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Professional · EDUCATION & QUALIFICATION

Check CPA education before paying for more credits

Do you need more total credits, particular accounting subjects, or a different education-and-experience pathway? Start with the jurisdiction where you intend to apply. Reviewed examples below separate exam entry, initial licensure and future-effective changes before you compare a course purchase.

Pathway source checks Oct 16, 2026View pathway sources ↓

Check your CPA application jurisdiction first

Exam entry, initial licensure and the date a new pathway takes effect are separate decisions. Choose where you intend to apply; this is not a residency eligibility check. Directory links cover all states and DC; reviewed education examples are labeled individually.

Choose a CPA application jurisdiction on the map
Choose a state on the map50 states + Washington, DC
AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

Smaller states & DC

The map and state dropdown use the same selection. Alaska and Hawaii are shown in insets. Map source · License

Reviewed education examples

California · Reviewed Oct 16, 2026
Education for licensure
For the reviewed 2026 legacy route, licensure adds accounting-study/ethics work and a 150-semester-unit total. The Board describes a future degree-plus-24 accounting/24 business/3 ethics concentration for 2027, while warning that the concentration/course list in regulations is not yet final.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · California Board of Accountancy ↗
Exam entry
The Board describes the current exam-entry route as a bachelor’s degree plus 24 semester accounting and 24 business units, for applications received through December 31, 2026. Its planned January-2027 change adds three ethics units; verify the adopted rule and actual application date.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · California Board of Accountancy ↗
Experience
The legacy route requires one year of supervised general-accounting experience; the future route calls for two. The Board describes reductions for qualifying master’s degrees or a recognized certificate, with specific credential conditions rather than any master’s degree automatically counting.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · California Board of Accountancy ↗
Timing and limits
As reviewed on October 16, 2026, the new route is future-dated: scheduled for January 1, 2027, while the legacy route remains an option through December 31, 2028. The Board’s note that the concentration/course list is not final remains material; do not treat it as an already-effective 2026 waiver.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · California Board of Accountancy ↗
Florida · Reviewed Oct 16, 2026
Education for licensure
The reviewed initial-licensure page requires 150 semester hours, including 30 upper-division accounting hours and 36 general-business hours. Required subject coverage, business-law content and upper-division exceptions still apply.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Florida DBPR Board of Accountancy ↗
Exam entry
Exam entry uses 120 semester hours, including 24 accounting and 24 business hours with specified subject and upper-division conditions. Those entry requirements do not replace the additional initial-licensure education requirements.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Florida DBPR Board of Accountancy ↗As of Oct 16, 2026 · Florida DBPR Board of Accountancy ↗
Experience
The reviewed page requires CPA-verified qualifying work experience beginning after 120 semester hours. Its verification rule specifies at least 2,000 hours over 52 to 104 weeks; the duties and verifying-CPA rules also apply.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Florida DBPR Board of Accountancy ↗
Timing and limits
The initial-licensure page says to apply and complete the process within three years of NASBA notification of passing the last exam part. Check your exact candidate history and current instructions; the education page’s CLEP allowance for extra hours is not permission to replace accounting/business subjects.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Florida DBPR Board of Accountancy ↗As of Oct 16, 2026 · Florida DBPR Board of Accountancy ↗
Ohio · Reviewed Oct 16, 2026
Education for licensure
The current statute permits a baccalaureate, master’s or higher degree with the required accounting concentration and business coursework. The rule generally specifies 30 semester accounting credits and 24 business credits, with specified graduate alternatives; any bachelor’s degree alone is not enough.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Ohio Laws ↗As of Oct 16, 2026 · Ohio Laws ↗
Exam entry
A documented early-testing route exists within 180 days of completing the qualifying baccalaureate education. The required degree/concentration coursework and documentation rules still apply.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Ohio Laws ↗As of Oct 16, 2026 · Ohio Laws ↗
Experience
The statute gives the bachelor’s-degree route two years of qualifying experience; its general provision otherwise specifies one year, subject to the board’s requirements.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Ohio Laws ↗
Timing and limits
These statute/rule versions are effective January 1, 2026. The statute ties applicable education and experience requirements to the date the candidate first sits for the examination; earlier candidates should confirm their own applicable branch.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Ohio Laws ↗As of Oct 16, 2026 · Ohio Laws ↗
All state and DC board links
As of Oct 16, 2026 · NASBA ↗

Named education and funding options

Compare reviewed education routes and funding. Confirm the credential, provider and current application terms.

1 of 1 reviewed examples. National options may have regional or enrollment conditions.

NATIONAL OPTION · CHECK PROGRAMME SCOPE

UNA Accounting Career Completion courses

The reviewed Fall-2026 programme offers online accounting courses at $550 per three-credit course: $525 tuition plus a $25 nonrefundable processing fee, including electronic study texts. This is a course price, not the total cost of a CPA licence.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · University of North Alabama ↗

Condition to check first

Be enrolled in, or have completed, an undergraduate degree programme and meet each course’s prerequisites.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · University of North Alabama ↗

How to start

List your existing credits and proposed UNA courses, then ask the relevant board how each course will count before purchasing. Keep the New York warning with your transcript plan.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · University of North Alabama ↗
Check application timingFall-2026 completed applications and payment are accepted through October 31, 2026. This is the course intake cutoff; the December coursework and later grade-release dates are separate.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · University of North Alabama ↗
Full eligibility, steps & costs →

Where to start

STEP 1

Choose the intended licensing jurisdiction

Use the map and official directory links to choose the authority for your intended application. This is not a residency filter or a complete education-policy matrix. Only the individually labeled jurisdiction examples have reviewed education detail in this edition.

