7 Most Affordable Online Accounting Degrees in Alabama (2025)

What career position keeps the business world running? Arguably, accountants form the bedrock of the business environment by providing financial advising and management services to companies, nonprofits, government entities, and individual entrepreneurs.

With an accounting degree, you could also be a tax preparer for individual and corporate taxation, tax examiner and collector, revenue agent, appraiser of personal and business property, or budget analyst.

Read on to find out how you might find and earn an Alabama affordable online accounting degree.

Featured Affordable Accounting Degrees Online

While the state of Alabama has plenty of universities that offer traditional accounting degrees at the bachelor's level, only a few provide online bachelor's degrees in accounting at this time.

Below, you can peruse our research results regarding where to find an Alabama affordable online accounting degree.

1. Athens State University

The affordable Athens State University offers a distinctive online Bachelor of Science in accounting degree. The College of Business is partnered with a number of organizations to enhance the education of its students:

• the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners Anti-Fraud Education Partnership
• the Institute of Management Accountants Higher Education Endorsement Program
• Unanet (to offer a specific curriculum focused on government contract accounting)
• many local accounting firms

In addition to the major curriculum, the business school also offers valuable courses clustered into minors, such as in finance, forensic accounting, or government contract accounting. Tuition is just $251 per credit hour, regardless of residency.

2. Auburn University

Admission to Auburn University's online Bachelor of Science in business administration (BSBA) in accountancy is limited to second-degree-seekers only, as it is a degree-completion program.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens who have completed either an AACSB-accredited bachelor's degree in business or an AACSB-accredited MBA from a U.S. university.

Upon acceptance, the university will waive the university and college core classes and require a student to complete only the 30 semester hours of accounting coursework.

Those who work full-time may complete the program in five semesters or two years, while full-time students should be able to complete it in one year.

3. Herzing University-Birmingham

At the private Herzing University, the fully online Bachelor of Science in accounting degree program is a 122-credit undergraduate program with a career-focused curriculum.

Beyond the general education core, the curriculum contains 36 credit hours of business core coursework followed by 43 credit hours of accounting courses, plus a capstone or internship course. Tuition is $515 per credit hour, plus some fees.

4. South University-Montgomery

Montgomery's South University is home to an online Bachelor of Science in accounting that prepares graduates for careers in corporate and public accounting as well as financial services. Tuition runs just over $8000 per semester for full-time enrollment.

Foundational accounting classes cover business law, communication, finance, and management.

Higher-level courses focus on accounting information systems, financial and cost accounting, cost management, federal taxation, internal and external auditing, and data analytics.

5. Troy University

Troy University's Sorrell College of Business is the center for the distinctive Bachelor of Science in global business with a concentration in accounting and finance.

In this degree program and concentration, you would enroll in a curriculum of accounting and finance courses including cost accounting, financial reporting, financial management, and cost management in the global economy.

Students learn to prepare, understand, and analyze financial reports as they gain exposure to the way financial analysts, credit analysts, and others use financial data to make key financial decisions for a firm.

6. University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)

The University of Alabama's Birmingham campus is home to an online Bachelor of Science in accounting program rooted in conceptual accounting and business knowledge.

UAB's program offers you a number of distinctions. You would study with a distinguished faculty consisting of many award-winning industry experts. It also prepares you for CPA, CISA, CIA, CFE, and CMA exams.

The Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) recognizes UAB's online accounting program as a leader in Certified Management Accountant exam preparation, an endorsement that ensures that your training will meet the rigorous standards needed for the exam.

Tuition is $667 per credit hour, but scholarships are available for qualified candidates.

7. University of West Alabama

The online Bachelor of Business Administration program in accounting from the University of West Alabama provides graduates with the expertise they need as professionals in accounting careers such as being an auditor, accounting manager, or budget analyst.

An ideal program for degree completers, the UWA accounting program requires a total of 123 credit hours, though only 30 of those are major requirements.

This allows students who started elsewhere to transfer their previously earned credits and then complete only the designated credits needed to complete the BBA in accounting.

With courses only eight weeks in length, you would be able to move through this program quickly. Tuition is only $325 per credit hour.

Other Affordable Online Accounting Degrees

Beyond Alabama, you'll find lots of schools across the nation that offer online accounting degrees. Here are just a few of the most affordable.

Eastern New Mexico University

Based in Portales, New Mexico, Eastern New Mexico University (a public state university) is home to an online Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting with one of the most affordable tuition rates for both in-state and out-of-state students in the nation.

You may also apply for scholarships through the ENMU Foundation.

South College

With its focus on global business, South College's Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in accounting consists of online coursework in courses in corporate finance, auditing, federal income tax, financial reporting for corporations, and more.

Tuition for online study in accounting is $3975 per quarter for full-time enrollment (10-20 hours) plus fees. The school is based in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Southern New Hampshire University

At Southern New Hampshire University, you can earn either a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting or a Bachelor of Science in accounting and finance.

Students may transfer in up to 90 of the 120 credits needed for the bachelor's degree. Tuition is $330 per credit.

Western Governors University

With its Bachelor of Science in accounting available fully online, the private Western Governors University, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, has an unusual way of assessing tuition.

Rather than paying per credit hour, you pay $3,755 for a six-month term, and then you can complete as many courses during that time as you are able, working at your own pace.

Financial Aid Options for Online Accounting Programs

Almost all, if not all, of the universities we've named above provide an abundance of financial aid options.

Many programs have particular in-house scholarships they offer at an institutional level, while many other scholarships are out there for applicants.

If you are a military veteran or active in the military, be sure to check with each university to find out about discounted tuition rates or special scholarships for which you might qualify.

Always apply through your financial aid office for federally insured student loans, which can spread out the cost of your education over a longer time period. Many schools also work out payment plans for tuition.

Tips for Making an Online Accounting Degree Affordable

If you're a nontraditional, working student already in a career track, you are likely to be attending school while also working full-time.

Many companies, as employers, offer employee tuition assistance or even underwrite your tuition completely if your schooling will enhance your job performance.

Search also for tuition waivers in your state that can significantly discount your education. They may be based on your age, previous work experience, family background (e.g., as a foster child), or other characteristics.

Is an Online Accounting Degree Worth the Cost?

Earning an online bachelor's degree in accounting is a superior strategy to jumpstart your career.

Salary levels for accountants are quite high, and you should find your prestige and income rising substantially as a certified accountant, especially if you earn a master's degree.

Start Your Accounting Degree Online Today

As an Alabama resident, you have many opportunities for online enrollment in an Alabama affordable online accounting degree or through nationwide programs.