A practitioner-led initiative to spark high school students’ interest in an accounting career is showing promising results.
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Accounting education
Student enrollment in accounting continues to rise
Enrollment in four-year accounting programs increased 8.9% from spring of 2025 to spring of 2026, the third consecutive year-over-year increase.
6 top scorers on CPA Exam earn Elijah Watt Sells Award
Of more than 87,000 CPA candidates who sat for the CPA Exam in 2025, a half dozen passed all four sections on their first attempt while recording a cumulative average score above 95.5.
Why accounting programs should hire more adjunct faculty
Accounting enrollments are rising, and adjunct faculty are a way to expand teaching capacity. Learn how hiring adjunct accounting faculty can strengthen programs and the CPA pipeline.
Dept. of Education releases final rule on professional degree programs
The final rule, effective July 1, 2026, sets annual and lifetime limits on federal student loans. The AICPA had urged the Department of Education to include language in the final rule that its “professional degree” definition “does not reflect a value judgment.”
How colleges inspire students to pass the CPA Exam
From signed hog hats to alumni-led peer panels, accounting programs are finding creative ways to motivate students to take — and pass — the CPA Exam before busy season begins.
Why academics should care about AICPA’s Profession Ready Initiative
Workforce readiness has become a defining opportunity as the business environment grows more complex and technology reshapes how CPAs work.
How will accountants learn new skills when AI does the work?
As entry-level tasks are automated, the focus of training will shift to judgment, simulation, and continuous upskilling.
AICPA asks Department of Education to list accounting as a professional degree
In a comment letter, the AICPA asks that the department’s new rule related to student loan limits either list accounting as a “professional degree program” or retain current language stating that “professional degrees may include but are not limited to” the list in a notice of proposed rulemaking.
Apprenticeship program participant aces CGMA case study exam
Financial analyst Caitlin Domina was one of three joint first honorees globally in the latest testing window for the CGMA Management Case Study Exam.
AICPA supports Accounting STEM Pursuit Act legislation
A bill introduced in the Senate would expand student awareness and access to educational opportunities in accounting via the technology portion of the science, technology, engineering, and math program.
Department of Education notice clarifies ‘professional’ degree definition
The notice of proposed rulemaking states that the exclusion of certain degree programs, including accounting, from the definition “does not reflect a value judgment” but rather serves as a technical term to define levels of federal student loan limits. An AICPA statement expressed appreciation for the “recognition of the broad definition and various aspects of the word ‘professional.’”
Profession Ready Initiative targets gaps in early-career CPA readiness
The AICPA project will collect extensive data, beginning with a survey live now, that will support the development of resources to help employers, academics, and early-career professionals navigate a rapidly evolving workplace.
Teen CPA: Caleb Byers earns his license before age 20
Also a licensed pilot, the 19-year-old Floridian flew through college and the CPA Exam and is now a year into his tenure as an audit associate at a top-10 firm.
Undergraduate enrollment in accounting continues to rise
National Student Clearinghouse data reveals a 7.3% year-over-year increase for the fall semester, more than six times the increase across all majors.
4 reasons why CAS offers a compelling career path
Why educators should help students explore the growing opportunities in client advisory services.
AICPA, state CPA societies call for accounting program recognition
A Department of Education proposal does not include accounting in its list of professional degree programs, a designation that helps determine education loan eligibility.
The accounting graduate pipeline: Where do things stand?
As public accounting firms continue to report a strong need for new talent, recent declines in accounting graduates are easing, according to the AICPA’s Trends report.
STEM designation for accounting has strong support
Nearly three-fourths of adults surveyed said accounting courses should be a part of the science, technology, engineering, and math education program, with a majority in key age groups saying the designation would make students more likely to pursue accounting education opportunities.
NASBA, AICPA release proposed revisions to CPE standards
Comments are being accepted through mid-December on changes designed to address emerging learning methods and clarify CPE-awarding mechanisms.
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FROM THIS MONTH'S ISSUE
Corporation’s officer held personally liable for its taxes
A corporate officer who facilitated an insolvent company’s transfer of assets to private creditors while knowing of an outstanding federal tax debt was held personally liable for the taxes owed.
