The Best Accounting Programs in Pennsylvania for 2026

Bucknell's Accounting & Financial Management major leads to a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration through the Freeman College of Management. Its signature feature is the Student Managed Investment Fund, an experiential capstone open to select seniors and second-semester juniors who manage roughly $3.6 million in real university funds, applying portfolio management, asset allocation, accounting, economics, and statistics while presenting strategy to the Board of Trustees. The program also runs through the Dominguez Center for Data Science, launched in 2024, and its own page states that accounting majors regularly exceed the national average on first-attempt CPA exam pass rates and typically secure top-tier accounting firm internships that lead to job offers before senior year.

Bucknell graduates 86% of its students and admits 29% of applicants, the highest admit rate and lowest graduation rate of the four programs here. Tuition is $67,446 a year, the highest of the four and identical for in-state and out-of-state students since Bucknell is private. Its Hakia Score of 95.3 ties Lehigh's but ranks fourth for 2026. The fit is a student who wants a small cohort, Bucknell enrolls 3,969 total students, well under a fifth of Penn's size, with direct, hands-on capstone experience managing real capital rather than a simulation.

Four years of sticker tuition total $269,784, the highest total cost of the four programs. Against the national median pay for accountants and auditors, $87,660 a year per the BLS Occupational Outlook, that is just over three years of salary. For CPA licensure specifics, see the AICPA.

Penn State's Smeal College of Business builds its accounting major around the three major post-baccalaureate exams: the CPA, CMA, and CIA. Smeal calls itself a national recruiting school for the Big Four, Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PricewaterhouseCoopers, and students who need the extra 30 credit hours most states require for CPA licensure can stay on campus for a Master of Accounting, offered as either an Integrated MAcc built into the four-year plan or a One-Year MAcc after the bachelor's degree.

Smeal's accounting program carries a Hakia Score of 93.6, the highest of the four Pennsylvania programs profiled here, built on an 86% graduation rate and a 61% admit rate at a school of 50,737 students. In-state tuition runs $20,066 a year; out-of-state students pay $41,212, a $21,146 gap that makes Pennsylvania residency the single biggest lever on total cost. Nationally, accountants and auditors earn a median $87,660 a year, per the BLS Occupational Outlook; that figure applies across employers, not to Smeal graduates specifically. Check state-by-state CPA rules at AICPA.

Pitt's accounting major is an 18-credit add-on to the BSBA, and the college is explicit about the CPA pathway: students who also complete the 9-credit Public Accounting Certificate take extra courses in auditing, taxation of entities, and advanced financial accounting aimed at the Uniform CPA Exam, and the program page states Pitt accounting majors typically post among the highest pass rates in the state. Pitt has also partnered with Becker Professional Education, giving students no-cost access to one section of the CPA review course plus discounts and scholarships on the rest.

Pennsylvania requires 150 credit hours to cut the post-graduation work requirement from two years to one, and Pitt directs students toward its Katz Graduate School of Business Master of Science in Accounting to cover the extra 30 hours; requirements vary by state, so the program points out-of-state candidates to AICPA licensure resources. The program carries a Hakia Score of 92.9, backed by an 85% graduation rate and a 58% admit rate, the most selective of the four schools here, at a school of 35,724 students. In-state tuition is $20,556 versus $40,060 out-of-state, a $19,504 gap. Nationally, accountants and auditors earn a median $87,660 a year, per the BLS.

Muhlenberg's accounting major is a 12-course B.A. inside a liberal arts core, capped by an Auditing and Assurance capstone, ACT 490. The program page notes that students graduate with enough credit hours to sit for the CPA exam right away, and it lays out three routes to the 150-hour requirement most states now demand: load up on extra coursework at Muhlenberg for about 38 total units, pursue a formal articulation with Lehigh University's Master of Science in Accounting and Information Analysis program for a fifth year, or add hours later, though the page warns that last option will most likely limit job placement opportunities at CPA firms. Accounting students can also study abroad at Maastricht University in the Netherlands or intern with government and nonprofit offices in D.C. through the Lutheran College Washington Semester program.

