15 Most Affordable Online Accounting Programs for 2024

Accounting refers to how a business or organization processes, shares, and measures financial data. Earning your degree from one of the most affordable online accounting programs helps you find work at one of the top firms or launch a business. Where you work and what you do on the job depends on the area of accounting you study.

Why An Accounting Program?

The eight types of accounting include financial, government, management, forensic, public, and cost accounting along with auditing and tax accounting. Studying accounting in a business degree helps you develop good problem-solving, decision-making, and time-management skills while you learn about accounting and financial principles.

Online programs include options for both undergrad and graduate students. With a bachelor’s in according, you can work as a financial, budget, or investment analyst. Other job options include financial and investment examiners. Earning a graduate degree is one of the requirements for getting your professional certifications if you want to work as a CPA or in a similar position.

Your degree allows you to enter an industry with a positive outlook. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) found that the field will experience a 4% growth in the future, leading to the addition of more than 67,000 jobs. As of 2024, professionals working in this area earn more than $38 an hour or $79,000 a year. To get started in this career, learn more about the most affordable online accounting programs, including how to apply and how much they cost.

15 Most Affordable Online Accounting Programs

We evaluated hundreds of online accounting programs and looked at total program cost, cost per credit, fees and financial aid offers to determine what programs are affordable. Here’s our top list:

1. University of California Berkeley Extension – Certificate Program in Accounting

Admission requirements: Online registration, registration fee, transcripts
Type of program: Certificate
Cost: $9,400 in total
What makes it affordable? Low annual fee

UC Berkeley offers an accounting certificate program online designed to meet the educational requirements necessary to sit for the CPA exam in Florida. You may find that you can use the credits to sit for the same or a similar exam in a different state. The program is affordable because all students pay the same rate, which is less than $5,000 a year and under $2,500 per semester. You’ll take Intermediate Accounting I and II along with electives like Principles of Business Law and Accounting Business Processes and Information Systems.

2. University of West Florida – Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Accounting

Admission requirements: Application, application fee, financial statement, ACT or SAT score
Type of program: Bachelor’s
Cost: $219 per credit hour for Florida students
What makes it affordable? Low cost per credit hour and extensive financial aid

UWF offers an affordable accounting degree program for undergrads that is also open to transfer students. While costs are higher for students from different states, Florida residents get a steep tuition discount. If you’re from out of state, you can sign a tuition waiver and get your cost dropped to the same rate that residents pay. The UWF program includes 30 credit hours of specialized accounting classes and 30 credits of general accounting courses. Courses include Legal and Ethical Environment of Business and Taxation of Individuals among others.

3. Coastline Community College – Accounting Certificate

Admission requirements: Application, application fee, transcripts
Type of program: Certificate
Cost: $460 per credit
What makes it affordable? Low total cost

Complete the credits you need to sit for a professional licensing exam through Coastline Community College. The low cost of the program makes it appealing to many students. Though it consists of just nine credits or three courses, you can complete them all in just one or two semesters. CCC has an intermediate accounting program and an advanced accounting program, each of which includes different courses. The college works with other schools to ensure its curriculum builds off the foundation students get from them. Both programs help students develop the skills to find accounting jobs.

4. Southern New Hampshire University – Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting

Admission requirements: Application, application fee, transcripts
Type of program: Bachelor’s
Cost: $330 per credit hour
What makes it affordable? Low price per credit hour

Southern New Hampshire University helps you start your career off on the right foot with the choice between two affordable online programs. Earn either your Bachelor of Science in Accounting or your Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance in four years or less. The standard program is available with a concentration in forensic accounting and fraud examination, which teaches you how to examine financial documents and prevent fraud. Filling out the FAFSA when you apply to SNHU helps you see if you qualify for federal aid and financial aid from the university.

5. Western Governors University – Online Accounting Degree

Admission requirements: Application, high school transcripts,
Type of program: Bachelor’s
Cost: $264 per credit hour
What makes it affordable? Low rate for all students

At Western Governors University, you don’t need to worry about paying more because you live out of state. All students pay the same rate, which helps them earn their degrees for around $7,100. This program prepares you for working on your graduate degree and helps you meet some of the requirements for state or national licensing exams. More than 60% of the accounting majors at WGU complete their degrees in 24 months. The 41 courses you must take in the accounting core include Fundamental for Success in Business, Principles of Economics, and Cost and Managerial Accounting.

6. Clayton State University – Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting 

Admission requirements: Application, application fee, transcripts
Type of program: Bachelor’s
Cost: $165.25 per credit hour
What makes it affordable? Low annual and credit hour rates

Clayton State University is a university in Georgia that offers an affordable undergraduate program for accounting majors. The university has a strong reputation for its tax clinic, which allows students to gain experience as they help low-income individuals prepare and file their taxes. While online students do not take part in the tax clinic, they can look for volunteer programs in their areas that offer similar experiences. The CSU program lets students begin in the fall, winter, or spring semesters and develop a strong accounting foundation. A major requirement for all students is an internship, but CSU helps online students find internship opportunities close to them.

7. University of Alabama at Birmingham – Bachelor’s in Accounting

Admission requirements: Transcripts, application fee, application
Type of program: Bachelor’s
Cost: $458 per credit hour
What makes it affordable? Low costs and ample financial aid

When you enroll in a UAB Online program, you get access to the same opportunities available to on-campus students. One of the biggest is the Collat Career Center. You can browse the job and internship listings, apply for a position, and get help preparing for the future interview. The accounting degree program takes four years to finish, but it lets you choose between intensive seven-week courses or longer 14-week classes. You’ll spend one week working on-campus and 150 hours doing an internship to gain more experience. If you already have some professional experience, UAB lets you submit a waiver to reduce some of the required hours and graduate faster.

