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Updated:May. 8, 2025
By Big 4 Accounting Firms
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Accounting Schools in Illinois

Are you living in (or moving to) Illinois and want to attend school for accounting? Are you thinking of becoming a certified public accountant (CPA) someday?

You have a lot of options available to say the least. The state of Illinois is home to over twenty five different accounting programs and covers pretty much every direction in “The Prairie State”.

With programs offered at:

  • Chicago State University
  • Illinois College
  • Quincy University
  • Trinity Christian College
  • University of Illinois (three locations)

You can choose to live in pretty much any area of Illinois and have a school nearby. The trick however, lies in choosing the correct accounting school that’s suitable for you.

Tips For Choosing the Right Accounting Program

Some people really have a brain for number crunching and truly find it fascinating. A career in accounting makes sense for many people. If you really want to go the distance and get your CPA, you will have to look into finding the right program that will take you there.

Always check the school’s website for information:

  • What courses do they offer?
  • Will they provide you with the correct amount of courses in order to earn your license?
  • Do they have reputable staff?

Find out everything you can about their accounting progam by contacting the school. You can be put in touch with a member of the staff, or maybe even a current student/ alumnus to tell you what it’s really like there. If you’re still not sure, it doesn’t hurt to go visit the school and see for yourself what it’s like. Research is your best bet.

How to Become an Accountant or CPA

Every state has its own requirements in order to qualify for your CPA. Most all agree that at least 150 semester credits are required from an accredited college or university.

A minimum of bachelor’s degree is required, and you must take a certain number of accounting courses, and a certain number of business courses. Some programs offer accelerated programs that would allow you to earn the educational requirements designed to prepare you for your CPA.

Once you have fulfilled your education requirements, you must qualify to sit for the CPA exam. This exam is VERY difficult and is not known for its high pass rate.

Once you pass the CPA exam, you must then sit for an ethics exam. Before being eligible for your CPA license, you usually would be required to have a certain number of hours of experience under your belt working in finance, auditing, or other relatable areas.

If you have the desired number of hours of experience, you should then qualify for your CPA licence. It is a long, difficult road, but very fulfilling in the end.

Illinois CPA Requirements

The state of Illinois abides by much of the above, but it has specifications that you must keep in mind. They have a lot of rules that you should look over.

You have to take specific courses including:

  • accounting
  • administrative practice
  • auditing
  • marketing
  • statistics
  • taxes
  • and many others

You must at least one year of full time working experience providing advice or services relating to accounting, financial advisory, management advisory or tax related skills.

Because Illinois is so specific about their requirements, take a look at this link for the full list: https://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/068/068014200000700R.html

Illinois Accounting Salary (avg)
National Accounting Salary (avg)
$65,000
$57,000

Accounting Salaries in Illinois

As with any profession, it’s good to know what you could potentially earn if you follow through with your education.

Every state has a different standard for the yearly income of the average accountant, but Illinois has the average of around $75,000 per year.

This of course, is not the case for every accountant out there. It depends on who you work for, if you’re with a large or small company, or if you are working independently. That number is merely a ballpark figure for you to get an idea of what you at least should be making as a CPA.

Illinois Accounting Jobs
Average Salary
Big4 Accountant
$84,000
Senior Corporate Accountant
$77,000
Property Accountant
$56,000
Tax Accountant
$64,000
Bookkeeper
$43,000

Accounting Program Sneak Peek

Illinois accounting training

Being the second best ranked accounting program in the country, University of Illinois clearly offers a program that is exemplary and can help you on your journey to obtaining your CPA license.

The UIC Business school’s department of accounting offers courses to help prepare its students to become CPAs, CMAs and other designations.

Their faculty are among some of the best in the country and their courses are such that would challenge you to be able to understand some of the most complex financial problems and theories.

As the CPA exam is very difficult, you would need to have rigorous studies and University of Illinois certainly can help you.

They also host guest researchers from around the world and offer occasional conferences. This program does have a waiting list, so be sure to check their website for information on how to qualify.

