The Best Bachelor's in Accounting Programs in Ohio for 2027

University of 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 Program 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 Program 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 Program 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 Program 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 Program 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.

John Carroll University offers a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Accountancy through its Boler College of Business. The page says the curriculum prepares students for a career in professional accounting and for licensure as a Certified Public Accountant, and for credentials such as the CFE and CIA. Required major courses include Business Analytics in Accounting, Intermediate Accounting I and II, Cost Analysis and Budgetary Control, Principles of Federal Taxation, Accounting Information Systems and Auditing. Students can intern with an accounting firm, join a study tour to financial hubs, and volunteer to prepare taxes for low-income community members. The school reports a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio and says the college is in the top 2% of business schools worldwide per AACSB.

Federal data shows a 79% graduation rate and an 81% admit rate at John Carroll. Tuition is $48,700 for in-state and out-of-state students alike. The program's Program Score is 83.6 out of 100, which is the basis of its ranking. It fits students who want a small, Jesuit private university with a direct path toward the CPA exam and who value internships and close faculty contact.

Ohio University offers a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting through its College of Business and School of Accountancy on the residential Athens campus. The page covers data analytics for accounting, managerial accounting, corporate governance and commerce. Students can take accounting alone or double major in a related field such as finance, pre-law or entrepreneurship. Regional campuses at Chillicothe, Eastern, Lancaster, Southern and Zanesville let students begin general education or take certain accounting courses closer to home. Recruiting runs through the OHIO Business Conference, Weekly Accounting Nights, an annual awards banquet and golf outing, plus an on-site career services center in Copeland Hall and the Handshake job platform. The page notes that many graduates become Certified Public Accountants, and others move into tax planning, managerial accounting, assurance or finance roles.

Federally reported figures show a 65% graduation rate and an 85% admit rate for Ohio University. In-state tuition is $14,158 and out-of-state tuition is $24,838. The program earns a Program Score of 81.3 out of 100, which is the basis of its ranking. The program fits students who want a CPA-oriented business degree at a large public university and value the option to pair accounting with a second major.

At Bowling Green State University, accounting is a specialization within the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. The school says the curriculum blends hands-on learning with audit and technology-focused courses and covers auditing, financial accounting, taxation, cost accounting, accounting information systems and analytics. BGSU reports AACSB accreditation in both accounting and business, and describes its Beta Alpha Psi student chapter as rated number two in the country. It says over 73% of business graduates complete one or more internships. Many students add a fifth year for a Master of Accountancy, which the page says prepares them to pass the CPA exam. The program also points to an Ohio Society of CPAs partnership and an embedded career coach.

BGSU admits 81% of applicants and graduates 64% of its students. In-state tuition is $11,405, against $19,393 for out-of-state students. The program's Program Score is 79.4 out of 100, the basis of its ranking. It fits students who want a campus-based accounting degree with a clear route to a fifth-year master's for CPA eligibility, and who value internships and student organizations. The university enrolls 17,594 students.

Xavier University offers a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Accounting through its Williams College of Business, which the school reports is AACSB accredited. The page describes a four-year curriculum covering introductory and intermediate financial accounting, managerial accounting, taxation, accounting information systems, auditing and a business capstone, with a choice of accounting electives and VITA tax-service options. Xavier says the degree is a step toward the 150-hour requirement that Ohio and other states set for the CPA exam. Students who want to finish those hours can pursue the five-year Master of Science in Accountancy, which combines the BSBA in Accounting with an MBA. Graduates can move into accounting, information systems, cost management, taxation or auditing.

Federal figures show a 69% graduation rate and an 86% admit rate. Tuition is $49,195 for in-state and out-of-state students alike, since Xavier is a private nonprofit. The program earns a Program Score of 79.3 out of 100, the basis of its ranking. It fits students who already know they want the CPA path and are willing to pay private-school prices for a structured curriculum, a defined route to the 150-hour requirement and a Jesuit liberal arts core.