Best Accelerated Online Accounting Degrees
An online accelerated accounting degree sets you up for a CPA sooner. Check out the best programs to advance your career sooner.
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Accelerated online accounting degrees are 2 to 3-year programs that suit transfer students and working professionals who have at least an associate degree but not a bachelor’s.
We’ve compiled online accounting bachelor’s degrees you can finish fast. We weighed factors including affordability and student outcomes to help you find a program that doesn’t just cut down time, but will also ensure you graduate and land a job.
Best Accelerated Accounting Degrees Online
How We Rank Schools
St Catherine University
- Saint Paul, MN
- 4 year
- Campus + Online
- Accredited
Why St. Kate's Made Our List
St. Catherine University’s online accounting degree is built for flexibility — that means you can fast-track your education and finish the program in as little as two years.
The ACBSP-accredited accounting program has core courses that cover fundamental accounting concepts and core business skills like analytics. St. Kate's online programs, through its College for Adults, are geared toward working professionals.
Why Attend St. Kate's
- Built for Working Professionals: St. Kate's gears its online accounting degree toward working adults who need scheduling flexibility. The university has a College for Adults that focuses on nontraditional college students.
- Earn Your Degree in Two Years: The flexible, self-paced nature of the degree means you can earn a bachelor’s in accounting in as little as two years.
- Experienced Faculty: Classes are taught by faculty who’ve worked in the accounting field, meaning you’ll be learning from experts with real-world experience.
Know Before You Go
- Second Degree Option: If you already have a degree in another field and want to pursue accounting, St. Kate's offers an accelerated degree for which you’ll only need to complete the major’s required courses.
- Cost per Credit: The cost per credit is $475, and the program requires 44 credits to graduate.
- Portfolio Requirement: You’ll be required to build up a business portfolio using real-world experiences and skills you’ve learned in the program.
64%
$36,694
78%
$36,694
- Acceptance Rate
- 94%
- Students Enrolled
- 3,539
- Institution Type
- Private
Concordia University, St. Paul
- Saint Paul, MN
- 4 year
- Campus + Online
- Accredited
Why CSP Made Our List
CSP’s online accounting degree has a strong emphasis on human skills in addition to accounting fundamentals. Human skills are set to be important to employers even amid the rise of AI, and the CSP accounting degree combines them with in-depth instruction in the accounting industry to prepare you for the modern workforce.
Why Attend CSP
- Focus on Human Skills: CSP emphasizes liberal arts skills in its program, like communication and decision-making. Those skills are important to employers, according to GMAC research.
- Good Outcomes for Students: The average yearly salary for students six years after enrolling at CSP is $46,000. That’s the highest average earnings figure for the schools on this list. Accounting majors can make even more than that, based on earnings data from the BLS.
- Finish Fast: You can finish the degree in as little as 2.5 years.
Know Before You Go
- Generous Transfer Policy: You can cut down dramatically on the time and money required to finish the program by transferring your past college credits. CSP allows you to transfer up to 90 credits from another institution.
- More Selective: CSP has a 75% admission rate, making it more selective than the other schools on our list.
- Relatively Affordable: The cost per credit for CSP’s accounting degree is $420. That said, you can transfer up to 90 credits from another institution and cut down the total cost of your degree.
78%
$25,000
67%
$25,000
- Acceptance Rate
- 75%
- Students Enrolled
- 5,854
- Institution Type
- Private
Herzing University
- St. Louis Park, MN
- 4 year
- Campus + Online
- Accredited
Why Herzing Made Our List
Herzing University’s accounting degree focuses on growing your career in both the accounting and broader business fields. The IACBE-accredited program includes instruction in marketing, project management, and other high-demand fields. Coursework also features deep dives into various accounting specializations, including financial, government, and tax accounting.
Why Attend Herzing
- Career Focus: Herzing focuses its curriculum on helping you grow your career. That means you’ll get in-depth instruction on business topics like marketing and digital innovation in addition to the core.
- High Graduation Rate: Herzing has the highest graduation rate of the schools on our list at 74%.
- Self-Paced Learning: You can finish the self-paced program in as little as 36 months.
Know Before You Go
- Transfer Up to 91 Credits: If you have past college experience, Herzing allows you to transfer more than 75% of the 120 credits required for this degree.
- Entrance Testing Required: If you don’t have prior college credit, you’ll need to take the ACT, SAT, or other entrance exam to qualify for the program.
- More Expensive: At $515 per credit, Herzing is the most expensive program on our list.
91%
$12,360
57%
$12,360
- Acceptance Rate
- 94%
- Students Enrolled
- 752
- Institution Type
- Private
Is an Accelerated Online Bachelor’s in Accounting Right for You?
An accelerated online bachelor’s in accounting is ideal for students who:
- Have prior college credit: Accelerated programs are designed to account for transfer credits, and some accept up to 90.
- Self-motivated: Accelerated accounting programs can be self-paced, allowing you to complete your coursework at any point during the week before the deadline. If you can budget your time and energy, you can succeed.
