The Best Accounting Programs in Massachusetts for 2026

Holy Cross runs accounting out of a combined Economics and Accounting Department inside an exclusively undergraduate liberal arts college. The major follows a fixed four-year sequence: Financial Accounting (ACCT 181) in year one, Intermediate Accounting I and II (ACCT 277, 278) by sophomore year, Federal Income Taxation (ECON 292) and Auditing (ACCT 382) in year three, then Ethics, Accounting and Organizations (ACCT 360), Business Law (ACCT 387), and Cost Accounting (ACCT 389) senior year, plus two electives from options like Accounting Information Systems, Data Analytics, or Taxation of Entities. The department maps this directly to CPA licensure's 150-hour rule: a standard 32-class Holy Cross course load equals 128 credit hours, but three required accounting courses carry an extra credit each, so accounting majors graduate with 131 hours. Because Holy Cross has no on-campus graduate program, students still have to close the remaining gap to 150 hours through summer coursework or a graduate program elsewhere.

The program combines an 87% graduation rate, tied with Bentley for the highest on this list, with an 18% admit rate, the second-tightest behind Boston College's 16%. Tuition is $63,650 flat, with no in-state break, inside a total undergraduate enrollment of just 3,126. Its 93.1 Hakia Score puts it fourth in Massachusetts. Holy Cross fits students who want the smallest cohort and the most rigorously sequenced CPA-track curriculum on this list, and who are willing to plan post-graduate coursework elsewhere to finish the 150-hour requirement.

Bentley's Corporate Finance and Accounting (CFA) major fuses accounting and finance into one degree, covering cost and profitability analysis, strategic planning, and business performance management. Select high-performing students can add a master's through an accelerated BS/MS finished in four years total. The curriculum includes Financial Modeling (FI 347), where students build valuation models and VBA-driven tools, plus hands-on work through the student-run Bentley Investment Group, which manages a slice of the university's own endowment. Bentley's CareerEdge office reports an $80,000 median starting salary for CFA graduates, a 100% post-graduate outcome rate, and 89% internship participation.

Bentley ranks #5 among Massachusetts's top accounting programs with a Hakia Score of 93, the highest of the four schools profiled here, built on an 87% graduation rate and a 45% admit rate, the most selective of the group; 55% of applicants are turned away. Tuition runs $61,000 a year regardless of residency (private schools set one flat rate, with no in-state discount), which totals $244,000 across four years before aid or fees, across an undergraduate enrollment of 5,333. For comparison, the national BLS median for accountants and auditors, all experience levels, is $87,660 a year, per BLS data; Bentley's reported $80,000 median starting salary sits close behind that all-career benchmark. This program fits an applicant who tests well, wants the CPA-track dual-degree route, and can compete for one of the state's most selective accounting seats.

Endicott's Accounting Program (B.S.) is built as a CPA-exam pipeline: 125 to 126 total credits across four years, with required courses in Intermediate Accounting I through III, Cost Accounting, Tax Accounting, Auditing, Advanced Accounting, Corporate Tax Accounting, and Data Analytics for Accounting and Auditing. Career prep starts early, with first- and second-year internship courses (INT 100, INT 200), then a 12-credit, full-semester internship (ACC 480) in year three. Recent internship and alumni placements include PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst and Young, KPMG, Fidelity, and RSM. Stated learning outcomes tie directly to CPA exam readiness.

Endicott ranks #6 in Massachusetts with a Hakia Score of 88.3, built on a 76% graduation rate and a 71% admit rate, the most accessible of the four programs here alongside Merrimack. Tuition is $39,750 a year, flat for in-state and out-of-state students and the lowest sticker price on this list, for a four-year total of $159,000 before aid. Enrollment stands at 4,394. Endicott does not publish its own accounting starting-salary figure; the national BLS median for accountants and auditors, all experience levels, is $87,660 a year, per BLS data. The combination of a CPA-focused curriculum, a built-in semester internship, and the lowest tuition on this list fits a student chasing Big Four exposure without Bentley's admit-rate ceiling.

Stonehill's accounting major is a B.S.B.A. housed in the Department of Accounting and Taxation inside the AACSB-accredited Meehan School of Business, a distinction the college notes places it among the under 6% of business schools worldwide with that AACSB accreditation. The program targets CPA, controller, internal auditor, and forensic accountant career tracks, and the Skyhawk Accelerated Dual Degree lets students add a master's, in business administration, marketing, or data analytics, in as little as four years total. Stonehill reports that 96% of its Class of 2023 accounting majors were employed or in graduate school within six months of graduating, at a median salary of $71,291.

