The certified public accountant licensure is reducing its credit hour requirements in a number of states starting in October.
Erin Leigh, an accounting recruiting, career and external relations manager for the University of Connecticut School of Business is pivotal in understanding how the new changes in the CPA licensure credit hour requirements will affect UConn students.
“It could mean more students go down the accounting pathway, which is kind of cool, but it also means it changes when they’re doing internships, it changes when they start full time jobs and all that kind of recruiting stuff,” Leigh said.
The licensure credit hour requirements are decreasing in hopes of easing financial burden and in hopes to get more people into the accounting field, Leigh said. This is through the alternative pathway that allows students to get the CPA licensure with only 120 credit hours instead of 150, she said.
“They were hoping this would broaden the scope of people that could go into accounting, get their CPA license,” Leigh said.
There was a national dip in accounting majors which is one of the reasons why there is a pipeline issue with those actually getting the CPA license, Leigh said.
Leigh said she is nervous about these new changes concerning the decrease in hours.
“I don’t know if they’ll have enough accounting coursework under their belt to do really well in the CPA exam,” Leigh said. The CPA exam focuses on numerous topics including auditing, taxes and legal things concerning taxes, she said.
Leigh emphasized that there is a big difference between the exam and getting the license.
Brooke Noonan, a senior accounting major at UConn, said that the four years of study were “more apparent in this major than it is for other majors” due to complexities with scheduling and timing.
Noonan also said over email that adjustments to the credit requirements could help students with previous financial burdens from trying to gain their additional 30 credits.
“Now that students will not have to pay and earn the additional 30 credits for the CPA after finishing their undergrad it may lead to an increase in the appeal of the major and CPA for incoming students,” Noonan said.
Students looking for internships are applying for internships in the summer of 2027 due to how far ahead the application cycle is, according to Noonan.
Leanne M. Adams, instructor in residence for accounting at UConn, welcomes the change in credit hours.
“It’ll improve their college experience because of the reduction in stress, they’ll actually learn more because they’re learning less,” Adams said.
Adams talked about how this change will impact students positively.
“They’re going to get out in the field quicker, and they can concentrate more on what they are learning in class,” Adams said.
This article was updated on Sept. 23 to clarify and better contextualize quotes from Noonan.