Non-accounting-major and no-degree routes

Can You Take the CPA Exam Without an Accounting Degree?

An accounting major is not the same thing as accounting education. Many Boards accept another degree plus the right courses, while a smaller group lets candidates sit before earning any degree.

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Fact-checked and updated August 8, 2026 · By Bryan Kesler, CPA

The short answer

You do not universally need an accounting degree to take the CPA Exam. A Board may accept another bachelor’s field when the transcript contains its accounting, business, upper-level, and named-subject courses. 27 current records go further and do not require a completed degree for their Exam route. None of these options lets candidates skip the required accounting knowledge.

Separate three education questionsAccounting major, bachelor’s degree, and accounting coursework are different tests.Filter no-degree routesCompare under-120, 120-hour, and provisional starting points.Fix a course deficiencyGet a written evaluation before buying more credits.
Three questions hiding in one search

“No accounting degree” can mean very different things

Scenario 1

I have a non-accounting bachelor’s degree

This is often workable if you complete the Board’s accounting and business content. Start by auditing every transcript rather than earning a second degree automatically.

Scenario 2

I do not have any bachelor’s degree yet

Compare the 27 current no-degree-to-sit records below. Some require 120 hours; Arkansas and Georgia publish course-based routes without a separate total-hour threshold.

Scenario 3

I have experience but little academic accounting

Professional experience rarely substitutes automatically for the academic Exam requirements. Alaska publishes a specific experience-related option, but it should not be generalized to other Boards.

Interactive starting shortlist

Compare jurisdictions that do not require a completed degree to sit

Select only the conditions you need. Every result still requires completed coursework and may impose personal rules.

Filter the 27 current no-degree routes

AlaskaOne of Alaska's degree, near-completion, coursework, or supervised-experience education routes. A candidate may qualify while within 18 semester hours of completing the bachelor's degree if the specified accounting-hour condition is met.Review Alaska →Arkansas18 upper-level accounting hours with grades of C or better; no degree or total-hour minimum to sit.Review Arkansas →CaliforniaA bachelor's or higher degree plus 24 accounting units and 24 business-related units; no separate total-hour threshold. Option C applicants must be enrolled and within 180 days of completing the degree and both 24-unit subject requirements. Missing the 240-day proof deadline can result in loss of exam credit.Review California →Connecticut120 total hours, 24 accounting, and 22 economics/business hours; education complete at application.Review Connecticut →Georgia24 qualifying accounting hours; no degree or total-hour minimum to sit under the rule effective January 1, 2026.Review Georgia →GuamOne of Guam's accredited-degree or provisional enrolled-student education routes. The enrolled-student route requires a Certificate of Enrollment and completion within 18 months after the first Exam section.Review Guam →Hawaii120 semester hours plus all applicable degree and coursework requirements. A Certificate of Enrollment is required. Failure to provide final evidence can void provisional status and exam credit.Review Hawaii →Illinois120 semester hours plus all applicable degree and coursework requirements. Provisional status is available in the final term when remaining courses or the degree are expected by the Board's term deadline.Review Illinois →Indiana120 total hours including accounting and business education; no completed degree required.Review Indiana →IowaOne of Iowa's four accredited degree-and-coursework routes, including a 120-day provisional completion option. A Certificate of Enrollment must show that all courses and graduation requirements will be completed within 120 days after first sitting; final scores are withheld until the final transcript arrives.Review Iowa →Kansas120 semester hours plus all applicable degree and coursework requirements. Kansas permits sitting up to 60 days before completing the education requirements. A Certificate of Enrollment is required, and missing the 120-day completion documentation can result in scores being voided after notice and a hearing opportunity.Review Kansas →Maine120 semester hours plus all applicable degree and coursework requirements. Failure to document degree completion within the specified period can invalidate scores.Review Maine →Massachusetts120 semester hours plus all applicable degree and coursework requirements. A candidate may sit while completing the degree if completion occurs within 90 days. Failure to provide final evidence can invalidate eligibility or credit.Review Massachusetts →Michigan120 semester hours plus all applicable degree and coursework requirements. A Certificate of Enrollment is required. Failure to complete the required courses and degree by the deadline voids examination scores.Review Michigan →Minnesota120 semester hours plus all applicable degree and coursework requirements. Application may be made up to 180 days before anticipated graduation. Sitting is limited to 90 days before graduation; education must be completed within 120 days after first sitting and the final transcript is due within 150 days.Review Minnesota →Missouri120 total hours, 24 accounting, and 24 business hours; provisional timing may apply.Review Missouri →Montana24 nonintroductory accounting hours and 24 nonaccounting business hours from an accredited four-year institution. Montana states that all examination education requirements must be met at the time of application.Review Montana →New York120 total hours plus the required accounting-content courses; current route does not require a completed degree to sit.Review New York →North Carolina120 semester hours plus all applicable degree and coursework requirements. The accounting concentration must already be complete or reasonably expected by the end of the school term in which the Exam falls. If the degree is not earned on time, Exam grades are not released.Review North Carolina →North Dakota120 total hours, 24 accounting, and 24 business hours; the Board may allow a six-month completion route.Review North Dakota →OhioA bachelor's- or master's-degree route with 30 accounting hours and 24 nonaccounting business hours. Candidates enrolled in remaining courses may apply when completion is expected within 180 days of applying for the first section. Failure to complete and document the courses can void eligibility or credit.Review Ohio →PennsylvaniaBachelor’s degree or a 120-hour alternative; follow the current CPAES documentation route.Review Pennsylvania →Puerto Rico120 total hours, 24 accounting, and 24 business hours; required grades and Puerto Rico personal rules apply.Review Puerto Rico →South CarolinaBachelor’s degree or a 120-hour alternative with 24 upper-level accounting and 24 business hours.Review South Carolina →South Dakota120 semester hours plus all applicable degree and coursework requirements. The statute allows a candidate who is scheduled to obtain the qualifying degree within 100 days after taking the examination.Review South Dakota →Vermont120 total hours and a 30-hour combined accounting/business block with named subjects; provisional timing may apply.Review Vermont →Wisconsin120 total hours or a qualifying bachelor’s route with the applicable accounting and business content.Review Wisconsin →
The transcript still has to tell an accounting story

