Colorado CPA Exam Requirements 2026
A qualified candidate can use the Colorado route with 120 semester hours, subject to every other published rule. Check your education, application route, current known fees, deadlines, and next steps in one place.
Colorado CPA requirements at a glance
Exam eligibility and CPA licensure are different decisions. This page leads with the rules to sit and keeps licensing information in a separate comparison.
Recent rule activity: Do not treat a proposed or future-effective pathway as current.
- Enacted Not Yet Effective: Enacted for January 1, 2027, Colorado adds three licensure routes: a bachelor's degree plus two years of accounting-related experience, a bachelor's degree plus 30 additional semester hours and one year, or a post-baccalaureate degree plus one year. Each route also requires the CPA Exam and professional ethics coursework. Effective January 1, 2027.
Are you eligible for the CPA Exam in Colorado?
Colorado allows a qualified candidate to sit at 120 semester hours. The application authority makes the final decision from official documents.
What to confirm before applying
- Meet the published good-moral-character requirement.
- Complete bachelor's degree.
- Complete at least 120 semester hours.
- Complete 27 qualifying accounting semester hours.
- Complete 21 qualifying business semester hours.
Named coursework and accreditation
- Accounting: accounting ethics.
- Accounting: accounting information systems.
- Accounting: accounting research.
- Accounting: accounting theory.
- Accounting: auditing.
- Accounting: financial accounting.
- Business: business or accounting communications.
- Business: business ethics or law.
- Business: computer information systems.
- Business: economics.
- Business: finance.
- Business: management or marketing.
- Business: quantitative applications or statistics.
Degree and coursework must be from an accredited institution acceptable to the Board.
| Question | Current answer | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Can I sit before 150 hours? | Yes, if every other requirement is met. | Keep licensing education separate from exam eligibility. |
| Can I apply before the degree is awarded? | No published pre-degree application route is available. | Follow every final-transcript deadline. |
| Must I live in the jurisdiction? | No Colorado jurisdiction-residency rule was identified. | Check separate U.S. residency, citizenship, SSN, and identity rules. |
| Are nontraditional credits accepted? | Treatment differs by credit type. | Use the credit-treatment checklist below and confirm unknowns. |
Education-hour details
| Requirement | Semester hours | Quarter hours | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total college credit | 120 | 180 | At least 21 of the 27 accounting hours must exclude introductory courses and include a three-hour U.S. GAAS-focused audit course. Up to three internship hours may count in accounting and three in business. Community-college, correspondence, online, and CLEP credit must be accepted by an accredited baccalaureate-granting institution. |
| Accounting | 27 | 40.5 | Named subjects: accounting ethics, accounting information systems, accounting research, accounting theory, auditing, financial accounting. |
| Business | 21 | 31.5 | Named subjects: business or accounting communications, business ethics or law, computer information systems, economics, finance, management or marketing, quantitative applications or statistics. |
| Upper-level accounting | 21 | Not yet confirmed | Shown separately when the jurisdiction publishes an upper-level minimum. |
Credit types to confirm
- Community-college credit: Allowed subject to the published conditions
- Online credit: Allowed subject to the published conditions
- CLEP credit: Allowed subject to the published conditions
- AP credit: Confirm with the application authority
- Pass/fail credit: Confirm with the application authority
- Internship credit: Allowed subject to the published conditions
Colorado eligibility gap planner
Enter your education and personal details to compare them with the published Colorado requirements. Nuanced course classifications still require an official evaluation.
Check 5 published eligibility gates
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How to apply for the CPA Exam in Colorado
NASBA CPA Examination Services (CPAES) is the application authority. Application method: online through NASBA CPA Portal.
Your application sequence
- Audit your transcriptsMatch total hours, degree status, accounting, business, and named-course requirements.
- Read the current official instructionsConfirm personal rules, deadlines, fees, and the exact application route.
- Submit the applicationApply through NASBA CPA Examination Services (CPAES) and pay the amount shown in the live application.
- Send official documentsArrange transcripts and evaluations through the method required by the application authority.
- Resolve follow-up requestsMonitor the applicant portal and respond to education or identity questions.
- Download the NTS and scheduleUse the exact name and expiration printed on the Notice to Schedule.
Documents to prepare
- official transcripts.
- completed CPA Portal application.
- foreign evaluation when applicable.
Processing time
Two to four weeks from the file-completion date.
Always follow the live application instructions in case a recipient, document method, address, or fee has changed.
Build your Colorado application plan
The calculators use currently published numeric fees and time limits. Any amount or period not published is excluded.
CPA Exam cost calculator
Calculate the currently published fee components. Charges not listed by the application authority are excluded.
6-month NTS planner
Estimate the end of the published NTS period before purchasing more sections than you can reasonably take.
Colorado application checklist
Check off each step as you finish it. Progress is stored only in this browser.
See what the CPA Exam journey feels like—while fighting off zombies.
Open CPA Exam Survival inside the CPA Exam Arcade and choose Story Mode. You will experience a playful version of the journey from signing up through studying and sitting for the exam.
Choose Story Mode when the game opens. This is an educational game, not an official AICPA or Prometric exam simulator.
Colorado exam, NTS, and retake rules
Eligibility gets you into the exam. These rules determine how long your authorization and passing scores remain useful.
Pass four sections with a 75
Pass AUD, FAR, and REG plus one discipline: BAR, ISC, or TCP. Each required section uses a passing score of 75.
