The number of college accounting graduates took a big dip in the 2021–22 academic year, but projections for the coming academic year are trending upward, according to an AICPA report released Thursday, Oct. 12.
The report, 2023 Trends: A Report on Accounting Education, the CPA Exam and Public Accounting Firms' Hiring of Recent Graduates, found that about 47,000 students earned a bachelor's degree in accounting in the 2021–22 school year, down 7.8% from the previous year. The number of students earning a master's degree in accounting slipped 6.4% to 18,238.
Enrollment projections for this academic year are more positive. Three-quarters of responding university bachelor's programs and 78% of responding master's programs expect enrollment in 2023–24 to be the same or higher as in 2021–22. See more key findings.