8. Penn Foster – Online Accounting Certificate

Admission requirements: Application, application fee
Type of program: Certificate
Cost: $2,899 total
What makes it affordable? One low price for the entire program

Not only does Penn Foster offer an affordable online accounting program, but it gives you two different ways to save money. When you pay by the month, you get a discount that reduces your total cost by $100 and takes money out of your linked account every month. You can also pay in full and save up to $500 on the total cost of the program. Penn Foster designed this program for those who want to learn more about accounting. It includes just 11 classes that you complete in 16 months via the Fast Track route. Many of the students who enrolled in this program used their credits to transfer to an associate’s or a bachelor’s degree program.

9. Florida Atlantic University – Online Bachelor of Business Administration

Admission requirements: Transcripts, application fee, application
Type of program: Bachelor’s
Cost: $263 per credit hour
What makes it affordable? Low price for Florida residents

Though FAU charges nonresidents more, it offers enough financial aid that you can get your rate down to around $500 per credit hour or less. Just make sure that you complete the FAFSA as soon as possible after you apply. One of the unique features of the program is that it requires you to take and complete some general education courses first and maintain a high GPA to enter the business school and major in accounting. The program also includes a business core of 30 credits, including Principles of Marketing and Financial Management. You need to receive a “C” or higher in each one to stay in the program.

10. National University – Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting

Admission requirements: Application
Type of program: Bachelor’s
Cost: $370 per credit hour
What makes it affordable? Low prices for all students

National University is a private university that offers a low rate for any student who enrolls. You’ll notice that the university is different when you apply because its application asks about your professional experience and doesn’t put as much emphasis on your educational background. As a new student, you’ll take six foundation courses that ensure you can handle the more intense courses in the accounting major. Students also complete a handful of business courses that go over the principles and operations of small and large businesses. The accounting core features 13 courses like Auditing I and II, Taxation – Business, and Government and Nonprofit Accounting. National University designed the program to prepare students for the CPA exam and various jobs in the accounting industry.

11. University of Arizona – Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Accounting

Admission requirements: Application, application fee, transcripts, essay
Type of program: Bachelor’s
Cost: $530 per credit hour
What makes it affordable? All students pay the same tuition

The University of Arizona charges all students the same rate for its online accounting program, which awards graduates a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree. If you have at least 12 credits you want to transfer, you qualify for a $500 scholarship from the university. Ranked as one of the best online accounting programs for undergrads in the nation, it puts you in contact with a large network of alumni and partners who can help you find jobs and internships. The program has both an accounting core and a business core.

12. George Mason University – Certificate in Accounting

Admission requirements: Application, application fee, bachelor’s degree
Type of program: Certificate
Cost: $462 per credit hour
What makes it affordable? Low rate per credit hour

George Mason University designed this certificate program to bridge the gap many students face when they finish college. You won’t have enough credits to take the CPA exam, but enrolling in this program helps you complete the credits and get ready for the test. Once you finish your studies, you can even transfer the credits to a graduate program. GMU asks certificate students to take 30 credit hours of classes and gives them four years to finish their studies. You can also take electives through the university or other classes that interest you, which you can transfer into a graduate accounting program at GMU or another university.

13. Purdue Global – Bachelor of Science in Accounting

Admission requirements: Application fee, transcripts, application
Type of program: Bachelor’s
Cost: Starting at $280 per credit hour
What makes it affordable? Low price for both residents and non-residents

Purdue Global is the online division of Indiana’s Purdue University. It offers a bachelor’s in accounting program for both Indiana residents and other students. If you live outside of the state, you’ll pay just $371 per credit hour. All students can apply for scholarships and other types of financial aid, too. Purdue asks you to pick a concentration that applies to your future career and offers options like auditing and forensic accounting and tax accounting. While you’ll take classes in your concentration, the program also features many required classes to give you a solid accounting foundation.

14. Georgia Southwestern State University – Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting

Admission requirements: Application fee, application, transcripts
Type of program: Bachelor’s
Cost: $199 per credit hour
What makes it affordable? Lots of financial aid and low costs

One of the most affordable online programs in accounting is this one from Georgia Southwestern University, which costs less than $200 per credit hour. Earn your Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree with an emphasis in accounting to gain practical skills relating to business and finances. The online program prepares you to work as a budget analyst, business manager, payroll clerk, or in other fields. Major courses in the program include Intermediate Accounting, Fraud Examination, and Taxation for Business Entities. You must also complete the business core, which is worth 24 credits and features classes like Principles of Management, Communications in Business, and a final business capstone.

15. University of Minnesota Crookston – Accounting Online Degree

Admission requirements: Application, application fee, transcripts
Type of program: Bachelor’s
Cost: $441 per credit hour
What makes it affordable? The same low fee for all students

Not only does this branch of the University of Minnesota offer an accounting program online with electives and required courses, but it also prepares you for major licensing exams. You can earn up to 12 credits for those prep courses, which include four different CPA review classes. It takes only 16 months to finish the required courses, but you’ll spend up to four years as a full-time student to earn your accounting degree. At least 40 credits must come from advanced classes, while 21 credits come from the accounting core. This core includes Principles of Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Auditing I and II, Income Tax I and II, and Managerial Finance.