- Core sections are generally available through continuous testing.
- Discipline sections follow the applicable AICPA administration windows.
- Schedule only sections you can reasonably prepare for before the NTS expires.
Your 30-month credit window
Apply only for a section you are prepared to take during the next six months; the expiration printed on the NTS controls.
- Discipline sections follow AICPA testing windows.
Check CPA score-release timing · Compare how long CPA Exam scores last.
Compare review courses by the support you actually need.
Evaluate teaching style, practice tools, access length, guarantees, and total price before spending.
Important limits for international candidates
Foreign-education acceptance, the application jurisdiction, and the country where you physically test are separate decisions.
If your education was earned outside the U.S.
- Foreign education accepted: Yes, subject to evaluation conditions
- Credential evaluation required: Yes
- NIES required: No—use an evaluator accepted by the jurisdiction
- Approved evaluation services: NASBA International Evaluation Services (NIES), National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) member, Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE) member
- Certified translation: Required
Follow the evaluator and transcript directions on the Colorado NASBA page.
If you want to test outside the United States
An international Prometric location does not create independent CPA Exam eligibility. You must first qualify through a participating U.S. jurisdiction.
Confirm that Colorado participates for the country where you want to test and check the international administration fee before scheduling.
Check NASBA's current international administration list · Compare CPA jurisdictions for international candidates.
Colorado CPA licensure comparison
Passing the exam is not the same as receiving a CPA license. This limited comparison prevents the licensing threshold from being mistaken for the rule to sit.
| Requirement | To sit for the exam | For licensure |
|---|---|---|
| Education | 120 semester hours plus all applicable degree and coursework requirements | 150 hours under the current rule; new routes take effect January 1, 2027 |
| Experience | Not treated as an exam-sitting requirement unless the application instructions expressly say otherwise | 1 year required; new routes take effect January 1, 2027 |
| Ethics exam | Separate from the Uniform CPA Exam | Required |
| Alternative pathway | Do not apply a licensure alternative automatically to exam eligibility | Enacted Not Yet Effective: Enacted for January 1, 2027, Colorado adds three licensure routes: a bachelor's degree plus two years of accounting-related experience, a bachelor's degree plus 30 additional semester hours and one year, or a post-baccalaureate degree plus one year. Each route also requires the CPA Exam and professional ethics coursework. |
Enacted pathways that are not effective yet
Use the current rule until the effective date shown. These routes do not change today's exam-admission requirements.
Bachelor's degree plus two years
Bachelor's degree, two years of accounting-related experience, professional ethics coursework, and the CPA Exam.
Takes effect: January 1, 2027
Bachelor's degree plus 30 hours and one year
Bachelor's degree, 30 additional semester hours, one year of accounting-related experience, professional ethics coursework, and the CPA Exam.
Takes effect: January 1, 2027
Post-baccalaureate degree plus one year
Post-baccalaureate degree, one year of accounting-related experience, professional ethics coursework, and the CPA Exam.
Takes effect: January 1, 2027
Pathway timing matters: Effective date: January 1, 2027. Licensure pathway only; do not infer a change to the separate examination-eligibility rule.
Colorado CPA Exam requirements FAQ
How many college hours do I need to sit for the CPA Exam in Colorado?
Colorado currently lists 120 semester hours for exam eligibility, together with every applicable degree, accounting, business, and personal requirement.
Do I need 150 semester hours to sit in Colorado?
No. Colorado allows a qualified candidate to begin testing before completing 150 hours. Licensure education is a separate requirement.
Do I have to live in Colorado to take the CPA Exam?
No Colorado jurisdiction-residency requirement applies to exam eligibility. Other personal requirements can still apply.
Can I apply before my degree is awarded in Colorado?
Colorado does not offer a published pre-degree application route. Wait for the required degree or obtain written direction from the application authority.
How much does the CPA Exam application cost in Colorado?
The current known first-section total is $460.59, using every mandatory fee layer in the verified snapshot. Returning-candidate and later-section totals can differ. Always confirm the live amount before payment.
How long do Colorado CPA Exam credits last?
Colorado provides a 30-month examination-credit window. Follow the jurisdiction's exact start-date rule and the expiration shown in your candidate account.
Can I use education earned outside the United States for Colorado?
Colorado accepts foreign education subject to an approved credential evaluation. Use an evaluation service accepted by the application authority.
Your next CPA Exam research steps
Use this Colorado page as your eligibility command center, then move into application timing and study-material research.
Official Colorado sources used for this guide
Open the controlling source before paying a non-refundable fee if your education, residency, identity, or pathway is unusual.
Confirm your situation before applying: We reviewed each requirement against the official sources below. Rules, fees, and Board interpretations can change quickly and sometimes without a widely distributed announcement, and your transcript or circumstances may be evaluated differently. Before you apply, pay a fee, or enroll in coursework, confirm your situation directly with NASBA CPA Examination Services (CPAES).
- Colorado CPA ExamNational Association of State Boards of Accountancy · NASBA
- SB26-076 Certification and Practice of Certified Public AccountantsColorado General Assembly · Official Legislation
Editorial standard: Proposed rules are not presented as effective, and interactive results are planning guidance rather than official eligibility determinations. Official sources last reviewed: August 8, 2026.
Reviewed by Bryan Kesler, CPA
Bryan Kesler is the founder of CPA Exam Guide. Regulatory eligibility is always determined by the applicable Board or examination authority.