The best accounting programs in Ohio for 2026

Dayton's BSBA in Accounting runs through the School of Business Administration, which holds AACSB dual accreditation for both business and accounting (AACSB), a distinction the school says fewer than 2% of business schools worldwide hold. The 120-credit-hour curriculum includes Auditing Principles, Advanced Financial Accounting and Federal Income Taxation, and students apply classroom work through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program and study-abroad options like Accounting in Paris. Ninety-seven percent of accounting majors complete a full-time, paid internship before graduating, and the school reports a $68,575 average starting salary for accounting majors.

Dayton carries a Hakia Score of 90.2, the number four rank in Ohio. It graduates 80% of students, admits 65% and reports a 99% post-graduation success rate for the School of Business Administration. Tuition is a flat $49,140 whether the student lives in Ohio or not, with no in-state discount, at an enrollment of 10,506. Its own $68,575 reported starting salary already tops the $55,197 Ohio State reports for public-accounting placements, though it still sits below the $87,660 national median BLS reports for accountants and auditors.

Franciscan University of Steubenville's accounting bachelor's degree sits in the Department of Accounting, Business Administration and Economics and is built around CPA exam preparation and placement at Big Four and mid-sized firms. Students get hands-on experience through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, filing free tax returns for elderly, disabled, and low-income residents of the Ohio Valley, and can study a full semester abroad in a 14th-century monastery in Gaming, Austria. A Business Advisory Board of executives from Hershey, Protiviti, Bayer, Honeywell, AECOM, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, and Microsoft shapes the curriculum and is among the first to hire graduates for entry-level accounting roles. Franciscan lists its own Master of Business Administration and Master of Science in Accounting as direct graduate pathways for accounting majors, and the business program carries accreditation through the International Accreditation for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE).

The program carries a Hakia Score of 86, 5th among Ohio accounting programs in this ranking, built on a 75% graduation rate and a 58% admit rate, the tightest admit rate of the four schools here. Tuition is flat at $33,500 whether a student lives in Ohio or out of state, so four years runs $134,000 before aid with no out-of-state surcharge to plan around. At a campus of just 3,976 students, it fits someone who wants a small Catholic business school, a direct CPA track, and named employer relationships over a large lecture-hall program.

Cedarville University's Bachelor of Science in Accounting, housed in the Robert W. Plaster School of Business, covers all six major divisions of the field: financial, managerial, auditing, tax, governmental and nonprofit, and accounting information systems. An optional CPA concentration adds the coursework needed to sit for the Uniform CPA Exam in Ohio and many other states, and the same degree is offered fully online with six start times a year. The two-semester Integrated Business Core has student teams build a business plan, secure financing, and sell a product, then donate the profits to a local charity, and internships place students at CPA firms, corporations, and small businesses before graduation. Recent graduates have gone on to EY, Deloitte, KPMG, Grant Thornton, Plante Moran, Crowe, Progressive Insurance, JPMorganChase, and LexisNexis.

Cedarville's Hakia Score of 85.9 ranks it 6th in Ohio, on a 73% graduation rate and a 65% admit rate, more accessible than Franciscan's 58%. Tuition is a flat $36,950 regardless of home state, the highest sticker price in this group; four years totals $147,800 before aid. Cedarville reports that 100% of recent Plaster School of Business graduates were employed or in graduate school within six months of finishing. It fits a student set on CPA licensure who wants a Christian campus and an online option for the identical accounting degree, at the highest flat tuition of the four.

Ohio Northern University's BSBA in Accounting sits in the Dicke College of Business Administration and is built around three professional certification exams: the Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), and Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Every accounting student is assigned a faculty advisor who is a practicing CPA with real-world accounting experience, and small class sizes put students in direct contact with business executives and entrepreneurs, many of them ONU alumni, who help open doors at Big Four firms, large corporations, small businesses, and government or nonprofit employers. The program also frames starting a company as a direct outcome, not just joining one.

ONU's Hakia Score of 85.1 ranks it 7th among Ohio accounting programs, resting on a 75% graduation rate, tied with Franciscan and UC for the best in this group, and a 74% admit rate, the most open of the three private schools here. Tuition is flat at $38,250 for every student, the highest in this set; four years totals $153,000 before aid, at a campus of 3,140 students. It fits a student who wants guaranteed access to a CPA faculty advisor and small classes, and is willing to pay a premium for that ratio rather than chase the lowest sticker price.

