Master of Science [M.S] [Accounting] From University of Illinois

University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Master of Science in Accounting is a 32-credit MS completed in one to two years, taught in person in Chicago. Applicants need an eligible bachelor’s credential and a 3.0/4.0 grade point average (GPA), approximately 70% to 75% or 7.0 to 7.5/10. Fall 2027 tuition is unpublished; 2026-27 tuition was US$38,126 (INR 36.20 Lakhs), as a prior-cycle reference.

The coursework integrates financial analysis, advanced audit, taxation, ethics, statistical analysis and professional research while supporting Certified Public Accountant preparation. It best fits applicants seeking a coursework-only accounting degree whose prior study covers the six accounting prerequisites or can accommodate additional preparation.

• The programme became science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-designated in January 2025, creating a longer potential US work-authorization window for eligible graduates.
• UIC can waive or substitute prerequisite courses after reviewing an applicant’s education and professional background.
• The 2024-25 MS Accounting cohort reported a 93% six-month employment rate among graduates actively seeking work.

Also Check: University of Illinois Chicago admissions

UIC MS Accounting Fees and Living Costs 2027

Fall 2027 tuition is unpublished after checks of the programme page and live Registrar schedules. Verify the target fee on the official fee page.

Prior-cycle planning basis: The table uses UIC’s 2026-27 international Range I rates for two semesters, assuming at least 12 credits each semester. It excludes the optional transit pass and an arrival fee whose amount UIC does not publish.

All INR conversions in the article use a conversion rate of US$ 1 = INR 94.9481 as of 26 October 2026. Rates fluctuate daily, verify before applying.

Source: UIC Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 Graduate Semester Rates; totals are calculated from the published non-resident base, Business differential, fees and assessments.

The US$38,126 (INR 36.20 Lakhs) tuition figure is a prior-cycle calculation, not a Fall 2027 quote. A lighter schedule or prerequisite work can change both duration and cost because UIC bills by enrollment range. Applicants should obtain a course plan before fixing a loan amount.

Cost of Living in Chicago for MS Accounting Students

UIC’s latest readable graduate budget is for 2026-27 and covers nine fall-and-spring months. The monthly figures below divide each official category by nine, while keeping housing and food combined exactly as UIC reports them.

Prior-cycle living-cost basis: This table uses the official off-campus and out-of-state transportation assumptions for a full-time graduate student.

A prior-cycle planning illustration adds US$43,204 (INR 41.02 Lakhs) in direct university costs to US$28,426 (INR 26.99 Lakhs) in living costs. The arithmetic gives US$71,630 (INR 68.01 Lakhs) for two full-time semesters and nine months in Chicago. It is not a Fall 2027 budget because both target-cycle tuition and living estimates remain unpublished.

Read More: cost of living in the USA

Key insight: The prior-cycle all-in illustration reaches US$71,630 (INR 68.01 Lakhs), so applicants should secure a Fall 2027 fee quote and prerequisite assessment before committing funds.

UIC MS Accounting Admission 2027

Admission requires a qualifying bachelor’s pathway, GPA 3.0/4.0 across the final 60 semester hours and sufficient accounting preparation. UIC accepts any undergraduate field, but applicants missing prerequisites may need up to six extra courses before completing the 32-credit degree.

Academic Eligibility for Indian Applicants

UIC accepts a four-year to six-year Indian bachelor’s degree, or a master’s completed after a three-year bachelor’s degree. Certain postgraduate diplomas following a bachelor’s are reviewed individually, so three-year degree holders should confirm equivalency before paying the application fees.

Fall 2027 admission basis: The programme catalog sets the requirements below for the current application cycle. The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) are optional.

The six prerequisites are the programme’s main fit constraint because they can extend study beyond the 32-credit core. Candidates with Indian accounting coursework should prepare English-language syllabi showing topics, hours and assessment methods. UIC does not accept World Education Services evaluations instead of institution-issued records.

English Language Proficiency

UIC accepts the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-based test (TOEFL iBT), Pearson Test of English (PTE) and Duolingo. Indian applicants normally need a test because UIC does not waive the requirement for English-medium instruction in India. A qualifying overall score cannot compensate for a component below its published floor.

Current test policy: Scores must remain valid when the application is submitted, and UIC treats them as valid for two years.

• Book an accepted test early enough for UIC to receive the score before 01 April 2027, because incomplete files may be cancelled after the deadline.
• Duolingo becomes an accepted graduate route for Fall 2027, giving Indian applicants an additional testing option with the same published component discipline.
• Check every component before submission because UIC lists separate floors for IELTS Academic, PTE Academic, Duolingo and the revised TOEFL scale.

Check Out: University of Illinois Chicago courses

Tip for Indian students: Confirm degree equivalency and prerequisite waivers before applying, because either issue can change eligibility, duration and the financing requirement.

UIC MS Accounting Application 2027

The Fall 2027 application is open, and international applicants must submit by 01 April 2027. UIC publishes no decision date, separate document deadline, cutoff time or timezone for this programme.

Forward application calendar: The live graduate portal lists the following international options after 26 October 2026.

UIC displays no time or timezone beside these dates, so an Indian Standard Time (IST) conversion is impossible without inventing a cutoff. Submit several business days early and retain the portal confirmation, since the published calendar date controls eligibility.

Application Components and Sequence

The application combines an online form, academic records, a resume and English evidence when required. International applicants also pay US$80 (INR 7,596) for the application and US$100 (INR 9,495) for credential evaluation.