Illinois Accounting SchoolsAddress
Augustana College IL639 38th St, Rock Island, IL 61201
Aurora University347 S Gladstone Ave, Aurora, IL 60506
Benedictine University5700 College Rd, Lisle, IL 60532
Bradley University1501 W Bradley Ave, Peoria, IL 61625
Chicago State University9501 S King Dr, Chicago, IL 60628
DePaul University2400 N Sheffield Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
Dominican University7900 W Division St, River Forest, IL 60305
Eastern Illinois University600 Lincoln Ave, Charleston, IL 61920
Elmhurst College190 S Prospect Ave, Elmhurst, IL 60126
Governors State University1 University Pkwy, University Park, IL 60484
Illinois College1101 W College Ave, Jacksonville, IL 62650
Illinois State University100 N University St, Normal, IL 61761
Illinois Wesleyan University1312 Park St, Bloomington, IL 61701
Lewis University1 University Pkwy, Romeoville, IL 60446
Loyola University – Chicago1032 W Sheridan Rd, Chicago, IL 60660
Millikin University1184 W Main St, Decatur, IL 62522
North Central College30 N Brainard St, Naperville, IL 60540
Northeastern Illinois University5500 N St Louis Ave, Chicago, IL 60625
Northern Illinois University300 Normal Road, DeKalb, IL 60115
Olivet Nazarene University1 University Ave, Bourbonnais, IL 60914
Quincy University1800 College Ave, Quincy, IL 62301
Rasmussen College1415 W 22nd St # 400, Oak Brook, IL 60523
Roosevelt University430 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605
Saint Xavier University3700 W 103rd St, Chicago, IL 60655
Southern Illinois University – Carbondale1263 Lincoln Dr, Carbondale, IL 62901
Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville1 Hairpin Dr, Edwardsville, IL 62025
Trinity Christian College6601 W College Dr, Palos Heights, IL 60463
University of Illinois at Chicago1200 West Harrison Street, Chicago, IL 60607
University of Illinois at Springfield1 William Maxwell Ln, Springfield, IL 62703
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign360 Wohlers Hall 1206 South Sixth St. Champaign, IL 61820
Western Illinois University1 University Cir, Macomb, IL 61455
Community CollegesAddress
Black Hawk College6600 34th Ave, Moline, IL 61265-5899
Carl Sandburg College2400 Tom L Wilson Blvd, Galesburg, IL 61401
College of DuPage425 Fawell Blvd, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137-6599
College of Lake County19351 W Washington St, Grayslake, IL 60030
Elgin Community College1700 Spartan Dr, Elgin, IL 60123-7193
Frontier Community College2 Frontier Dr, Fairfield, IL 62837
Harper College1200 W Algonquin Rd, Palatine, IL 60067-7398
Heartland Community College1500 W Raab Rd, Normal, IL 61761
Highland Community College (IL)2998 W Pearl City Rd, Freeport, IL 61032-9341
Illinois Eastern Community College District233 E Chestnut St, Olney, IL 62450
Illinois Valley Community College815 N Orlando Smith Ave, Oglesby, IL 61348-9692
John Wood Community College4220 Kochs Ln, Quincy, IL 62305-7630
Joliet Junior College1215 Houbolt Rd, IL 60431-8938
Kankakee Community College100 College Dr, Kankakee, IL 60901-6505
Kaskaskia College27210 College Rd, Centralia, IL 62801
Kishwaukee College21193 Malta Rd, Malta, IL 60150
Lewis & Clark Community College5800 Godfrey Rd, Godfrey, IL 62035
Lincoln Land Community College5250 Shepherd Rd, Springfield, IL 62794-9256
Lincoln Trail College11220 State Hwy 1, Robinson, IL 62454
McHenry County College8900 US Hwy 14, Crystal Lake, IL 60012-2761
Moraine Valley Community College9000 W College Pkwy, Palos Hills, IL 60465-0937
Morton College3801 S Central Ave, Cicero, IL 60804
Oakton Community College1600 E Golf Rd, Des Plaines, IL 60016
Olney Central College305 N West St, Olney, IL 62450
Parkland College2400 W Bradley Ave, Champaign, IL 61821
Prairie State College202 S Halsted St, Chicago Heights, IL 60411
Rend Lake College468 N Ken Gray Pkwy, Ina, IL 62846
Richland Community CollegeOne College Park, Decatur, IL 62521
Rock Valley CollegeRock Valley College, Rockford, IL 61114
Sauk Valley Community College173 Illinois Route 2, Dixon, IL 61021-9110
South Suburban College15800 State St, South Holland, IL 60473-1200
Southeastern Illinois College3575 College Rd, Harrisburg, IL 62946-4925
Southwestern Illinois College2500 Carlyle Rd, Belleville, IL 62221-5899
Wabash Valley College2200 College Dr, Mount Carmel, IL 62863
Waubonsee Community CollegeRoute 47 at Waubonsee Dr, Sugar Grove, IL 60554

