How to choose a state for the AICPA application exam

Although AICPA is the American Certified Public Accountant Examination, it allows international candidates to apply for the examination, and the AICPA can not only be exempted from the 8 subjects of ACCA, but also exempted from CPA certificates in Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, etc., with a wide range of occupations and high gold content, and the same application conditions are not low (but general candidates can basically meet), mainly including degree, total credits, accounting credits, business credits and other application requirements.

For credit requirements, most states require 120 total credits, 24 accounting credits, 24 business credits, and some states, such as **, require 150 total credits, most candidates need to patch up a certain number of credits to apply for the exam, unless it is a bachelor's degree or above, but the specific decision is based on the state requirements and the evaluation agency (whether the selected state assessment agency needs to be discounted, if it needs to be discounted, more credits need to be repaired to avoid insufficient credits due to discounting).

In addition, some states need to meet the specific courses required in addition to the accounting and business credit requirements, such as **, Delaware, Vermont, Colorado, etc., if the total accounting or business credit requirements are met, but cannot meet the requirements of one of the specific courses, the candidate is still not eligible to apply.

For academic requirements, the state-recognized college degree or above (including full-time, self-examination, and entrance examination) in China is generally recognized (some states do not recognize self-study or remotely obtained qualifications), and majors other than accounting majors can also apply for the examination.

In addition, there are some states that require SSN or U.S. citizenship to apply for the exam, and Chinese candidates should be careful to avoid these states!

Since the AICPA application includes credit degree and other conditions, candidates need to integrate their actual situation and choose the state to apply for the credit degree when the credit degree meets the application state. It is important to note that domestic candidates should also avoid states that require an SSN (U.S. Social Insurance Number), as domestic candidates generally do not meet this condition.

The first thing individuals applying for the USCPA exam should do is determine the state in which they need to take the exam. What is very special is that everyone knows that the administration of USCPA exams and license applications is carried out by the Board of Accountancy of each state, district and overseas territory in the United States. There are 50 states, one special district, and four overseas territories in the United States, and each region has different requirements for U.S. Social Security numbers, education levels, and credit requirements for accounting courses and business courses for candidates applying for the USCPA exam. Some states even have requirements for specific courses, and applicants will not be able to take the test if they cannot meet the requirements of the region.

Therefore, it is very important for candidates to choose a state that is a good fit for their educational background to take the test, and it can even be said that it is the focus of the entire USCPA exam application process.

Choosing a state that is a good fit for your educational background is undoubtedly a challenging task, and Grand View International, as a professional service provider for the CPA and Management Accountant exam and application in the United States, is well aware of the CPA exam requirements in various states, territories and overseas territories in the United States. The following is a brief summary of the USCPA exam eligibility and requirements for the five major states.

After reading the above comparison table of the requirements of the five major states, compare your own specific situation, and which state is the most suitable for you and has the most career prospects, you must have the answer in mind. After taking the USCPA exam in a major state and obtaining a license, you can practice across state lines.

The eligibility requirements for the CPA exam vary from state to state in the United States, but the USCPA exam is a unified test in the United States, and its value is the same regardless of the state in which the qualifying test is taken.

ak (alaska)

Alaska 1Four-year bachelor's degree.

Total credits ACVT (Vermont).

Vermont 1A bachelor's degree is not required.

30 credits (AC+BC).

mi（michigan)

Michigan. 1.Four-year bachelor's degree.

Total credits, 24BC

wa (washington)

Washington. 1.Four-year bachelor's degree.

Total credits are 24AC, 24BC

guam**1.Four-year bachelor's degree.

Total credits, 24BC

nd（north dakota)

North Dakota.

1.Four-year bachelor's degree.

Total credits, 24BC

de（delaware）

Delaware. 1.Four-year bachelor's degree.

Total credits NY (New York).

New York State 1Four-year bachelor's degree.

Total credits, 24BC

ca (california)

CALIFORNIA 1Four-year bachelor's degree.

Total credits, 24BC

Maine 1Four-year bachelor's degree.

Total credits, including 3 audit credits.

virginia

Virginia.

1.Four-year bachelor's degree.

Total credits, 24BC

illinois

Illinois.

1.Four-year bachelor's degree.

Total credits, 36BC

The AICPA application process is complex, and the requirements vary from state to state:

Some states require a bachelor's degree, such as**; Some states have no academic qualifications, such as Vermont;

There are states that require 120 total credits, such as New York State; Some states require 150 total credits, such as**;

Some states only need to meet 24 business credits and 24 accounting credits; Some states also require moral credits when applying for a license;

Some states have only one assessment agency, while others have multiple assessment agencies;

Some state assessors recognize patch credits, while some state assessors do not;

But there is a slight advantage, candidates can flexibly choose their own state according to their own situation.

At present, the common AICPA test states in China include **, Delaware, California, Vermont and other states.

PS When choosing a state, you must pay attention to the following misunderstandings:

1.Blindly register without understanding the eligibility requirements of the state in which you are applying for the exam;

2.I understand the eligibility requirements of the state I am applying for, but I do not understand the corresponding academic evaluation agency, and I choose the evaluation agency wrongly;

3.I learned about the state and the assessment agency, but I didn't know about the discount of the assessment agency for Chinese credits, overestimated my own credits, and could not qualify for the exam;

4.According to the experience and recommendation of friends, I chose a relatively reasonable application strategy, but I did not understand the update information, and still operated the registration process according to the old experience when the application policy in the United States has changed;

5.Because I don't understand that the examination and applying for a license are two different steps and links, although I have passed the examination, I cannot obtain the license to practice.

