it’s unrealistic to expect a high school student to be working as an accountant, working for a firm helping out with filing or manning the phone for a few hours a week would show their interest in the profession.

Volunteering is another great way for students to highlight their interest in a particular subject. Two programs that students with an interest in accounting might want to consider are the Internal Revenue Service’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and their Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Programs which are always looking for greeters/screeners—positions that require no tax law knowledge. Not only does this volunteer work serve to accentuate your interest in accounting, but it also shows a commitment to your community.

How Do You Choose Your College List?

With thousands of colleges and numerous distinguishing factors, narrowing down the selection and creating a college list can be anxiety inducing. Adding even more pressure is that identifying the schools a student wants to attend will define how they prepare going forward. If this all feels overwhelming, don’t worry—we’re here to help!

Narrowing down a student’s college list is actually fairly straightforward and is made even easier if you know what type of degree you want to pursue. Accounting majors will most likely want to look at schools with a strong business program. One thing to consider is that more specialized schools might offer more supportive infrastructure, such as better internships or a clearer path to employment after graduation, while larger universities offer more options if you decide to switch majors down the road.

Another factor that will help a student significantly narrow down their college search is a school’s location. Does the student want to attend a college close to home or venture farther away? Not just the school’s proximity to a student’s home—rural or urban, large campus or small are just a few of the other elements of an institution students should be thinking about when building their college list.  Applying to a smaller list of schools that are a strong fit for your personal and academic interests is the first step to a strong application. With the College Strategy Program, you can start working with a CollegeVine specialist your junior year to make the most of your profile in this critical year, including starting to tailor it to a strong school list build with our exclusive chancing engine.

After a student has a clear idea of where they’re looking to go to college, the process becomes a little more complex. Here a student will need to match their grades, test scores, and extracurriculars to a school’s selectivity. Being honest with yourself at this stage of the decision-making process is extremely important. It’s fine to have a reach school or two on your list, but students should also safeguard themselves by having a school or two on their lists where admission is essentially guaranteed.

What Colleges Have an Accounting Major?

Curious about your chances of acceptance to your dream school? Our free chancing engine takes into account your GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, and other data to predict your odds of acceptance at over 500 colleges across the U.S. We’ll also let you know how you stack up against other applicants and how you can improve your profile. Sign up for your free CollegeVine account today to get started!