AICPA is Offering More than $125,000 in Scholarships and Grants

“Passing the Exam and becoming a licensed CPA opens the door to a world of career possibilities,” said Mike Decker, Vice President – CPA Examination and Pipeline, AICPA & CIMA.  “This scholarship will help qualified candidates cover some of the costs of this investment in their career.”

Accountants who pass the CPA Exam and become licensed CPAs are in demand and find themselves with higher compensation, according to staffing firm Robert Half. And accountants who hold a CPA license should have the best job prospects, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The CPA Exam Scholarship is available to U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are pursuing licensure and who have financial need. To qualify, applicants must provide a copy of Notice to Schedule (NTS) for at least one section of the CPA Exam and a copy of the receipt for payment of exam application fees. For reimbursement of CPA Exam preparatory courses/materials, applicants must provide proof of purchase with their application.

COVID-19 Student Hardship Grant

The AICPA’s COVID-19 Student Hardship Grant provides $2,000 to help cover their education-related expenses for up to 25 students who are experiencing extenuating circumstances, such as loss of job or internship, due to COVID-19.

“As the U.S. continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans, including college students, have had their financial situations negatively impacted. We know many students are not able to cover the full cost of their education,” said Ernie Almonte, CPA and AICPA Foundation president. “The AICPA Foundation believes it’s important to provide these students with financial assistance to aid them in finishing their education and starting their careers in the profession.”

The COVID-19 Student Hardship Grants are open to AICPA Student Affiliate members pursuing an undergraduate or graduate-level degree in accounting or an accounting-related major. To be eligible, students must be enrolled full-time in an accredited business and/or accounting program for the 2021-2022 academic school year and have completed at least 30 semester hours (or equivalent) of college coursework, including at least 6 hours in accounting. Applicants must provide a student copy of their college transcript(s), a copy of their resume, documentation of their financial hardship, and a statement about how the hardship affected their future studies and plans to obtain CPA licensure.

Applications for the CPA Exam Scholarship and COVID-19 Student Hardship grant will be accepted from June 15 to September 15, 2021. More information, including eligibility guidelines and applications, are available at ThisWayToCPA.com.

Additional Scholarship Opportunities

The AICPA and its Foundation offers a host of annual scholarships for college students and, fellowships for Ph.D. candidates. In addition, they have consolidated hundreds of accounting scholarship opportunities from third parties on their ThisWayToCPA website.