Three great schools, three great Business programs. UMass we are familiar with as Isenberg is thought of highly in NE. Clemson is our S20 choice but with no FA or merit it is by far $20/year more than the others. Any thoughts on the pros and cons of each school for the Business (Accounting) major?
whatever is cheaper. The Big Four accounting firms recruit from all of them.
The advantage of the non-Bentley schools is that he can easily find another major if Accounting does not appear to be his cup of tea.
How about Babson?
Bentley and Babson are both excellent highly respected business schools. UMass does too. I am not familiar with Clemson. However the schools are different in terms of campus, size , location etc. I would look at factors like what setting does the student like best and compare costs after financial aid/merit is factored in. I think in terms of accounting all are good.
To answer your question, if money is not a major factor to your family (ex. all options are affordable with no loans, no hardship etc.) then they are all fine choices. The three schools have different environments so I’d look towards finding the best fit.
However, if money is a factor I would find it hard to justify spending and extra $20k/year on Clemson (despite their excellent football team). Did you give your S a budget to keep in mind at the start of the process?
Also FWIW to become a CPA one now needs 150 college credits (I’m a CPA and my S became a CPA a few years ago). Most bachelors degree programs are around 120 credits. Some candidates can satisfy this 150 credit requirement through some combination of AP credits/summer classes/overloading schedule but many (including my S) go on for a one year masters degree in Accounting. So if becoming a CPA is the end goal for your S, keep in mind that a year of grad school may be required so be sure to work that into your overall financial picture.