Hi MyCPA22,

Did you have your transcript evaluated and the agency didn't recognize any of your coursework?

Maybe you can tell us more about the result of the evaluation and I'll see if I can be helpful.

Cheers, Stephanie

That's good MyCPA22. I think you should get at least some credits from your MBA.

By the way, if you are picking the state based on location, please note that you can actually register in one state and take the exam in another. So bascially, you should pick the state with the most favorable education / experience requirement for you.

If you don't have related work experience yet, maybe you can try Illinois? No working experience is required if you have 150 semester hour fulfilled. Your MBA is good enough if FACS gives it a full credit. (I know, it's still a "IF"...)

I heard that Colorado is also quite popular among international students, possibly because the work experience can be waived if you have 150 semester hours fulfilled.

The minimum educational requirement to sit for the U.S. CPA exam is generally a four year university degree. Most states require 150 university semester hours before you can sit for the CPA exam.

You can not take the U.S. CPA examination outside the U.S. It is offered only in the U.S.A.

Once you have passed the exam in one state you can transfer to another state. You will have to meet the education and experience requirements of the new state, but normally you are given credit for having already passed the CPA exam.

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CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS

The CPA certificate is not directly comparable to the articles of a chartered accountant. A chartered accountant who wishes to have a U.S. CPA certificate must take the exam to become a U.S. CPA. The only exception is a special examination for members of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA), the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (ICAA), CPA Australia, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland (ICAI) and the Instituto Mexicano De Contadores Publicos (IMCP). The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) web site has information on the IQEX examination. (On that page click "EXAMS" then "IQEX")

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RESIDENCY AND CITIZENSHIP

Some states do not require that you be a resident of the state or a U.S. citizen to earn a CPA certificate issued by that state. The last time we checked, these states were:

• Alaska
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Kentucky
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Montana
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New York
• Oregon
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Texas
• Utah
• Virginia
• Washington
• Wisconsin

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EXPERIENCE

Some states will grant a CPA certificate with no experience, but require evidence of experience before a "permit to practice" is issued. If you just want a U.S. CPA certificate for your resume, you might investigate the current requirements of these states. The last time we checked, these states were:

• Alabama
• District of Columbia
• Florida
• Guam
• Illinois
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• North Dakota
• Oklahoma
• Puerto Rico
• South Dakota
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wyoming

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STATES THAT DON'T REQUIRE 150 SEMESTER HOURS OF UNIVERSITY

Most states have adopted a 150 university semester hour educational requirement. A few states require only a four year university degree. Each state has specific requirements for evaluation of your transcripts, so you must pick a state before you can have your transcripts evaluated. The last time we checked, the states requiring only four years were:

• California
• Colorado
• Delaware
• New Hampshire
• Vermont
• Virgin Islands