Scholarships and Financial Aid

Future accounting graduate students who plan to earn their CPA credentials are eligible to apply for funding from the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA). Applicants do not need to have previous accounting experience; the award is designed for those who want to get started in the professional accounting field.

This is a merit-based scholarship for students who are currently enrolled in an accounting program. Each year, the AICPA selects four students who demonstrate the ability and drive to become a leader within the accounting field.

The AICPA strives to assist accounting students from underrepresented communities by providing over $270,000 in funding to minority students each year. Applicants must be enrolled on a full-time basis in an undergraduate or graduate program, maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and plan to take the CPA exam.

Amount: $1,697 and fee coverage for CPA Exam Review courses

Becker Professional Education, a company that hosts CPA exam preparation courses, provides accounting students with academic funding and free course opportunities. Applicants must be qualified to sit for the CPA exam and demonstrate financial need to receive this award.

The AICPA has created a funding opportunity for minority students pursuing a doctoral degree on a full-time basis. Applicants must be of Hispanic/Latino, Black or Native American ethnicity and have already applied to a doctoral program to be considered for this award.

Amount: Varies

Undergraduate and graduate students of Black/African descent can apply for four different scholarship opportunities by submitting a single form to the NABA professional organization. To qualify, applicants must be current NABA student members, hold a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 and be enrolled as a full-time student within a business- or finance-related major.

Congress appointed this nonprofit board to administer public company audits and issue fines when organizations do not comply with regulatory standards. The money collected from these fines is used for scholarship opportunities. Applicants must be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate accounting program. Winners are selected on the basis of merit.

This professional association has awarded up to $34,450 a year to prospective accountants enrolled in undergraduate accounting programs. Applicants must be a citizen of the United States or Canada, enrolled on a part-time or full-time basis and hold a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. The scholarship board assesses the following factors when selecting winners: work experience, academic honors and community participation.

This is a graduate scholarship opportunity provided by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), a professional advocacy and networking organization with a membership body spanning the United States and Canada. Applicants must intend to work within the fields of state or local government finance, hold a recommendation from their graduate advisor or dean and be currently enrolled on a full-time basis.

Undergraduate and graduate students who intend to work in government finance at the state and local levels can receive funding from this Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) scholarship. Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. or Canada, hold a recommendation from an advisor or program chair, and be enrolled full-time within an accounting program. Supplementary materials used in the selection process include a resume, professional statement and academic transcripts.

Local and state government professionals who are also currently earning their graduate degree on a part-time basis may be eligible to win this academic scholarship from the GFOA. Applicants must be recommended by an employer, along with an academic advisor or program dean. Additionally, applicants must be U.S. or Canadian citizens or permanent residents with at least two years of professional experience.

This academic award is designed for students from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds who are enrolled in undergraduate or graduate programs in government accounting, public administration, economics or businesses-related majors. Applicants must be enrolled on a part-time or full-time basis and be citizens or permanent residents in the U.S. or Canada.

Amount: Fee coverage for the CMA exam, Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) membership for three years and exam study materials

The IMA provides academic funding to students worldwide who are pursuing undergraduate or master’s degrees in accounting or business. Applicants must be nominated by a program faculty member to be considered for this scholarship.

Undergraduate and graduate accounting students focusing on careers in IT, management accounting or financial management can be considered for several IMA memorial scholarships by filling out a single application form. Some funds, including the Stuart Cameron and Margaret McLeod awards, include complimentary tickets to the Student Leadership Conference and the IMA Annual Conference in addition to scholarship funding. Applicants must be enrolled on a full-time basis, be an IMA Student member and hold a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.

Women studying accounting at the undergraduate level can fill out one application to apply for several scholarships at once. This IMA undergraduate award also covers CMA examination fees in addition to scholarship funds. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 to qualify for some of these funding opportunities. Additional materials that will be considered during the awards process include the student’s statements of personal and professional goals, a financial need budget and employment history.

EFWA also provides three funding opportunities with a single, centralized application form for prospective, female accounting graduate students. In addition to the cash scholarship, winners of the IMA award also gain free IMA membership for a single year and CMA exam registration.

Amount: Free enrollment in a 4-part Wiley CPAexcel CPA Review course

AWSCPA has partnered with a CPA exam preparation education company, WileyCPA, to provide future accountants with testing success resources. Students must hold a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and meet the academic requirements for the CPA exam within a year of receiving this award.

Amount: $1,000 - $10,000 and a one-year Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) student membership

This ACFE Foundation scholarship is designed for undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in pursuing careers in fraud prevention. Applicants must submit their official transcripts along with three letters of recommendation (at least one letter from a Certified Fraud Examiner is recommended).