STEP 2

Ask for a subject-by-subject review

Have the board or its evaluator check your degree, accounting/business subjects, first-exam history and proposed courses. A total credit count or a school’s general transfer policy cannot settle whether the courses meet a particular licensing requirement.

STEP 3

Price only the work you actually need

Compare a current course quote and grading/transcript timing after the evaluation. Include any separate examination, evaluation and licensing charges as unconfirmed until quoted; do not assume that a generic extra-credit package satisfies accounting subjects.

FEATURED ROUTE · TIMINGFall coursework is due December 1, 2026 for a Fall grade; unfinished work receives an extension through May 1, 2027. Grades are not released before late December.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · University of North Alabama ↗
FEATURED ROUTE · COST SCOPEReviewed Fall-2026 price: $550 per three-credit course, including a $25 nonrefundable processing fee and electronic study texts. This is not a licence total.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · University of North Alabama ↗

Education routes to compare

Compare your own course quotes, training time & payback →

RouteWhat you may payTime to plan forBefore you commit
UNA accounting courses — reviewed provider exampleReviewed Fall-2026 price: $550 per three-credit course, including a $25 nonrefundable processing fee and electronic study texts. This is not a licence total.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · University of North Alabama ↗
Fall coursework is due December 1, 2026 for a Fall grade; unfinished work receives an extension through May 1, 2027. Grades are not released before late December.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · University of North Alabama ↗
Get the intended board’s course classification first. UNA flags New York business-hour acceptance but not accounting-hour acceptance in its FAQ.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · University of North Alabama ↗
A board-confirmed college course planNot reviewed — confirm with the provider.Not reviewed — confirm with the provider.New pathways change education and experience together. Ask the intended board which requirements apply to your actual education and first-exam/application history before buying a generic extra-credit package.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · NASBA ↗As of Oct 16, 2026 · Ohio Laws ↗

Requirements to confirm

There is no single education-pathway conclusion for every jurisdiction. NASBA’s overview directs candidates to the relevant board’s current laws and rules; a new pathway’s effective date also matters.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · NASBA ↗
Do not equate an exam-entry credit total with initial licensure. Florida’s reviewed pages distinguish 120 semester hours to sit from 150 for initial licensure, with different subject requirements.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Florida DBPR Board of Accountancy ↗As of Oct 16, 2026 · Florida DBPR Board of Accountancy ↗
Course type matters. Florida rejects standardized-test credit such as CLEP for accounting/general-business subjects, while its education guide says CLEP may count toward the 30 hours beyond the degree. That does not establish another board’s treatment of CLEP, ACE or other alternative credit.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Florida DBPR Board of Accountancy ↗As of Oct 16, 2026 · Florida DBPR Board of Accountancy ↗
Have the board check your exact course list and timing. UNA’s FAQ warns about the New York accounting/business distinction, and Fall grades are not released immediately on early completion.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · University of North Alabama ↗As of Oct 16, 2026 · University of North Alabama ↗
Passing the examination does not by itself confer CPA status. Ohio’s statute separately requires the relevant education, experience and issued certificate.
As of Oct 16, 2026 · Ohio Laws ↗

Additional funding routes to investigate

Questions before you apply

Does every CPA candidate need to buy another thirty college credits?

Start with the intended jurisdiction and your applicable education-and-experience branch. The reviewed Ohio, California and Florida examples show why an exam-entry rule, a future pathway and an initial-licensure requirement cannot be collapsed into one national answer.

Can I use any free or ACE/CLEP course for required accounting subjects?

Ask the board about the exact course and subject classification. The reviewed Florida materials distinguish extra general hours from accounting/business requirements, and UNA’s own FAQ flags New York treatment. No universal alternative-credit acceptance is inferred.

Is the California change already available to a 2026 applicant?

Read the dated California example and current Board guidance. The reviewed outreach page describes a January-2027 change and also notes unfinished regulatory details; a scheduled future pathway is not an already-effective exemption for every applicant.

Will an early course finish immediately produce a transcript for an application?

Obtain the provider’s actual grade-release schedule. The reviewed UNA Fall example has different application, coursework, extension and grade-release dates. Keep those separate from the board’s exam or licence timing.

Check your state →Build your cost plan →Compare across dimensions →

Check funding where you live

These state guides include the aid collected so far and national starting points. Confirm the specific provider and programme are approved before enrolling.

AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

Build your own cost breakdown

Use an actual offer or provider quote for tuition, exams, background checks, materials, transport and other expenses. An advertised maximum award or occupational median is not a personal cost or starting-pay estimate.

Calculate your total cost →

Sources & verification

Source summaries checked by automated research on the dates below. No human professional review is claimed.

Checked Oct 16, 2026
Checked Oct 16, 2026
Examination and Licensure Requirements
California Board of Accountancy
Checked Oct 16, 2026
Education Requirements
Florida DBPR Board of Accountancy
Checked Oct 16, 2026
Initial Licensure Requirements
Florida DBPR Board of Accountancy
Checked Oct 16, 2026
Accounting Career Completion Program
University of North Alabama
Checked Oct 16, 2026
Accounting Career Completion FAQs
University of North Alabama
Checked Oct 16, 2026
Checked Oct 16, 2026
Checked Oct 16, 2026