Accounting
The decline in accounting majors: What’s behind the shift?
In recent years, higher education has seen a marked decline in the number of students pursuing accounting degrees, a trend that raises concerns for the profession’s future.
According to the American Institute of CPAs, the number of accounting graduates dropped by nearly 17% between 2016 and 2020, and the number of candidates sitting for the CPA exam has decreased by 27% over the past decade. This decline is the result of changed perceptions of the profession, more rewarding alternative career paths, and broader challenges affecting higher education.
Failure of universities to address these changes risks further erosion of their student base. Before college administrators can implement changes to reverse this trend, critical reflection and understanding of the changes underlying the decline are essential. Accordingly, below I will address each of the factors contributing to this issue.
Changed perceptions of the accounting profession
Until recently, accounting has often been associated with high job security, competitive salaries, and career advancement. However, today’s students are drawn to careers that are perceived as more dynamic, offering greater opportunities for growth and innovation. Professions such as finance, marketing and entrepreneurship are seen as more creative, impactful and future-oriented. In contrast, accounting has become associated with routine, rule-bound activities, and limited opportunities for applying critical thinking or adaptive learning to complex decision-making.
Moreover, technological advances — including automation, artificial intelligence, and robotics — have raised concerns about the viability of traditional accounting jobs. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that employment in bookkeeping, accounting and auditing will decline by 5% from 2022 to 2032 due to automation. Consequently, students are increasingly skeptical about the long-term value of pursuing a degree in accounting when compared to other fields that seem less susceptible to obsolescence.
Influence of other business disciplines
Accounting requires considerable knowledge of tax codes and regulatory reporting frameworks. However, compared to finance, which also involves a numbers-oriented and analytical focus, accounting lacks the appeal of careers in investment banking, private equity, or portfolio management. The average salary for investment bankers in the U.S. is approximately $133,000 per year, significantly higher than the $77,250 median salary for accountants and auditors reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022.
Similar opportunities abound in fields like data science and business analytics, which students view as more tech-oriented and futuristic. For example, the global market for data science is projected to grow to $103 billion by 2027, with professionals in this field commanding starting salaries often exceeding $100,000. These disciplines also offer greater prestige and the potential for significant financial rewards, making them a major draw for students deciding between business majors.
The financial burden of higher education
Given the rising cost of college tuition, students are increasingly considering the return on investment of their chosen degree. According to the Education Data Initiative, the average cost of a four-year public college education in the U.S. has risen to over $25,000 annually for in-state students, with private institutions exceeding $54,000 annually. In this context, accounting degrees are often viewed as less financially rewarding compared to alternative business disciplines with quicker or more lucrative career trajectories.
Additionally, accounting students face the significant financial and time investment required to become a CPA. Most states require 150 credit hours for CPA licensure, which often necessitates additional coursework beyond a bachelor’s degree. Furthermore, the CPA exam has a notoriously low pass rate of approximately 50%, adding further risk and uncertainty for prospective accounting majors.
This combination of costs and challenges makes accounting a less attractive option when compared to other business paths that do not require comparable post-graduate certification hurdles.
What universities can do
If accounting is to survive as a viable career path — a viability with important implications for the future of American and global business — business schools must adopt a more proactive stance in addressing the current decline. Administrators must modernize accounting curricula to incorporate elements of artificial intelligence, data analytics, and blockchain. Emphasizing these technologies would elevate accounting as a science, potentially earning it STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) designation. This shift could help reframe accounting as a forward-thinking and innovative discipline.
Furthermore, universities should highlight the global nature of accounting work and its strategic importance to a variety of organizations, including startups, nonprofits, and multinational corporations. By showcasing the diverse opportunities available to students through an accounting degree, schools can attract those who might otherwise pursue alternative business majors.
To complement these efforts, the CPA certification process should be streamlined. Replacing the additional 30 credit hours most states require for CPA licensure with alternative internship experiences would reduce the financial burden of post-graduate education while providing students with practical experience essential for job success. Offering internships as undergraduate credit would not only lower costs but also enhance students’ readiness for the workforce.
Conclusion
A combination of shifting perceptions, evolving career interests, and financial pressures underlies the decline in the number of students pursuing accounting degrees. Nonetheless, accounting remains a critical component of business, serving as the language for communicating financial results. Moreover, with the retirement of an older generation of accountants and the ongoing demand for qualified professionals, opportunities in the field are likely to grow.
Reversing the trend will require a significant commitment by business schools to modernize curricula, incorporate emerging technologies, and educate students about the promising career paths arising from these advancements. By making these changes, administrators can ensure that accounting remains at the forefront of business education and continues to attract a new generation of highly motivated professionals.
CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, a Top 10 Firm, has added Dembo Jones CPAs and Advisors, a firm with offices in North Bethesda and Columbia, Maryland, expanding CLA’s presence in the U.S. Capital region, effective May 1.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but CLA earned over $2 billion in revenue in 2024, while Dembo Jones earned $24 million. CLA has nearly 9,000 people and more than 130 U.S. locations, while Dembo Jones has over 80 team members and two locations. CLA ranked No. 10 on Accounting Today‘s 2025 list of the
The deal is part of CLA’s plan to grow by $1 billion through the addition of new partner firms over the next five years.
“This is such a great time for us to embrace Dembo Jones into the CLA family,” said CLA chief development officer Scott Engelbrecht in a statement. “At CLA, we understand that independence is key to innovation and growth. Our unique partnership model allows firms to retain local identity while accessing our global resources and our exceptional professionals across the country. This approach ensures that the firms that join us can continue to thrive in their markets while benefiting from the strength of a larger firm. Our friends at Dembo Jones talk about how their clients get all of Dembo Jones when they are working together. That is exactly how CLA operates, bringing all of CLA to our clients.”
