The Best Bachelor's in Accounting Programs in New York for 2027

Fordham University's Gabelli School of Business runs its core Accounting major as a choice between two tracks: Public Accounting, a 120-credit option that often serves as a lead-in to a dual degree program toward CPA licensure, and Public Accountancy, a five-year, 150-credit program built specifically to cover the extra credit hours of New York's 150-hour CPA license route. A third option, Accounting Information Systems, pairs the accounting core with the technology skills firms are hiring for. Core courses include Individual and Business Taxation and Assurance and Auditing, with electives like Business Analytics and Advanced Python with AI layered on top, and select seniors can land a "Winternship," interning at an international firm while taking graduate-level business courses in their final semester.

This track shares Fordham's schoolwide numbers: an 82% graduation rate, a 59% admit rate, and a Program Score of 93.0, fourth among the four New York accounting programs profiled here. Tuition is a flat $62,990 a year with no in-state discount; stretched across the five-year, 150-credit Public Accountancy path, that is close to $314,950 before aid, the real cost of clearing New York's 150-hour CPA route in one continuous program rather than adding a separate master's year. The 150-credit track fits a student who has already decided on the CPA license and wants Fordham's Big Four recruiting pipeline, which has placed more than 90 recent graduates at PwC alone, to help get there.

Yeshiva University's Sy Syms School of Business offers a B.S. in Accounting with a 27-credit major requirement, preparing students for roles in accounting departments, government agencies, financial analysis, law firms, and investment banks. The program runs out of YU's Wilf Campus at 500 West 185th Street in Manhattan, on separate men's and women's undergraduate campuses, and frames its coursework around Jewish values inside what the school calls a "small, close-knit community." Sy Syms points students toward a network it lists at more than 70,000 alumni across major firms.

Sy Syms carries a 91.8 Program Score, good for the No. 5 spot in our 2027 New York accounting ranking and the highest score of the four programs profiled here, built on an 83% graduation rate against a 56% admit rate. As a private university, Yeshiva charges one flat rate, $47,150 a year, with no in-state discount; that is more than six times University at Buffalo's $7,070 in-state tuition. At 6,965 total enrollment, Sy Syms fits a student who wants a small, values-based campus in New York City and can pay full private tuition to get it.

University at Buffalo's School of Management offers a BS in Accounting that pairs core accounting coursework with marketing and human resources classes to round out business skills. The page is direct about licensure: New York's current license route takes 150 credit hours, and UB's route is a one-year MS in Accounting, a state-registered program that gets automatic approval on the educational requirements rather than a case-by-case government review. Staying in the major requires a 2.950 major GPA, a 2.750 overall UB GPA, minimum B grades in MGA 201 and MGA 202, and minimum C grades in MGA 301, 311, 302, and 312.

UB carries a 91 Program Score, No. 7 in our 2027 New York ranking, with a 75% graduation rate and a 74% admit rate, the most accessible admit rate of the four programs profiled here. The tuition split is the headline number: $7,070 a year in-state versus $27,670 out-of-state, a $20,600 annual gap. At 31,903 total enrollment, UB is by far the largest school on this list. This is the pick for a New York resident who wants the lowest sticker price with a built-in path to the 150-hour CPA route; out-of-state students need to weigh that $20,600 premium.

SUNY SUNY College at Geneseo's B.S. in Accounting sits inside a liberal arts framework and is registered by New York State to qualify graduates to sit for the CPA exam; students can layer on the state's 150-hour route through Geneseo's one-year M.S. in Accounting. The page cites award-winning faculty (a mix of PhDs, CPAs, and SUNY-system teaching-award winners), a dedicated in-house career coach, an annual Accounting and Finance Internship and Job Fair each September, and an annual October field trip to accounting and finance firms in New York City. Faculty also mentor students through the Accounting Society and the CFA Research Challenge.

