The Best Master's in Accounting in New York for 2026

Stony Brook's College of Business runs a Master of Science in Accounting built for accounting professionals and business-background students working toward CPA eligibility in New York, where licensure requires 150 total credit hours: 33 in accounting and 36 in general business. The program layers 30 prescribed credits onto that foundation, including Advanced Auditing & Assurance, Government & Non-Profit Accounting, Accounting Information Systems, Financial Accounting Theory, Forensic Accounting, and a Contemporary Issues in Accounting capstone. It runs full-time over two semesters or part-time on a flexible schedule, and the program will not grant the degree unless a student holds a 3.0 GPA by the end.

Stony Brook's 89.7 Hakia Score is the fourth-highest among New York's ranked accounting master's programs, built on a 76% graduation rate and a 49% admit rate. In-state tuition is $7,070 against $28,880 out-of-state, a $21,810 gap, the widest in-state discount of the four schools here. It fits a New York resident with an accounting or business background who wants the CPA credit runway at a public-school price and can hold a 3.0 GPA through a fixed 30-credit course list.

Excelsior University's program is an online MBA, not a stand-alone accounting master's: students complete a 30-credit core, including BUS 524 Corporate Finance and Accounting, then stack one of 14 concentrations, among them Finance and Accounting, Data Analytics, and Strategic Sustainability. The degree carries IACBE accreditation and drops the GRE and GMAT requirement entirely, aimed at working professionals who want a business credential with an accounting lens rather than a technical accounting degree.

Excelsior earned a Hakia Score of 89.5, fifth among New York's ranked programs, on the strength of price and delivery rather than published selectivity: the school does not report a graduate admit rate or graduation rate for this program. What it does publish is exact: tuition is $715 per credit, so the full 30-credit MBA totals $21,450, the same price no matter where a student lives, since the program runs entirely online. Enrollment across Excelsior is 12,941. Nationally, accountants and auditors earn a median $94,160 a year, per the BLS Occupational Outlook, a benchmark that applies regardless of which school confers the degree.

Touro University's Master of Science in Accounting runs out of the Graduate School of Business in New York City, on campus rather than online. The program's own framing is direct about why it exists: as government regulation multiplies and corporate finances face more public scrutiny, employers need accounting professionals equipped to shape corporate decision-making responsibly. Touro's page does not break out specific course tracks, but confirms a campus-based delivery in Manhattan.

Touro posted a Hakia Score of 87.5, sixth in New York, backed by a 72% graduation rate and a 61% admit rate, moderately selective for a private nonprofit. Tuition is $19,472 flat: in-state and out-of-state students pay the identical rate, so there is no residency penalty for a non-New Yorker enrolling in the city. Enrollment across the university is 11,937. Nationally, accountants and auditors earn a median $94,160 a year per the BLS Occupational Outlook, the same figure for graduates of any school in this ranking.

University at Buffalo's MS in Accounting, in the School of Management, is built around CPA licensure: it satisfies New York's full 150-credit-hour requirement while building skills in financial reporting, auditing, and tax strategy. Admission is test-optional, GMAT and GRE scores are not required. UB's page cites Bloomberg Businessweek and U.S. News ranking its business school in the top 10% of AACSB-accredited programs, and reports the top CPA exam performance among large accounting programs in New York State; the program is also one of 37 worldwide endorsed by the Institute of Internal Auditors. Recent graduates have gone on to PwC and the Financial Accounting Standards Board.

UB earned a Hakia Score of 87.4, seventh in New York, on a 75% graduation rate and a 74% admit rate, the most accessible admit rate in this group. The tuition gap is the number that matters most: $7,070 in-state against $27,670 out-of-state, a $20,600 difference for the same CPA-track degree. Enrollment across the university is 31,903. Nationally, accountants and auditors earn a median $94,160 a year per the BLS Occupational Outlook, the benchmark UB's CPA pipeline is built to reach, not a UB-specific outcome.

University at Albany's own program page leads with a caveat that matters more than any ranking: admission has been suspended as of Fall 2023. When active, the 21-month, cohort-based MS in Accounting was built for students with no prior accounting or business background, four full-time semesters (a part-time option also exists) covering GAAP fundamentals, auditing and internal controls, tax, and a closing research seminar, structured to meet New York's 150-hour CPA education requirement under AACSB accreditation. Past graduates have taken roles as audit associates, municipal auditors, and staff accountants, recruited by EY, Deloitte, KPMG, PwC, and agencies including the NYS Comptroller's office.

