What is CPA: Full form, Course Duration, Admission 2025, Colleges, Salary & Scope

The CPA also known as Certified Public Accountant course is basically a globally recognised professional certification in Accounting and Finance which is administered by American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

The CPA course covers many different topics such as auditing, taxation, business law and financial accounting.

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CPA stands for Certified Public Accountant. It is the most prestigious accounting designations globally awarded by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

CPA is an expert in many things like accounting and auditing and taxation and regulatory frameworks. The CPA grad has a deep expertise, posses ethical standards and also has an ability to handle complex financial reporting and compliance. 

Various top companies require a CPA for roles that demand filing statements with the US SEC or dealing with foreign investors. It is highly valued not just in the US but also by MNCs over the worldwide.

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CPA Login usually refers to the secure portal or account access for CPA candidates or licensed CPAs. Below is the list of places where it is used:

Source - External sites and may differ.

No, you cannot appear for CPA exams directly after 12th. The CPA exam is professionally designated in United States with strict educational requirements that go far beyond a high school education.

The '150 hour rule' is a primary requirement for CPA licensure in almost all states. This means you need 150 semester hours of college coursework, which is typically 30 credits more than a standard four-year bachelor's degree (which usually provides 120 credits).

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Yes, you can pursue CPA in India. As for CPA eligibility, you need 120 credits to appear for CPA exam and 150 credits for CPA license.

General rule: 

• Every year of university education in India is equivalent to 30-semester credits of US education.
• Some state boards award credit for international professional qualifications like CA.
• For international CPA candidates from India, generally 3-year commerce graduates from NAAC A universities who have scored a 1 st division are awarded 120 credits.

The benefits of pursuing CPA certification are given below:

• Candidates can set up their own accounting, finance and tax practice

• One can work in the industry as accounts, finance manager or tax manager at entry level or mid-level

• Candidates can specialise further in CPA, CMA, CFE, CIA, CFP, CFA, etc.

You must pass all four sections of the CPA Exam within 18 months. Each sections is divided into four hours and consists of Multiple Choice Questions and Task based simulations.

Yes, passing the CPA Exam has a time constraint. You have an 18-month opportunity to pass each component of the exam. This implies you have 18 months to complete all four parts of the exam. If you do not pass all four portions within 18 months, you must start over and retake the sections you failed.

The four steps are thenmain process

1. Check Your Eligibility for Taking the CPA Exam. According to me you are eligible.

2. Submit CPA Exam Application and Fees

3.Receive Authorization to Test (ATT)

4. Verify the Information on Your Notice To Schedule (NTS)

5. Schedule Your CPA Exam Section

You can do this through your State Board of Accountancy or through NASBA’s (National Association of State Boards of Accountancy’s) CPA Central portal (for those states that use CPA Central to process applications).

The CPA exam application fee is typically between $100-200 depending on the state.

You need to clear CA exams to give CPA papers, or you need a graduation or equivalent degree to give that exam. The process of giving CPA exam is almost same in all countries, to become a CPA the candidate must first pass the eligibility criteria, and myst pass 1 and 2 levels examination. You can't give this exam after your class 12th papers, you need to study more.

B.Com with CMA (Certified Management Accountant) enables the students to obtain substantial fundamental knowledge of various financial and management accounting subjects while pursuing B.Com. Check: B.Com Course Students after completing their 10+2 with any subject (Science/Commerce/Arts) are eligible to apply for B.Com with CMA Courses. ICWAI is the only exam that is conducted for providing admission in CMA courses at different levels such as- Foundation course, Intermediate course and final course.

Hi,

The postgraduation courses in accounts like CPA are quite good choice. If you want to do this course then I will highly recommend you to take admission In Delhi University and just go for it. This PG diploma course is highly recommended amd prevelant these days.

CA is a better option for those who wants to work in India in accounts departments of various organisations, while CPA suits those who wants to work internationally especially US. 

The fee is different for Americans and people all around the world. You can check out the CPA fee for candidates ouside of America in the below -

Sources - Official site and may differ.

Registration for CPA is open for the full year. Students can enrol anytime for the exam. Students basically have to submit the application form after checking their eligibility. If eligible, the candidates can send their official transcripts to the state board. Then, they can submit the fee and schedule the exams. To be eligible to take the CPA exam in India, you must meet the following requirements -

• Have a bachelor's degree in accounting or a related field

• Have 150 hours of coursework in accounting, business, and other related subjects

• Pass the Uniform CPA Examination

• Have two years of public accounting experience

The demand for CPA has considerably grown in recent times with the substantial growth in MNCs and the Big4s in India. This shift in the trend is because of the requirement of knowledge and credibility about US GAAP, IFRS & US taxation by these multinational companies.

Indian qualifications like Chartered Accountant CA have limited geographical recognition and do not cover topics like IFRS & US GAAP. This increases the demand for CPA candidates in India. The demand has increased than the supply and that forced the MNCs and the Big 4s to train their CAs as CPAs. In other words, they give extensive training on the US GAAP, taxation, and the IFRS to their existing employees who are a qualified Chartered Accountant from the ICAI. For such training, the corporations approach Educational institutes like Miles Education, who are the experts in the industry in relation to the US GAAP & the IFRS.