Geneseo carries an 88.5 Program Score, No. 8 in our 2027 New York ranking, with a 71% graduation rate and a 66% admit rate, on tuition of $7,070 in-state versus $17,640 out-of-state, a $10,570 gap, narrower than UB's out-of-state premium. The school's own figures back its outcomes claim: job placement from the high 90s to 100%, with an average starting salary of $62,000, a figure that sits below the $87,660 national BLS median for accountants and auditors, likely reflecting first-job pay rather than a full-career figure. At 3,945 total enrollment, Geneseo is the smallest school on this list, a fit for a student who wants a public-school price with a small, liberal-arts-integrated accounting program.

UAlbany's bachelor's in accounting sits in the Massry School of Business, which reports dual AACSB accreditation in business administration and accounting. The curriculum covers financial accounting theory in three parts, cost accounting systems, financial management, auditing, taxation and accounting information systems, with grounding in the Financial Accounting Standards Board's generally accepted practices. One required course, Accounting and Communications, is developed and delivered by Ernst & Young professionals. Applied learning options include credit-bearing internships, the Ernst & Young Trajectory Program, an IT risk consulting experience mentored by faculty and EY staff, and student groups such as the Albany Accounting Association. The page also describes a path toward CPA licensure and a master's degree pathway.

The program earns a Program Score of 88.2 out of 100, the basis of its ranking. UAlbany graduates 61% of students and admits 69% of applicants. In-state tuition is $7,070 and out-of-state tuition is $27,460, a gap worth weighing for students coming from outside New York. The program suits students who want a traditional four-year accounting major with strong ties to large accounting firms, steady internship access and a clear route to the 150-hour CPA education requirement.

Ithaca College's BS in Accounting gives students a grounding in financial, managerial, tax, assurance and consulting topics, with liberal arts courses and electives rounding out the professional core. The college says the degree prepares students for follow-up study in its professional MS in accounting, and that completing the separate master's makes graduates eligible to sit for the CPA examination. Experiential learning is required of all business students through an internship or community service. Accounting students can join the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, and some travel to Alaska during spring break to prepare returns in remote villages. Student groups include Beta Alpha Psi, the Ithaca College Accounting Association and the National Association of Black Accountants. The college says its graduates boast some of the best CPA exam pass rates in the state.

Ithaca College graduates 76% of its students and admits 69% of applicants. Listed tuition is $52,616 for both in-state and out-of-state students. The program has a Program Score of 87.9 out of 100, which is the basis of its ranking. It fits students planning a public accounting career who are open to continuing into a graduate year.

Hofstra University's BBA in Accounting is a 120-credit degree through the Zarb School of Business that qualifies students for general accounting careers in business. The major requires 33 semester hours, including intermediate and advanced accounting, cost accounting, auditing, accounting information systems, two income tax courses and accounting technologies, plus a Microsoft Excel Expert certification course. Students automatically earn a concentration in Digital Accounting Technology. The page is clear that this track does not fully satisfy New York's 150-hour education requirement for CPA licensure, and points students planning public accounting to the licensure version of the major or to the accelerated programs. Majors need a 2.0 in accounting coursework and a C- or better in the four foundation accounting courses.

Hofstra graduates 69% of its students and admits 68% of applicants. Listed tuition is $56,545 for both in-state and out-of-state students. The program has a Program Score of 87.4 out of 100, which is the basis of its ranking. It fits students aiming at corporate accounting roles who want a technology-focused skill set and a clear view of the CPA pathway.

SUNY Oneonta's Professional Accounting major is a 150-hour program registered with the New York State Education Department to meet the curriculum requirements for the Uniform CPA Examination. Students can add a finance or marketing concentration. Classes are in person and small: advanced courses average 15 to 20 students and introductory courses 35 to 45. Qualified majors can complete an internship between junior and senior year, join the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program after IRS certification, and use eight Bloomberg terminals, with Bloomberg Market Concept certification available. The school says its accounting majors have passed the CPA exam at rates above the New York state average for accounting programs.

The page notes the program satisfies educational requirements for licensure in New York State only. The federal numbers show a 69% graduation rate and a 70% admit rate. In-state tuition is $7,070 and out-of-state tuition is $18,020. The Program Score of 87.1 out of 100 is the basis of the ranking. The major fits students aiming to sit for the CPA exam in New York who want small classes, an optional internship and a yearly alumni networking trip to New York City.