Best Tax Preparer programs in Alabama, ranked by enrollment
Prepare tax returns for individuals or small.
29 schools in Alabama run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,443 people a year. The job pays a median of $33,280 in Alabama across about 290 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Alabama that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
3 programs in Alabama that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Alabama (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Alabama page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 52.0301In Alabama → | 1,335 | 92.5% | 20 | $51,824 | $24,433 |
| 2 | CIP 52.0302In Alabama → | 77 | 5.3% | 9 | $51,824 | $24,433 |
| 3 | CIP 52.1601In Alabama → | 31 | 2.1% | 1 | — | — |
Top 25 schools in Alabama
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 14 of the 29 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL Public · 2 feeder programs | 359 | Accounting | $53,452 | 73% | — | 77% |
| 2 | Auburn University Auburn, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 278 | Accounting | $60,381 | 82% | — | 46% |
| 3 | University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 158 | Accounting | $51,640 | 64% | — | 88% |
| 4 | Athens State University Athens, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 105 | Accounting | $46,577 | — | — | — |
| 5 | University of North Alabama Florence, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 83 | Accounting | $47,022 | 55% | — | 87% |
| 6 | Samford University Birmingham, AL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 69 | Accounting | — | 77% | $28,160 | 82% |
| 7 | Troy University Troy, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 63 | Accounting | $44,005 | 50% | — | 96% |
| 8 | University of South Alabama Mobile, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 52 | Accounting | $48,795 | 53% | — | 71% |
| 9 | Auburn University at Montgomery Montgomery, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 33 | Accounting | $42,389 | 33% | — | 92% |
| 10 | Alabama State University Montgomery, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 32 | Accounting | $39,762 | 30% | — | 98% |
| 11 | University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 32 | Accounting | $45,751 | 64% | — | 69% |
| 12 | Jacksonville State University Jacksonville, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 31 | Accounting | $40,541 | 55% | — | 78% |
| 13 | Jefferson State Community College Birmingham, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 26 | Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping | — | 26% | — | — |
| 14 | University of Mobile Mobile, AL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 19 | Accounting | — | 57% | $19,817 | 78% |
| 15 | University of Montevallo Montevallo, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Accounting | — | 54% | — | 54% |
| 16 | University of West Alabama Livingston, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Accounting | — | 35% | — | 43% |
| 17 | Gadsden State Community College Gadsden, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 14 | Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping | — | 38% | — | — |
| 18 | Lawson State Community College Birmingham, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping | — | 27% | — | — |
| 19 | Strayer University - Alabama Birmingham, AL Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping | $52,373 | 0% | $22,923 | — |
| 20 | Alabama A & M University Normal, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Accounting | $47,156 | 24% | — | 58% |
| 21 | Northwest Shoals Community College Muscle Shoals, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping | — | 39% | — | — |
| 22 | Huntingdon College Montgomery, AL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Accounting | — | 48% | $21,604 | 69% |
| 23 | Miles College Fairfield, AL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Accounting | — | 16% | $16,735 | — |
| 24 | Bishop State Community College Mobile, AL Public · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping | — | 36% | — | — |
| 25 | Oakwood University Huntsville, AL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Accounting | — | 45% | $23,870 | 45% |
All 29 schools in Alabama
Every school in Alabama with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa | Public | 359 | 2 |
| Auburn University | Auburn | Public | 278 | 1 |
| University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham | Public | 158 | 1 |
| Athens State University | Athens | Public | 105 | 1 |
| University of North Alabama | Florence | Public | 83 | 1 |
| Samford University | Birmingham | Private not-for-profit | 69 | 1 |
| Troy University | Troy | Public | 63 | 1 |
| University of South Alabama | Mobile | Public | 52 | 1 |
| Auburn University at Montgomery | Montgomery | Public | 33 | 1 |
| Alabama State University | Montgomery | Public | 32 | 1 |
| University of Alabama in Huntsville | Huntsville | Public | 32 | 1 |
| Jacksonville State University | Jacksonville | Public | 31 | 1 |
| Jefferson State Community College | Birmingham | Public | 26 | 1 |
| University of Mobile | Mobile | Private not-for-profit | 19 | 1 |
| University of Montevallo | Montevallo | Public | 15 | 1 |
What tax preparers earn in Alabama
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $54,920. Alabama pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Tax Preparers page.
How to become a Tax Preparer
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Alabama
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 3 majors mapped to Tax Preparers3 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 52.0301Accounting
- 52.0302Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping
- 52.1601Taxation
Common questions
Answers for people weighing tax preparers programs in Alabama.
What degree do you need to become a Tax Preparer?+
High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Accounting, which awarded 1,335 degrees in Alabama in 2024-25, 92.5% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Tax Preparer?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Accounting and Related Services, Taxation. Together they graduate about 1,443 people a year in Alabama.
How much do tax preparers earn in Alabama?+
The median is $33,280 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 39.4% below the U.S. median of $54,920. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for tax preparers growing?+
BLS projects a +4.5% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 10,400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Alabama?+
29 institutions in Alabama reported graduates from at least one of the 3 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do tax preparers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Tax Advisor, Tax Preparer, Enrolled Agent, CPA (Certified Public Accountant) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 13-2082.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
Explore every U.S. college in one conversation
Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card