• Request an India-specific credential review before submission because an ineligible three-year degree route would make the US$180 (INR 17,091) combined charges unrecoverable.
• Map the six accounting prerequisites against transcript courses and detailed syllabi, then ask UIC which requirements may be waived or substituted.
• Submit the optional aptitude score only when it adds evidence beyond the GPA, accounting preparation and professional record already shown in the file.
• Complete the English test early because scores must be valid and received before UIC can treat the application as complete.

For the 01 April deadline, Indian applicants should finish credential and prerequisite checks before arranging the English score report. This order prevents a test result from masking a degree-equivalency or course-preparation problem that determines admissibility.

Application tip: Build the file around the 01 April 2027 international deadline, but resolve Indian degree equivalency and prerequisite credit before paying US$180 (INR 17,091).

UIC MS Accounting Scholarships 2027

UIC offers automatic merit consideration after admission, but Fall 2027 award amounts and deadlines are unpublished. The strongest entry-funding route is the limited Liautaud Graduate School Scholar award, which can cover full tuition plus part of required fees.

Funding status: UIC currently publishes the first two opportunities without an intake year, while the last two rows are labelled 2026 prior-cycle context.

The full-tuition language should not be converted into a rupee amount because Fall 2027 tuition remains unpublished. It also does not mean every admitted student receives the award, since UIC describes the number of scholar waivers as limited.

Funding Strategy for Indian Applicants

Entry awards require no separate application, so the admission file also serves as the merit case. Academic strength, optional test evidence and documented experience should therefore be visible before admission review, rather than added after an offer.

• Treat UIC Business merit aid as uncertain until the admission offer states its exact value and fee coverage.
• Do not use the Laurette Kirstein award for first-semester financing because eligibility requires at least one completed UIC semester.
• Use the 2026 Chicago Consular award only as evidence of a recurring opportunity, since no 2027 deadline or value is confirmed.

Read More: scholarships in the USA for Indian students

Scholarship reality: A full-tuition scholar award could materially reduce the budget, but limited availability and unpublished Fall 2027 terms make self-funded affordability the safer admission decision.

UIC MS Accounting Salary 2027

The latest course-specific evidence is UIC’s 2024-25 graduate outcomes report, covering a cohort with 17 degrees conferred. Among actively seeking graduates with known outcomes, 93% were employed within six months.

Salary Evidence

The report gives one course-cohort salary measure rather than a guaranteed offer or a market-wide benchmark. Its average starting salary should therefore anchor scenario planning, not an individual earnings promise.

Source: UIC Business 2024-2025 Graduate Outcomes Report; the value is a course-cohort average starting salary.

Course-cohort outcomes: The same report supplies several measures needed to interpret the salary figure.

Reported employers with graduates include Deloitte, EY, KPMG, PwC, RSM, Grant Thornton, Baker Tilly and Plante Moran. Their appearance confirms graduate destinations, but it does not establish sponsorship, recurring recruitment or hiring volume.

Return on Investment for Indian Applicants

The available cost comparison uses the US$71,630 (INR 68.01 Lakhs) prior-cycle illustration because Fall 2027 tuition is unpublished. The US$77,000 (INR 73.11 Lakhs) salary is gross, so tax, location and personal withholding change take-home pay.

• The unconfirmed Fall 2027 fee makes debt sizing premature, so obtain the final university bill before fixing the loan principal.
• The 93% employment measure covers active seekers with known outcomes, so model a delayed-offer scenario instead of treating that percentage as a guarantee.
• The cohort averaged four years of experience, so early-career applicants should compare entry-level accounting offers rather than assume the reported salary.
• The STEM designation can support up to 36 months of conditional work authorization, so verify employer and role eligibility before relying on that window.
• UIC publishes no India-return salary for this course, so applicants planning an immediate return should not use the US cohort average for repayment modelling.

Applicants should test take-home income with official federal and Illinois withholding calculators before comparing repayment scenarios. Because course funding is uncertain, the rational decision depends on the final fee quote, award letter and credible entry-role salary.

Honest take: The employment evidence is useful but comes from a small, experienced cohort, while the target tuition remains unknown. Base borrowing on the final fee and a conservative salary scenario.

US Visa for UIC MS Accounting Students 2027

International students generally use F-1 status, with a US$185 (INR 17,565) visa fee and US$350 (INR 33,232) Student and Exchange Visitor Information System fee. The combined government charges are US$535 (INR 50,797), separate from tuition and living costs.

• Optional Practical Training (OPT) provides up to 12 months, while eligible STEM graduates may seek a 24-month extension for up to 36 months total.
• The H-1B route has no single national salary threshold because employers must meet the higher applicable actual or local prevailing wage.
• Permanent residence is not automatic after OPT or H-1B status, and UIC study creates no fixed settlement timeline.
• An F-2 spouse or unmarried child under 21 may accompany the student, but an F-2 dependant cannot work in the United States.

Read More: post-study work options in the USA

Visa reality: The STEM designation can extend the work-authorization window, but it does not guarantee a qualifying job, employer participation or a later immigration route.

UIC MS Accounting Ranking 2027

Times Higher Education places UIC in the 301 to 400 band for Business and Economics in its 2026 subject edition. The subject scope includes Accounting and Finance, but the band is not an MS Accounting programme rank.

Relevant subject evidence: No previous position is shown on the current ranking page, so a year-to-year direction cannot be established.

The broad subject band can support an assessment of UIC’s academic environment, but it cannot replace course-specific evidence. Applicants should give more weight to prerequisites, final cost and the 2024-25 MS Accounting employment report.

Check Out: University of Illinois Chicago rankings

Honest take: Use the 301 to 400 subject band as institutional context, then make the enrolment decision from course-level cost, curriculum and outcome evidence.