- Want to pursue a CPA: Working professionals who want to accelerate their path to a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license will benefit from these programs.
However, these programs aren’t for everyone. If you need a lot of structure and guidance, you may have a better educational experience pursuing an accounting program with synchronous classes. If your schedule is busy and you have limited capacity for school or the ability to step back from work, you may prefer a program you can complete part-time over a longer period.
How to Choose the Best Accelerated Online Accounting Degree for You
Your best-fit accelerated online accounting degree may be different from someone else’s. Finding the balance between your learning style, educational history, cost, and career/education goals will help you make the best-informed choice.
Types of Accelerated Programs
Not all accelerated programs are built equally. They help you earn your degree faster in different ways, from prioritizing transfer credits to condensing material to even using your past work experience for credit.
| Degree Type | What It Offers | Who It’s For |
|---|---|---|
| Degree Completion | Programs that maximize the credit hours you can transfer in and typically require at least an associate degree. These allow you to transfer up to 90 credits or 75% of your degree. | Working adults who have completed some college but haven’t earned their bachelor’s degree. |
| Accelerated Term | Programs that condense 120 credit hours of coursework into a shorter, more intensive schedule to help you graduate faster. | Students who can pause their careers to pursue their education full-time. |
| Competency-based | Programs that earn you college credit based on your work experiences, training, and certifications. | Students with work experience in the field. |
| Three-year degrees | Newer programs that require only 90 credit hours instead of 120. Only offered at select schools. | Students who don’t want an intensive class schedule but who still want to graduate faster than the traditional four years. |
Cost of an Accelerated Online Bachelor’s in Accounting
Accelerated accounting bachelor’s programs often charge tuition per credit. That means your program’s cost depends largely on the amount of credit you transfer in.
The programs on BestColleges’ list cost $470 per credit on average. That would make a traditional 30-credit year in school about $14,000 — significantly less than the almost $30,000 average sticker price for a year of college.
But accelerated programs — unless you start from scratch — will expect you to transfer in existing credit, lowering the credits you’d need to graduate down from the typical 120. At the same time, transferring credits cuts down your costs. Let’s use this list’s average cost per credit as an example.
No Transfer Credits
$470 x 120 credits = $56,400
30 Transfer Credits
$470 x 90 = $42,300
60 Transfer Credits
$470 x 60 = $28,200
However, this sticker price doesn’t account for financial aid. In the 2019-20 year, online business bachelor’s students (including accounting) paid over 40% less after scholarships and grants, according to NCES.
Find Financial Aid for Your Accounting Degree
How Fast Can You Actually Finish an Accelerated Online Accounting Degree?
A typical accounting bachelor’s degree will take about four years if you’re enrolled full-time, since bachelor’s degrees typically require around 120 credit hours, including general education.
However, depending on the amount of credits you bring in, you could reduce that to just one year. For example, Herzing University’s program allows you to transfer up to 91 credits, over 75% of what you need to graduate.
If you’re coming in without transfer credits, your time may be closer to 2.5 to three years, depending on your pace. For example, over half (62%) of graduates in Western Governors University’s self-paced online accounting program finish in just 24 months.
Jobs With a Bachelor’s in Accounting
Some of the most popular jobs for those with an accounting degree make a median annual salary between $81,000 and $102,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
While you can enter into any entry-level role with just a bachelor’s, a CPA can help you advance to higher-level positions. CPAs earn 21% more than non-CPAs, according to a 2026 analysis by Becker, an accounting exam review provider. Becker found that at the entry level, CPAs made $60,000-$70,000.
Master’s in accounting jobs can also boost your salary potential. On average, 2024 master’s degree holders in business earned an entry salary of $95,399, compared with bachelor’s degree holders, who earned $68,664, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
| Job | Median Annual Salary (May 2024) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Accountant and Auditor | $81,680 | Runs the day-to-day financial operations of a business, and also plays key advisory roles to businesses and individuals |
| Budget Analyst | $87,930 | Analyzes costs and revenues to help business leaders come up with a budget |
| Cost Estimator | $77,070 | Assesses the total cost of a project or business function, including time, labor, materials, and more |
| Financial Analyst | $101,910 | Creates financial reports and helps business leaders make decisions based on business, market, and economic factors |
| Financial Manager | $161,700 | Leads an organization’s financial planning and operations |
| Management Analyst | $101,190 | Advises organizations on how to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and boost revenue |
| Personal Financial Advisor | $102,140 | Helps individuals make decisions on how to spend and save their money, including planning for retirement |
Ask an Expert: Frequently Asked Questions About Accelerated Online Accounting Degrees
Colin Smith is a certified public accountant and financial reporting consultant with over 16 years of experience advising public and private companies on a range of complex accounting projects. After spending 10+ years in Big 4 firms and working in public accounting, Colin started his own consulting practice.
It all depends on how well you grasp the material and how much time you can leave for other things in your life to avoid burnout. An accelerated accounting degree will be much more demanding on your schedule than a more traditional degree path, so you’ll need to weigh whether these extra sacrifices would be worth it for you.
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