Muhlenberg posts a Hakia Score of 87, with an 82% graduation rate and a 72% admit rate, the most accessible of the four schools here, at a small campus of 1,788 students with a 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The page reports 93% of graduates begin a career or further study within six months. Tuition is flat at $62,035 regardless of residency, $41,969 more than Penn State's in-state rate, the tradeoff for a small liberal-arts setting with Big Four internship placements built in. Nationally, accountants and auditors earn a median $87,660 a year, per the BLS; check state rules at AICPA.

Drexel LeBow builds its accounting major around the school's co-op model: students alternate six-month academic terms with six-month full-time jobs, and a plan of study with up to three co-ops adds as much as 18 months of paid work experience before graduation, at employers the program page lists including KPMG, PwC, Vanguard, Comcast, and Chubb. After four core courses in financial reporting, taxation, managerial accounting, and audit, students pick electives such as ACCT 327 Financial Statement Analysis or TAX 360 on state and local taxation, plus an experiential elective like TAX 415, where students get IRS training and prepare returns for low-income Philadelphia families. Students aiming for CPA licensure add the required credit hours through an accelerated MS program or by double majoring.

LeBow's accounting program carries a Hakia Score of 86.6, the lowest of the four schools here, with a 78% graduation rate and a 79% admit rate, the most open admissions of the group, at a school of 21,153 students. Tuition is flat at $60,042 regardless of residency. The tradeoff against Penn State or Pitt is a lower graduation rate and a higher flat tuition, offset by co-op paychecks that reduce net cost while students are still enrolled. Nationally, accountants and auditors earn a median $87,660 a year, per the BLS; CPA credit-hour rules are set state by state, per AICPA.

Grove City College is a private, nonprofit institution in Grove City, PA. Its Bachelor's in Accounting program ranks #9 of the 12 analyzed here with an 86.4 Hakia Score, a composite of graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and graduate outcomes. That sits below the 90.5 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 83% of its students, below the 84% average across the ranked schools. Grove City College admits 72% of applicants, less selective than the 56% average for the group. That is more open than the 5% rate at University of Pennsylvania, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands in the middle of the pack in a group where graduation runs from 75% to 97%.

On cost, Grove City College charges $21,700 a year in-state. Over four years that totals about $86,800 in tuition. That puts it among the most affordable on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $20,066 at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus to $67,446 at Bucknell 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 draw here is low in-state cost paired with an online option.

Temple University is a public institution in Philadelphia, PA. Its Bachelor's in Accounting program ranks #10 of the 12 analyzed here with an 86.2 Hakia Score, a composite of graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and graduate outcomes. That sits below the 90.5 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 75% of its students, below the 84% average across the ranked schools. Temple University admits 80% of applicants, less selective than the 56% average for the group. That is more open than the 5% rate at University of Pennsylvania, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 75% to 97%.

On cost, Temple University charges $21,989 a year in-state, versus $37,789 for out-of-state students. Over four years that is about $87,956 in tuition for residents, against $151,156 for non-residents. That puts it among the most affordable on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $20,066 at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus to $67,446 at Bucknell University. Graduates step into a field with an $87,660 national median salary reported by the BLS. For prospective students, the draw here is low in-state cost paired with an online option.

Based in Philadelphia, PA, Drexel University is a private, nonprofit institution. Its Bachelor's in Accounting program lands at #11 of the 12 ranked here, earning an 85.3 Hakia Score that weighs graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and outcomes. That sits below the 90.5 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 78% of its students, below the 84% average across the ranked schools. Drexel University admits 79% of applicants, less selective than the 56% average for the group. That is more open than the 5% rate at University of Pennsylvania, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 75% to 97%.

On cost, Drexel University charges $60,042 a year in-state. Over four years that totals about $240,168 in tuition. That puts it mid-pack on price on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $20,066 at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus to $67,446 at Bucknell 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.

University of Scranton is a private, nonprofit institution in Scranton, PA. Its Bachelor's in Accounting program ranks #12 of the 12 analyzed here with an 85.0 Hakia Score, a composite of graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and graduate outcomes. That sits below the 90.5 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 80% of its students, below the 84% average across the ranked schools. University of Scranton admits 81% of applicants, less selective than the 56% average for the group. That is more open than the 5% rate at University of Pennsylvania, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 75% to 97%.

On cost, University of Scranton charges $53,208 a year in-state. Over four years that totals about $212,832 in tuition. That puts it among the most affordable on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $20,066 at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus to $67,446 at Bucknell 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 low in-state cost.