Program to ease path to CPA licensure partners with Tulane University

Tulane University’s School of Professional Advancement will offer the initial library of courses for the launch of the Experience, Learn & Earn (ELE) program.

The AICPA and National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) have developed ELE to offer a less costly and more flexible way for college accounting graduates to complete the 150-hour course credit requirement to become licensed CPAs.

ELE is an integral part of the Pipeline Acceleration Plan, an AICPA initiative supported by NASBA, accounting firms, state CPA societies, and other stakeholders in the profession aimed at addressing the decline in accounting graduates and in the number of graduates taking the CPA Exam.

“CPAs perform respected, rewarding work, and their lifetime earning potential is substantial,” Sue Coffey, CPA, CGMA, the AICPA’s CEO of public accounting, said in a news release. “Yet we’re all aware of the soaring cost of education and the need for college graduates to pay off student debt and support themselves. The ELE program offers prospective CPA candidates a program that can reduce their cost of education, allow them to earn a paycheck, and advance their careers at the same time.”

The ELE pilot will allow program participants working as paid staff members of ELE-affiliated firms to earn up to 30 credit hours, beginning in January, through School of Professional Advancement online courses.

“Lessons from this pilot will be applied to extensions of the program at other universities, with the idea the initiative can grow quickly to meet the demand nationally,” Ken Bishop, president and CEO of NASBA, said in the release. “The ELE program reinforces the rigor we want reflected in CPA licensure with the needed flexibility and support for today’s accounting graduates.”

ELE is designed for accounting majors who have completed their bachelor’s degree and core accounting classes but possess fewer than the 150 credit hours required for licensure. Firms hiring graduates through ELE agree to provide time for course work to be completed in a balanced, flexible way.

Tulane, in New Orleans, will offer courses in topic areas relevant to a student’s career in accounting, as well as those that accounting firms believe will jump-start participating associates’ careers. As the program grows, additional courses are expected to be added from other universities, allowing participants and firms the ability to customize integrated “learning and earning” plans.

“We’re excited to bring Tulane’s expertise to the ELE program and help expand opportunities for students who students who want a high-quality academic experience that is also flexible,” said Suri Duitch, dean of the Tulane School of Professional Advancement.

Firms interested in participating in the pilot can find information at ExperienceLearnEarn.org.

— To comment on this article or to suggest an idea for another article, contact Bryan Strickland at Bryan.Strickland@aicpa-cima.com.