The University of Cincinnati's BBA in Accounting runs through the Carl H. Lindner College of Business and requires every incoming student to complete two co-op rotations under its Universal Co-operative Education program, paid work with real employers built into the graduation requirements rather than an optional add-on. The school flags that competitive candidates typically carry a 3.2 GPA or higher along with co-op or internship experience. Graduates move into public and corporate accounting at Big Four and regional firms, manufacturing and retail companies, and government or nonprofit organizations, and qualified students can add a Lindner Business Honors track or study abroad on every continent, from a one-week trip to a full semester.

UC carries a Hakia Score of 84.1, 8th in this Ohio group, on a 75% graduation rate that matches Franciscan and ONU, and an 85% admit rate, the most open of the four. The tuition split is the real decision point: $11,685 a year in state versus $27,019 out of state, a $15,334 annual gap that compounds to $61,336 over four years. At 45,026 students, this is by far the largest campus of the group, trading the smaller CPA-advisor relationships at Franciscan, Cedarville, and ONU for a public price and a mandatory co-op requirement. It fits an Ohio resident chasing the lowest total cost in this set; an out-of-state student pays more than double what an Ohio resident pays for the identical degree.

Based in University Heights, OH, John Carroll University is a private, nonprofit institution. Its Bachelor's in Accounting program lands at #9 of the 12 ranked here, earning an 83.6 Hakia Score that weighs graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and outcomes. That sits below the 86.2 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 79% of its students, above the 76% average across the ranked schools. John Carroll University admits 81% of applicants, less selective than the 71% average for the group. That is more open than the 37% rate at Case Western Reserve University, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands in the middle of the pack in a group where graduation runs from 64% to 88%.

On cost, John Carroll University charges $48,700 a year in-state. Over four years that totals about $194,800 in tuition. That puts it at the higher end on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $11,405 at Bowling Green State University-Main Campus to $66,020 at Case Western Reserve University. 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 above-average completion.

Based in Athens, OH, Ohio University-Main Campus is a public institution. Its Bachelor's in Accounting program lands at #10 of the 12 ranked here, earning an 81.3 Hakia Score that weighs graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and outcomes. That sits below the 86.2 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 65% of its students, below the 76% average across the ranked schools. Ohio University-Main Campus admits 85% of applicants, less selective than the 71% average for the group. That is more open than the 37% rate at Case Western Reserve University, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 64% to 88%.

On cost, Ohio University-Main Campus charges $14,158 a year in-state, versus $24,838 for out-of-state students. Over four years that is about $56,632 in tuition for residents, against $99,352 for non-residents. That puts it among the most affordable on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $11,405 at Bowling Green State University-Main Campus to $66,020 at Case Western Reserve University. 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.

Bowling Green State University-Main Campus is a public institution in Bowling Green, OH. Its Bachelor's in Accounting program ranks #11 of the 12 analyzed here with a 79.4 Hakia Score, a composite of graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and graduate outcomes. That sits below the 86.2 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 64% of its students, below the 76% average across the ranked schools. Bowling Green State University-Main Campus admits 81% of applicants, less selective than the 71% average for the group. That is more open than the 37% rate at Case Western Reserve University, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 64% to 88%.

On cost, Bowling Green State University-Main Campus charges $11,405 a year in-state, versus $19,393 for out-of-state students. Over four years that is about $45,620 in tuition for residents, against $77,572 for non-residents. That puts it among the most affordable on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $11,405 at Bowling Green State University-Main Campus to $66,020 at Case Western Reserve University. 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.

Xavier University is a private, nonprofit institution in Cincinnati, OH. Its Bachelor's in Accounting program ranks #12 of the 12 analyzed here with a 79.3 Hakia Score, a composite of graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and graduate outcomes. That sits below the 86.2 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 69% of its students, below the 76% average across the ranked schools. Xavier University admits 86% of applicants, less selective than the 71% average for the group. That is more open than the 37% rate at Case Western Reserve University, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 64% to 88%.

On cost, Xavier University charges $49,195 a year in-state. Over four years that totals about $196,780 in tuition. That puts it at the higher end on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $11,405 at Bowling Green State University-Main Campus to $66,020 at Case Western Reserve University. 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.