One Out of Eight Business Students Now Choose Accounting as a Major

NEW YORK, Jan. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Accounting undergraduate enrollment in U.S. colleges and universities rose for the third consecutive year in fall 2025, outpacing growth overall for undergraduate institutions, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse.

Overall accounting undergraduate enrollment grew by 7.3% year over year in the fall 2025 semester. That increase compares to 1.2% for enrollment across all majors, data from the clearinghouse's Final Fall Enrollment Trends 2025 report shows. The increase for accounting majors follows an 11.3% rise in fall 2024 and a 1.9% increase in fall 2023 at the undergraduate level.

"Three straight years of growth is energizing for the profession," said Susan Coffey, CPA, CGMA, the AICPA's CEO of public accounting. "The fact that enrollment was up this fall versus competitive fields of study signals that students are seeing the purpose, trust, value and financial security that accounting delivers – and they're choosing it."

Among the highlights from the clearinghouse's most recent data:

• Total postsecondary accounting enrollment in 2025 was 313,397 students, compared to 293,759 last year. That includes enrollment at 4-year colleges and universities, community colleges, hybrid institutions that primarily offer associate's degrees and graduate schools.
  
  
• Accounting enrollment at 4-year undergraduate programs rose 7.4% to 204,283 in fall 2025, the third consecutive year over year increase.
  
  
• By comparison, total enrollment across all program areas at the 4-year undergraduate level rose 1.4% at public institutions and declined at private institutions.
  
  
• One in eight undergraduate business students majored in accounting in fall 2025, an increase from one in nine in 2023.
  
  
• At the graduate level, accounting enrollment rose just under a half-percent to 25,580 students. While modest, the accounting graduate-level enrollment increases still outstripped the growth in overall graduate business, management and marketing programs and represents the first year-over-year increase in graduate accounting enrollment since 2019.

The AICPA continues to work with educators, accounting firms and other employers, state CPA societies and other accounting bodies to promote workforce development and career opportunities in the profession. Students can visit ThisWaytoCPA.com to discover resources and information about accounting careers.

"Workforce development and talent readiness are a significant focus for us," Coffey said. "Partnering with stakeholders to make our profession more accessible and rewarding remains a critical priority."

About the American Institute of CPAs  

The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) is the world's largest member association representing the CPA profession, with 397,000 members and a history of serving the public interest since 1887. AICPA members represent many areas of practice, including business and industry, public practice, government, education, and consulting. A founding member of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, the AICPA sets ethical standards for the profession, attestation standards, and U.S. auditing standards for private companies, not-for-profit organizations, and federal, state, and local governments. It develops and grades the Uniform CPA Examination, offers specialized credentials, partners across the profession to build future talent, and drives continuing education to advance the vitality, relevance, and quality of the profession.

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SOURCE AICPA