Accounting undergraduate enrollment rose 12%

Accounting enrollment increased 12% in the fall of 2024 compared to 2023, according to new data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

Total undergraduate accounting enrollment for fall 2024 was 257,278 students, the highest level reported since fall 2020 (263,092 students) and just shy of the pre-pandemic fall 2019 enrollment (275,963 students).

“Strong accounting enrollment is heartening,” Susan Coffey, CEO of public accounting for the American Institute of CPAs, said in a statement. “The larger undergraduate student body presents a bigger opportunity to demonstrate to students the dynamic, rewarding career opportunities accounting can deliver.”

The research showed that four-year colleges saw the greatest year-over-year increase in enrollment (14%, or 23,006 students), while enrollment at the graduate level fell 2.8% from the previous year. Total undergraduate business major enrollments increased 5.6%, totaling 2,289,935 students.

Coffey said enrollment data will be critical for programs and initiatives underway within the profession. 

“There is much work to do to increase awareness and interest in accounting as a major and to sustain that interest through college and into the workplace as students begin their careers,” Coffey said. “This ongoing work will be even more critical in the coming years as demographic shifts reshape education and the workforce.”