AICPA Offers Over $1 Million in Scholarships for Students and CPAs in 2023

The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) is now accepting applications for a wide range of scholarships intended to strengthen the future of the profession and help assure a solid pipeline of promising and diverse CPAs. The application periods for the scholarships below are open from December 1 through March 15, 2023.

Students at all levels can benefit from AICPA scholarships, which focus on a wide variety of programs, for graduate and undergraduate students and those working to become accounting educators. The accounting and finance profession, as well as the CPA designation, opens doors to a variety of career paths.

LEGACY SCHOLARSHIPS
The AICPA Legacy Scholarships, funded by the AICPA, the AICPA Foundation and partners, offer $3,000 to $10,000 per student, with nearly $1 million in total scholarships available for the next academic year. These scholarships provide support to students with a variety of backgrounds, including liberal arts majors pursuing a graduate degree in accounting, minority and female scholars, and those transferring from a two-year to a four-year institution.

The scholarship awards that make up the AICPA’s Legacy Scholars Program are:

American Woman’s Society of CPAs (AWSCPA) Scholarship Award, which will award $5,000 to up to eight outstanding women pursuing a degree in accounting
AICPA John L. Carey Scholarship Award, which will award $5,000 to up to eight non-accounting or business degree holders pursuing a graduate degree in accounting
AICPA Scholarship Award for Minority Accounting Students, which will award $3,000 to $10,000 to approximately 100 outstanding minority students to encourage their study of accounting
AICPA Foundation Two-year Transfer Scholarship Award, which will award $3,000 to $5,000 to up to 50 students transferring from a two-year school to a four-year program to complete their accounting degree
AICPA Foundation Scholarship for Future CPAs, which will award $5,000 to $10,000 to up to 40 students interested in pursuing their CPA license after graduation

“The AICPA is committed to fostering and developing a diverse and inclusive pipeline of students studying accounting and pursuing CPA licensing,” said Jan Taylor, Academic-in-Residence and Senior Director of Academic & Student Engagement at the AICPA. “Our goal is to fully support and encourage the next generation of licensed and credentialed accountants by offering financial assistance to undergraduate and graduate students and to qualified CPA Exam candidates. Further, the AICPA Foundation — having celebrated its centenary this year — continues working to ensure there is a strong supply of qualified accounting educators by providing financial support through three doctoral scholars programs.”

DOCTORAL SCHOLARSHIPS
The Accounting Doctoral Scholars Program (ADS) awards newly accepted Ph.D. candidates with up to $20,000 during the pursue of their degree. The program addresses the growing need of academically qualified university accounting faculty members, particularly those with recent experience in public accounting.

The Minority Doctoral Fellowship program provides $12,000 to 25 students, renewable for up to an additional four years (assuming students continue to meet eligibility requirements), and is intended to bolster racial and ethnic diversity among accounting educators at colleges and universities.

The William (Bill) Ezzell Scholarship program offers an annual award of $10,000 to five accounting Ph.D. candidates who demonstrate significant potential to become mentors for the next generation of CPAs. This one-time-per-recipient scholarship honors the late Ezzell’s passion for the profession and recognizes his belief that the best way to encourage the next generation of CPAs is to put educators in the classroom with relevant and recent real-world experience.

These programs are intended to foster a healthy pipeline of accounting educators. Having recently practicing CPAs in the classroom also strengthens the connection between academia and practice.

The AICPA is committed to continuing to drive a robust pipeline of professionals. Through its partnership with The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants through the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants, the AICPA is better positioned to help future CPAs make their mark in the accounting profession. Additionally, the AICPA’s ThisWaytoCPA’s National Scholarship Search lists a wide range of other scholarships available to accounting students around the country.

Applications for these particular programs will open on March 1, 2023.