Maine State Exam Requirements: Undergraduate, 120 credits, 15 accounting credits, and must include 3 accounting and 3 auditing license requirements: Undergraduate, 150 credits, 15 accounting credits, and must include 3 accounting and 3 auditing; 2 years of experience in the firm, including 400 hours of auditing and 200 hours of consulting.

New Hampshire State Exam Requirements: Undergraduate, 120 credits, 12 Accounting + 12 Business License Requirements: 2 years of practice in a firm.

Washington State Exam Requirements: Recognized Associate + Master's Degree, 150 total credits, 24 Business + 24 Accounting (must include 15 advanced accounting credits) License Requirements: 12 months of relevant experience in accounting and auditing (non-firms are also acceptable), at least 2000 hours, more than 5 years of CPA visa, or less than 5 years of CPA visa but at the same time obtain a letter from their state board of accountancy.

New York State Exam Requirements: Undergraduate, 120 total credits, must include Financial Accounting, Auditing, Tax Law, Management Accounting Credits Licensure Requirements: 150 total credits, 1 year (120 credits) or two years (150 credits) of non-firm work experience.

Illinois State Exam Requirements: 150 total credits, 24 Accounting + 24 Business License Requirements: 3 years after obtaining the certificate, provide proof of 3 years of post-90 hours of follow-up education.

**Exam Requirements: Undergraduate Degree 120 total credits + 24 Accounting + 24 Business License Requirements: 150 total credits, one year of auditing experience or three years of corporate experience.

California Exam Requirements: Undergraduate, 120 total credits, 24 accounting and 24 business credits Licensure Requirements: Social Security number required by law, undergraduate, 24 accounting and 24 business credits, 2 years of non-firm work experience or 2 years of firm experience (including 500 hours of audit experience), the signatory must be licensed, and the license is within the validity period.

Alaska Exam Requirements: No Social Security Number, Work Experience Can Be Changed for CreditsLicense Requirements: 24 Accounting Credits, Law Firm Work Experience.

Ohio State Exam Requirements: Undergraduate, 150 credits not required, 30 Accounting + 24 Business License Requirements: Certificate issued, but still requires 1 year (more than 150 credits) or 2 years (less than 150 credits) of firm work experience.

Colorado Exam Requirements: 27 Accounting + 21 Business License Requirements: Credits in lieu of work experience, 45 Accounting + 36 Business, 6 Auditing, and 3 under USGAAP.

Montana exam requirements: 24 accounting (not counting basic level courses) + 24 business, and must include financial accounting, auditing, tax law, management accounting, no academic requirements for the exam, license requires undergraduate degree and 150 total credits license requirements: 1 year of work experience, business work experience is allowed about the state application conditions If students are not professional enough to meet their appetite, they can also log in to find the corresponding section to view in detail.

Since the requirements of different states in the United States for applying for the US CPA are different, such as the requirements for total credits, accounting credits, business credits, etc., you should choose the most suitable and safe state according to your academic qualifications, credits, work experience and your own wishes.

Maine

Exam requirements: Bachelor's degree, 120 credits, 15 accounting credits, and must include 3 accounting and 3 auditing.

License Requirements: Bachelor's degree, 150 credits, 15 credits in accounting, and must include 3 in accounting and 3 in auditing; 2 years of experience in the firm, including 400 hours of auditing and 200 hours of consulting.

New Hampshire

Exam requirements: Undergraduate, 120 credits, 12 accounting + 12 business.

License requirements: 2 years of experience in the firm.

Washington.

Exam requirements: Recognized college + master's degree, 150 total credits, 24 business + 24 accounting (must include 15 advanced accounting credits).

New York

Exam Requirements: Undergraduate, 120 total credits, must include credits in financial accounting, auditing, tax law, management accounting.

License Requirements: 150 total credits, 1 year (120 credits) or two years (150 credits) of non-firm work experience.

Illinois.

Exam requirements: 150 total credits, 24 accounting + 24 business.

License requirements: 3 years after obtaining the certificate, provide a total of 90 hours of follow-up education for 3 years.

**

Exam requirements: 120 total credits for undergraduate degree + 24 accounting + 24 business.

License requirements: 150 total credits, one year of auditing experience or three years of corporate experience.

California

Exam Requirements: Undergraduate, 120 total credits, 24 accounting and 24 business credits.

License Requirements: Social Security Number, Bachelor's Degree, 24 Accounting and 24 Business Credits are required by law, 2 years of non-firm work experience or 2 years of firm experience (including 500 hours of audit experience) are allowed, the signatory must be licensed, and the license is within the validity period.

Alaska

Exam requirements: no social security number, work experience can be exchanged for credits license requirements: 24 accounting credits, work experience in a firm.

Ohio

Exam requirements: Bachelor's degree, 150 credits are not required, 30 accounting + 24 business.

License Requirements: A certificate is issued, but 1 year (more than 150 credits) or 2 years (less than 150 credits) of firm work experience is still required.

Colorado

Exam Requirements: 27 Accounting + 21 Business License Requirements: Credits in lieu of work experience, 45 Accounting + 36 Business, 6 Auditing, and 3 under USGAAP.

Montana

Exam requirements: 24 Accounting (not counting basic level courses) + 24 Business, and must include financial accounting, auditing, tax law, management accounting, no academic requirements for the exam, undergraduate degree and 150 total credits are required for licensing.

License Requirements: 1 year of work experience, corporate work experience allowed.