Top Ranked Accounting Program in Illinois

Illinois has many accounting programs to choose from, and it so happens that several of them have been ranked among the best accounting schools across the country.

According to the 32nd Annual Professors Survey, University of Illinois ranked number two for the top 25 undergraduate programs in 2013. University of Illinois also placed number three for the top masters program (down from number two in 2012), and number five for the doctoral program (down from number three in 2012).

Northern Illinois University also did well in the rankings, placing number sixteen for the undergraduate program (up from number twenty in 2012), number sixteen for the masters program (up from 23 in 2012), but did not place for the top 25 doctoral programs.

In terms of program size, University of Illinois placed number 2 in the top 25 undergraduate programs with 22+ full-time accounting faculty, while Northern Illinois University placed twelfth.

Of the smaller staffed programs, Southern Illinois University placed 25 for the undergraduate programs with fifteen or fewer full-time accounting faculty.

Northern Illinois University


Listed among the best 200 universities in the country by U.S. News, Northern Illinois University prides itself on a wide range of well-regarded academic programs and business partnerships.

The AACSB-accredited College of Business at NIU offers a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, as well as relevant Master’s degrees for students interested in the CPA track.
The Master of Accounting Science (Leadership) program is a unique blend of academic learning with leadership and professional development experience bound to put you at an advantage in a dynamic business environment. If you are looking to start a career in tax, the Master of Science in Taxation may be the one for you.

Business-oriented students may also consider the dual MBA offered by NIU jointly with Bordeaux University in France. In addition, the university offers a range of professional certification review courses that can help you pass the CPA exam with flying colors.

With over 250 recruiters on campus, nationally ranked programs and scholarship opportunities, the NIU accounting program has all you need to get off to a great start in your career.

University of Chicago – Booth


Ranked as 4th best business school in the country by U.S. News, the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago is one of the best places to start your graduate studies in Illinois.

Prospective accountants interested in gaining a higher degree either for CPA qualification or enhanced career prospects can choose from a range of MBA programs: full-time, evening, weekend or executive. Pursuing an MBA with an accounting concentration will provide you with knowledge of financial statement analysis, taxation and cost accounting.

At Booth School of Business you can also gain that precious extracurricular experience by getting involved in the Corporate Finance Group, Distressed Investing and Restructuring Group or the American Bankruptcy Institute Corporate Restructuring Competition.

Finally, students interested in an academic career can pursue the prestigious PhD program at the University of Chicago, rated 3rd in the country by Public Accounting Report in 2013.

References:

https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes132011.htm
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Certified_Public_Accountant_(CPA)/Salary
https://cob.niu.edu/academics/accountancy/index.shtml
https://www.baruch.cuny.edu/news/documents/PARSurvey2013-BaruchRankings.pdf
https://www.chicagobooth.edu/programs/full-time/academics/curriculum/accounting#tabContent2
https://www.chicagobooth.edu/programs

Table of Contents

  1. Tips For Choosing the Right Accounting Program
  2. How to Become an Accountant or CPA
  3. Illinois CPA Requirements
  4. Accounting Salaries in Illinois
  5. Accounting Program Sneak Peek
  6. Top Ranked Accounting Program in Illinois
    1. Northern Illinois University
    2. University of Chicago – Booth

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