Hi Ravi,

CPA (Certified Public Accountant) is the statutory title awarded to qualified accountants in the US who cleared the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination. Candidates should meet additional state education and experience requirements to become a certified CPA.

CPA programme deals with accounting and financial insights which are applicable in accounting and auditing services, taxation, consulting, research etc. In India, this is a relatively new qualification, however; ICFAI has established the CPA Council of India to develop and regulate the CPA profession on sound ethical lines.

Career Prospects: After completion of the CPA programme, you can find openings in Banking and Financial services sector and practice areas like finance, mergers & acquisitions, risk management and consulting. Hope it helps. Please feel free to revert. Click on the thumbs up or mark it as the best, if you found this useful.

Wish You Luck!

Candidates might complete the 120 credits required to sit for the exam in most states by combining a 3-year B.Com (equal to 90 credits) with a CA (formerly equivalent to 40 credits). They could then take a couple more courses to fulfill the 150 credits minimum for a CPA license. Hope this answer helps.

A US CPA can directly earn CPA Canada without any additional exams. All you need to do is:

• Clear all 4 exams before becoming a resident of Canada
• Fulfill 150 educational credits
• Have 24-30 months of relevant work experience.

You just need to get a hang around the accounting basics and you will be good to prepare and test for the CPA Exams. Also, if you're committed on writing the CPA try getting your self into a NAAC A university for your Bachelors degree (specialising in accounting, finance, commerce field. ).

All CPAs are accountants but not necessarily all accountants are Certified Public Accountants (CPAs). The difference between accountants and CPAs are education, experience and opportunity. To become a CPA, candidates need to pass the uniform CPA exam. Receiving CPA certification distinguishes one from other business professionals.

AICPA, worlds the largest accounting organisation, administers the CPA exams. Candidates need to pass all four CPA examinations to get membership in the AICPA. The 55-state board of accountancy in the United States who are members of NASBA, on the other hand, awards a CPA license.

Each state board has its own set of qualifying requirements that an aspirant must have to receive a CPA designation. The following are some guidelines candidates need to follow to get CPA certification in India:

A Masters degree in commerce, accounting, or finance. To appear for US CPA tests, an aspirant requires 120 credits. To acquire a US CPA license the candidate should have at least 150 credits. One year of university education in India is equivalent to 30 credits in the United States. In some circumstances, first-year graduates of NAAC-A certified Indian universities can also appear for the US CPA exams.

Every state in India has its own CPA exam eligibility criteria, but some standard eligibility criteria are: Graduation in commerce and accounting B.Com BBA MBA in Finance, M.Com CA/ CMA/ Intermediate passed/ CS passed. Post graduate professional certification in accounting and finance.

Yes, ofcourse. Graduation in commerce and accounting B.Com BBA MBA in Finance, M.Com which is equivalent to 120 credits required to sit for CPA exam is the CPA eligibility in India and some states also accept CA/ CMA/ Intermediate passed/ CS pass candidates. Candidates must also have a valid international passport.

Graduation in commerce and accounting B.Com, BBA, MBA in Finance, M.Com which is equivalent to 120 credits required to sit for CPA exam is the CPA eligibility in India and some states also accept CA/ CMA/ Intermediate passed/ CS pass candidates. Candidates must also have a valid international passport.

Hi,

Ofcourse you can do CPA even while working as a company secretary. Talking about exemption from doing 2 year training for CPA Programme you can consult the institution and their guidelines so just go for it.

Yes, you can become a CPA. There is no mandate degree requirement for CPA. CPA follows the credit system and to become eligible for the exam you must have 120 or 150 credits depending on the state you want to apply for from a NAAC recognised university.

Noida is now a days emerging as a hub for finance, IT and consulting industries which makes it a suitable city for CPA aspirants. While CPA is an international qualification (primarily US based) many MNCs in Noida like Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC hire CPAs for auditing, taxation and compliance roles. Students in Noida often prepare for CPA through local coaching institutes or online classes. Many training centers are collaborating with international bodies like AICPA or Becker to provide updated study materials and mentoring to the students. After qualifying, CPA's in Noida can work in Big 4 firms, multinational corporations or even establish their own consulting practices for helping Indian companies with US taxation and SEC reporting requirements.

There is no such fixed duration as the whole CPA journey is about passing the rigourous four-part CPA exam. But if we have to estimate then many candidates take 6 to 18 months to prepare and pass the exams. Even after clearing exams the candidates then need to gain some 2 years of professional experience. 

CA is a better option for those who wants to work in India in accounts departments of various organisations, while CPA suits those who wants to work internationally especially US. 

There are many states for international Candidates- Typically it depends on your accounting credit and business credit of your graduation, many states like California, Arizona and New Hempshire gives weightage to even non accounting credits, however the graduation from Osmania will give student more accounting and graduation from Delhi won't give much, so it depends on your University, scores and anything with graduation like IPCC, final of CA or CS ICWAI gives more credits too You can get in touch with Simandhar Education CPA USA ( Official partner of Becker and AICPA) for advisory services relating to US CPA examination.