UAlbany's Hakia Score of 86, eighth in New York, rests on a 61% graduation rate and a 69% admit rate from the program's last enrolling cohorts, not a currently open class. In-state tuition is $7,070 against $27,460 out-of-state, a $20,390 gap, but with new applications not being accepted, that pricing is not actionable today. Enrollment across the university is 17,560. This entry fits readers tracking New York's CPA-pathway options broadly, or watching for the program to reopen, not students who need to enroll this cycle.

Ithaca College is a private, nonprofit institution in Ithaca, NY. Its Master's in Accounting program ranks #9 of the 12 analyzed here with an 85.8 Hakia Score, a composite of graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and graduate outcomes. That sits below the 88.2 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 76% of its students, above the 72% average across the ranked schools. Ithaca College admits 69% of applicants, less selective than the 57% average for the group. That is more open than the 9% rate at New York 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 57% to 88%.

On cost, Ithaca College charges $52,616 a year in-state. Over two years that totals about $105,232 in tuition. That puts it at the higher end on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $6,930 at CUNY Bernard M Baruch College to $62,990 at Fordham 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 a $94,160 national median salary reported by the BLS. For prospective students, the main draw here is its above-average completion.

Adelphi University is a private, nonprofit institution in Garden City, NY. Its Master's in Accounting program ranks #10 of the 12 analyzed here with an 84.2 Hakia Score, a composite of graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and graduate outcomes. That sits below the 88.2 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 67% of its students, below the 72% average across the ranked schools. Adelphi University admits 66% of applicants, less selective than the 57% average for the group. That is more open than the 9% rate at New York University, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 57% to 88%.

On cost, Adelphi University charges $46,784 a year in-state. Over two years that totals about $93,568 in tuition. That puts it at the higher end on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $6,930 at CUNY Bernard M Baruch College to $62,990 at Fordham 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 a $94,160 national median salary reported by the BLS. It earns its place in the top 12 on the balance of cost, completion, and outcomes.

SUNY College at Geneseo is a public institution in Geneseo, NY. Its Master's in Accounting program ranks #11 of the 12 analyzed here with an 84.0 Hakia Score, a composite of graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and graduate outcomes. That sits below the 88.2 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 71% of its students, below the 72% average across the ranked schools. SUNY College at Geneseo admits 66% of applicants, less selective than the 57% average for the group. That is more open than the 9% rate at New York 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 57% to 88%.

On cost, SUNY College at Geneseo charges $7,070 a year in-state, roughly 2.5x the $17,640 out-of-state rate. Over two years that is about $14,140 in tuition for residents, against $35,280 for non-residents. That puts it among the most affordable on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $6,930 at CUNY Bernard M Baruch College to $62,990 at Fordham University. Graduates step into a field with a $94,160 national median salary reported by the BLS. For prospective students, the main draw here is its low in-state cost.

Based in New York, NY, CUNY Hunter College is a public institution. Its Master's in Accounting program lands at #12 of the 12 ranked here, earning an 83.9 Hakia Score that weighs graduation rate, cost, selectivity, and outcomes. That sits below the 88.2 group average, in the lower third of the 12 ranked programs. The program graduates 57% of its students, below the 72% average across the ranked schools. CUNY Hunter College admits 54% of applicants, more selective than the 57% average for the group. That is more open than the 9% rate at New York University, the most selective program on this list. Its completion rate lands toward the lower end in a group where graduation runs from 57% to 88%.

On cost, CUNY Hunter College charges $6,930 a year in-state, roughly 2.1x the $14,880 out-of-state rate. Over two years that is about $13,860 in tuition for residents, against $29,760 for non-residents. That puts it among the most affordable on this list, where annual in-state tuition runs from $6,930 at CUNY Bernard M Baruch College to $62,990 at Fordham University. Graduates step into a field with a $94,160 national median salary reported by the BLS. For prospective students, the draw here is low in-state cost paired with genuine selectivity.