Affordable online accounting bachelor’s degrees (2026)

Fee units, residency eligibility, and placement conditions come from each school’s published terms:

University of the Cumberlands: Credits are semester credits. The online undergraduate rate is a flat $220 per credit hour and does not vary by course level. The school's 'One Price Promise' bundles textbooks and technology into tuition, but that is a marketing claim rather than an itemized fee schedule, so ask the school for the itemized list. A $30 non-refundable application fee is a one-time charge. Ask the school about any other one-time or optional fees. An accounting degree alone does not establish CPA eligibility; licensure rules vary by state and typically require more than the 120-credit bachelor's degree. Confirm your current intake, any residency or attendance conditions, and an itemized fee schedule directly with the school. The tuition page also lists an executive processing fee and an undergraduate deposit. Ask the school whether either applies to you.

Trine University: Credits are semester credits. TrineOnline publishes $299 per credit hour for all undergraduate online degrees except RN-to-BSN, the same in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 schedules. A lower active-duty military rate is available; ask the school whether you qualify. The published cost-and-investment schedule lists tuition only, so ask the school for its required-fee list. The published transfer ceiling is 90 credit hours. That is a maximum, not a promise that your credits will be accepted. An accounting degree alone does not establish CPA eligibility; the school notes 150 semester hours are commonly required, with additional planning needed.

Southeast Missouri State University: Credits are semester credits. For domestic and online undergraduate students SEMO publishes $305 tuition plus a $47 general fee per credit hour ($352 total). The $47 general fee is assessed per credit hour. A separate $40 per-credit-hour BSBA core program fee applies only to BSBA core courses, plus per-course special and electronic-course-access fees. Those course-category and per-course charges do not cover every credit in the 120-credit degree, so ask the school for its complete fee schedule. Non-domestic (international) students pay a higher rate ($647/credit total); ask the school whether that rate applies to you. An accounting degree alone does not establish CPA eligibility; SEMO notes the degree lays a foundation for CPA/CMA but additional requirements apply.

University of West Alabama: Credits are semester credits. UWA Online publishes $325 per credit hour for online undergraduates. A mandatory $25.50 per-credit-hour course-materials fee (bundled digital textbooks) is assessed per credit. A separate $120 technology fee is charged each semester, not per credit, so multiply it by the number of terms you expect to take. The published transfer ceiling is up to 60 credits from a two-year college and up to 90 credits from a four-year college; that is a maximum, not a guarantee of credit acceptance. An accounting degree alone does not establish CPA eligibility; the program is aimed at students pursuing a CPA license but licensure requirements vary by state.

Champlain College: Credits are semester credits. Champlain College Online publishes $342 per credit ($1,026 per 3-credit course) for Fall 2026 - Summer 2027. Lower rates for Champlain alumni, associate-degree graduates, veterans and their families ($297/credit) and military servicemembers ($250/credit) are published; ask the school whether you qualify. You pay a $150 one-time graduation fee. Additional required or optional fees are listed on a separate cost-of-attendance page, so ask the school which ones apply to you. Champlain states its 120-credit program meets the credit requirement to sit for the CPA exam in Vermont and points to NASBA for other states; that is not a guarantee of eligibility or licensure in any particular state.

Louisiana State University of Alexandria: Credits are semester credits. LSU Alexandria online publishes a flat $353 per credit-hour rate with no out-of-state fee, so the same rate applies to every state. Its published full-program cost with fees is $42,360, equal to 120 credits times $353, which means standard per-credit fees are bundled into the flat rate. The flat rate is published as fee-inclusive but is not itemized, so ask the school for its complete fee schedule. The published transfer maximum leaves a minimum of 30 credits at the school (a ceiling of about 75% of the 120-credit degree); it is not a guarantee of credit acceptance. An accounting degree alone does not establish CPA eligibility; the program page advises reviewing your state board's requirements.

Southern New Hampshire University: Credits are semester credits. SNHU publishes $354 per credit for online undergraduate degrees. A lower active-duty military rate ($250/credit) is available; ask the school whether you qualify. You pay a $100 graduation conferral fee, charged once. Course materials vary by course, and SNHU does not publish a complete list of program-specific required fees, so ask for its fee list. The published transfer ceiling is 90 credits toward a bachelor's degree (a minimum of 30 credits must be taken at SNHU); that is a maximum, not a guarantee of credit acceptance. SNHU states its BS in Accounting is aligned to CPA exam content but that licensure usually requires 150 credits; an accounting degree alone does not establish CPA eligibility in any state.

American Public University: Credits are semester credits. American Public University (part of American Public University System) publishes $360 per credit for the BS in Accounting. A lower preferred military rate ($250/credit) and veteran/opportunity-grant rate ($324/credit) are published; ask the school whether you qualify. The program page lists a $0 application fee and $0 textbooks/ebooks. Ask the school for a complete itemized required-fee schedule before you rely on a total. The published transfer ceiling is 90 credits; that is a maximum, not a guarantee of credit acceptance. APU states the program is not designed to prepare graduates for a state license and that completion may or may not satisfy CPA exam educational requirements, which vary by state.

Northwest Missouri State University: Credits are semester credits. Northwest Online publishes $368 per credit hour, the same for in-state and out-of-state students, delivered in accelerated 7-week courses. The published required fee is $39 per course (about $1,560 across roughly 40 courses for the 120-credit degree), plus a one-time $20.50 remote-proctoring fee for a required core assessment. The per-course fee is charged per course rather than per credit, so it depends on how many courses you take. Textbooks and laptops are not included in tuition. The published transfer ceiling is 78 credit hours; that is a maximum, not a guarantee of credit acceptance. An accounting degree alone does not establish CPA eligibility; the program is described as preparing students to sit for the CPA exam, but state licensure requirements vary.

University of Arkansas: Credits are semester credits. For fully online students the University of Arkansas publishes fall 2026 tuition of $376.09 per credit hour plus itemized online per-credit fees (Library $5.38, Network & Data Systems $18, Off-Campus $30, Online Facilities $2), which total $55.38 per credit hour. Those are the per-credit fees listed for students studying completely online. Any one-time or other fees are not itemized on the program page, so ask the school for its complete fee list. Students who take an on-campus course pay on-campus fees for that course; the rate above applies to a fully online course of study. The University notes the 120-credit degree alone does not meet the 150-credit education requirement for CPA examination eligibility.