Stonehill ranks #7 in Massachusetts with a Hakia Score of 87.2, built on a 76% graduation rate and a 66% admit rate, roughly midway between Bentley's 45% and Merrimack's 70%. Tuition is $55,750 a year, flat for in-state and out-of-state students, which totals $223,000 across four years before aid, at a comparatively small enrollment of 2,674. Stonehill's self-reported $71,291 median starting salary sits below the national BLS median of $87,660 a year for accountants and auditors across all experience levels, per BLS data, which reflects the usual gap between an entry-level salary and a career-wide average. This program fits a student who wants a small cohort and a named dual-degree path to a master's.

Merrimack's B.S. in Accounting runs through the Girard School of Business as a 124-credit, on-campus degree (60 to 68 credits in the major, 2.0 minimum GPA), with required coursework in Intermediate Accounting I and II, Managerial Accounting, Accounting Information Systems, Taxes, and Auditing. Every accounting major gets a guaranteed co-op through the Warriors at Work program; the college reports co-op participants earn about $15,000 over three months at $28 to $37 an hour, with recent placements at Deloitte, PwC, Baker Tilly, Andersen, and Tonneson and Co. The related Bachelor's Degree Completion Program is Merrimack's online-accessible track, separate from the on-campus major detailed here.

Merrimack ranks #8 in Massachusetts with a Hakia Score of 86.6, built on a 70% graduation rate and a 70% admit rate, the most accessible on this list alongside Endicott. Tuition is $49,352 a year, flat for in-state and out-of-state students, which totals $197,408 across four years before aid, across the largest undergraduate enrollment of the four schools at 5,862. Girard School of Business reports 97% of its class of 2024 was employed, in a service program, or continuing education at graduation. That mix, guaranteed paid co-op income plus a 70% admit rate, fits a student prioritizing early work experience and access over maximum selectivity.

Based in Boston, MA, Simmons University is a private, nonprofit institution. Its Bachelor's in Accounting program lands at #9 of the 12 ranked here, earning an 86.1 Hakia Score that weighs graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and outcomes. That sits below the 88.7 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 72% of its students, below the 79% average across the ranked schools. Simmons University admits 70% of applicants, less selective than the 57% average for the group. That is more open than the 16% rate at Boston College, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 69% to 91%.

On cost, Simmons University charges $45,534 a year in-state. Over four years that totals about $182,136 in tuition. That puts it among the most affordable on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $17,006 at University of Massachusetts-Amherst to $69,400 at Boston College. As a private institution, its tuition does not change with residency, unlike the public universities on this list. Graduates step into a field with an $87,660 national median salary reported by the BLS. For prospective students, the main draw here is its low in-state cost.

Based in Springfield, MA, Springfield College is a private, nonprofit institution. Its Bachelor's in Accounting program lands at #10 of the 12 ranked here, earning an 82.8 Hakia Score that weighs graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and outcomes. That sits below the 88.7 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 74% of its students, below the 79% average across the ranked schools. Springfield College admits 72% of applicants, less selective than the 57% average for the group. That is more open than the 16% rate at Boston College, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 69% to 91%.

On cost, Springfield College charges $43,800 a year in-state. Over four years that totals about $175,200 in tuition. That puts it among the most affordable on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $17,006 at University of Massachusetts-Amherst to $69,400 at Boston College. As a private institution, its tuition does not change with residency, unlike the public universities on this list. Graduates step into a field with an $87,660 national median salary reported by the BLS. For prospective students, the main draw here is its low in-state cost.

Based in Wenham, MA, Gordon College is a private, nonprofit institution. Its Bachelor's in Accounting program lands at #11 of the 12 ranked here, earning an 82.3 Hakia Score that weighs graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and outcomes. That sits below the 88.7 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 69% of its students, below the 79% average across the ranked schools. Gordon College admits 69% of applicants, less selective than the 57% average for the group. That is more open than the 16% rate at Boston College, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 69% to 91%.

On cost, Gordon College charges $29,500 a year in-state. Over four years that totals about $118,000 in tuition. That puts it among the most affordable on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $17,006 at University of Massachusetts-Amherst to $69,400 at Boston College. As a private institution, its tuition does not change with residency, unlike the public universities on this list. Graduates step into a field with an $87,660 national median salary reported by the BLS. For prospective students, the main draw here is its low in-state cost.

Assumption University is a private, nonprofit institution in Worcester, MA. Its Bachelor's in Accounting program ranks #12 of the 12 analyzed here with an 80.7 Hakia Score, a composite of graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and graduate outcomes. That sits below the 88.7 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 75% of its students, below the 79% average across the ranked schools. Assumption University admits 83% of applicants, less selective than the 57% average for the group. That is more open than the 16% rate at Boston College, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 69% to 91%.

On cost, Assumption University charges $50,494 a year in-state. Over four years that totals about $201,976 in tuition. That puts it mid-pack on price on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $17,006 at University of Massachusetts-Amherst to $69,400 at Boston College. As a private institution, its tuition does not change with residency, unlike the public universities on this list. Graduates step into a field with an $87,660 national median salary reported by the BLS. It earns its place in the top 12 on the balance of cost, completion, and outcomes.