Dembo Jones has offered accounting, auditing, tax, and consulting services to businesses, government agencies, organizations and individuals for over 70 years.
“Joining CLA presents an incredible opportunity for both our team at Dembo Jones and the numerous clients who depend on our specialized services,” said Dembo Jones managing partner Brent Croghan in a statement. “Our shared values and mutual dedication to serving individuals, businesses, government entities and nonprofit organizations make this partnership a natural fit. With access to CLA’s extensive national footprint, we are now better equipped to provide enhanced resources to our clients.”
Last year, CLA added
In 2023, CLA acquired
Rehmann, a Top 50 Firm based in Troy, Michigan, has added Martinet Recchia, a family-owned CPA firm in the Cleveland suburb of Willoughby, expanding Rehmann’s presence in Ohio, complementing its existing office in Toledo.
Martinet Recchia dates back to 1955 when it was founded by Thomas and Richard Martinet. Richard’s son Keith Martinet remains a shareholder today, while managing shareholder Joseph Recchia joined the firm in 1998. All of Martinet Recchia’s shareholders intend to stay with the firm, along with the entire staff, and the firm will continue to operate in its current location under the Rehmann name.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Rehmann ranked No. 38 on Accounting Today‘s 2025 list of the
“We’re thrilled about this mutually beneficial business combination and what it means for our clients and their organizations,” said Rehmann CEO Stacie Kwaiser in a statement Thursday. “Both firms share similar cultural values and philosophies related to client service, striving to be good community partners, and supporting the areas in which our associates live and work. The added expertise and capacity on both sides will allow us to continue maximizing client potential in Ohio and beyond.”
Martinet Recchia offers various tax and business consulting services to the construction, manufacturing and distribution, restaurant & hospitality, and professional services industries.
“Like Rehmann, we put people first,” Martinet stated. “As a small local firm, we pride ourselves on meeting regularly with our clients in person, which has inspired their loyalty over the firm’s 70 years. Similarly, we’ve always taken care to prioritize work/life balance for our staff, and it’s their commitment—in addition to our great clients—that has made us successful. We’re excited about this new chapter, and I think if my father saw where the firm was now, he would be very proud.”
“Combining with Rehmann offers more professional development opportunities for our associates who want to advance in their careers,” Recchia added. “We’re always looking for ways to better serve our clients, and this combination gives us increased capacity and broader services in a competitive market. It will still be our associates on the end of the phone offering the same quality service, but now we’re one team serving clients in the Cleveland area.”
Last year, Rehmann expanded in its home state of Michigan by adding
Key House Republicans on Thursday discussed ways to direct an expanded state and local tax deduction to those making less than $400,000 as they seek to balance the cost of the tax break with the political needs of several lawmakers from New York and other high-tax states.
The $10,000 cap on SALT, one of the most contentious issues in the GOP debate on its giant tax bill, remained unresolved as lawmakers left Washington Thursday.
Republicans on the House tax panel discussed a series of options to direct the deduction to middle-class households, New York Representative Nicole Malliotakis told reporters. Committee members delved into options, including the overall cap level, how many years to extend it and if there should be income limits for who can claim the write-off, she said.
“It needs to be adjusted in a reasonable manner where it is targeted to the middle class,” she said, adding that the Ways and Means Committee would reconvene on the issue next week. Malliotakis represents Staten Island.
Targeting middle-class taxpayers could be accomplished through an income limit or through the size of the cap itself, which would limit the benefits going toward those with the highest property and income tax bills.
Such a SALT change could cost about $25 billion per year, Malliotakis said, but that depends on the size and duration of the cap adjustment. She said she opposes any changes to the alternative minimum tax, which could hit middle-class taxpayers.
Thursday’s discussion followed a Wednesday meeting between pro-SALT members and House Speaker Mike Johnson and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith. Members left the meeting saying the two factions didn’t reach a deal.
An income limit would curb benefits for residents in some of the most expensive areas of the country — near New York City and Southern California — that are most concerned about the SALT deduction.
“I have made clear in no uncertain terms that I won’t support an income limit,” Representative Mike Lawler, who represents a suburban district just north of New York City, said in an interview Thursday, adding that he’s waiting to see a concrete SALT proposal from the Ways and Means Committee.
How to expand SALT — which was limited in President Donald Trump’s first-term tax bill — is among the most politically divisive issues facing Congress as lawmakers negotiate the contours of tax and spending legislation that they’re billing as their signature legislative priority for the year.
Trump met with Johnson and other key Republicans at the White House on Thursday to discuss the overall tax package, which forms the basis of the president’s legislative agenda.
“The final details are coming together, and they’re coming together rapidly, and I think we’re right on schedule,” Trump said.
The plan will renew Trump’s 2017 cuts, but Republicans face a series of tough choices as they debate which new levy reductions to include and whether to cut popular benefit programs, including Medicaid.
The deduction is an important issue to a small, but vocal, faction of House Republicans representing high-tax areas. A narrow GOP majority means that the pro-SALT members can block the bill if they view the tax changes as too meager for their constituents.
“I just don’t support that policy, but there’s gonna be 1,000 choices in this package,” Representative Chip Roy, a hardline conservative member from Texas, said. “But then again, you got to figure out how to get a deal done. So if the math adds up and we’re doing enough on the spending restraint side, and the tax policy works out, and SALT goes up a little, whatever.”
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