Course categories that can block a non-accounting major

A broad total-hour count hides the deficiencies Boards most often evaluate separately.

Accounting total

Introductory courses may be excluded, and some Boards require upper-level or graduate work.

Named subjects

Financial accounting, audit, tax, managerial or cost accounting, systems, research, ethics, and law can be mandatory.

Business content

Economics, finance, statistics, communications, information systems, management, and other defined subjects may form a separate block.

Institution and level

Accreditation, transfer treatment, community-college level, online delivery, and foreign equivalency can change whether credit counts.

The shortest safe bridge

Turn a non-accounting degree into a Board-approved course plan

  1. Choose the likely license jurisdiction.A short Exam route can be expensive if the destination license later rejects the education pattern.
  2. Collect every official transcript.Include community college, transfer, graduate, AP, CLEP, and foreign education sources.
  3. Separate the course buckets.Track total, accounting, business, upper-level, graduate, and specifically named subjects.
  4. Apply for the official education evaluation.Use the Board or its authorized designee and the jurisdiction-approved foreign evaluator when relevant.
  5. Ask about exact proposed courses.Send the institution, course number, title, credits, delivery format, and catalog description before enrolling.
  6. Complete only confirmed deficiencies.Avoid duplicate courses and generic electives that do not satisfy the missing category.
  7. Send the final transcript and save approval.Do not rely on an advisor’s verbal assurance when the Board makes the decision.
Open the transcript-audit guideCompare 120 and 150 hours
Choose the education format after the deficiency is known

Ways candidates commonly complete missing coursework

OptionUseful whenVerify before paying
Post-baccalaureate certificateYou need a structured accounting sequence without another full degreeCourse level, accreditation, named subjects, and license treatment
Individual accredited coursesThe written evaluation identifies only a few specific deficienciesTransferability, duplicate content, transcript source, and upper-level status
Master of AccountingYou need substantial accounting depth or prefer a graduate licensure routeProgram content, recruiting value, total cost, and state pathway
MBA with accounting electivesYou also want broader business educationWhether the actual accounting courses satisfy the Board; the degree title alone is insufficient
Community-college coursesThe jurisdiction accepts the institution and course levelUpper-level restrictions and whether transfer to a four-year transcript is required
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Common questions

CPA Exam without an accounting degree FAQ

Can I take the CPA Exam without an accounting degree?

Yes, in many jurisdictions. Some Boards accept a bachelor’s degree in another field plus specified accounting and business coursework, and 12 verified jurisdiction records currently offer an Exam route without requiring a completed degree. The exact course pattern and degree timing remain jurisdiction-specific.

Can I take the CPA Exam without any bachelor’s degree?

Some jurisdictions currently allow it. Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Missouri, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Vermont, and Wisconsin have verified routes in which a completed degree is not an Exam prerequisite, subject to each route’s completed-hour and coursework rules. Utah now requires a bachelor's degree or equivalent effective July 1, 2026.

Do community-college accounting courses count for the CPA Exam?

They may, but transfer treatment, accreditation, upper-level requirements, and jurisdiction rules differ. Verify that the exact course and institution satisfy the selected Board before enrolling.

Will an MBA satisfy CPA Exam education requirements?

Not automatically. An MBA can add business and total hours but may not supply enough accounting, upper-level accounting, audit, tax, or other named coursework. Audit the transcript against the jurisdiction’s exact categories.

What is the fastest way to make up missing accounting credits?

First obtain a written deficiency or education evaluation from the selected Board or its designee. Then choose accredited courses that the authority confirms will satisfy the specific missing category. Buying generic credits before that determination can create duplicates or unusable coursework.

Official research trail

Sources and next steps

Verify before acting: This guide compares rules verified from official sources on August 8, 2026. Boards can change requirements, fees, accepted coursework, and interpretations without a widely distributed announcement. Confirm your individual situation with the controlling Board or its application designee before paying fees or enrolling in courses.

120 versus 150 hoursSeparate the threshold to sit from the education-and-experience path to licensure.Compare credit thresholds →Get credits verifiedBuild a conservative transcript audit and written deficiency plan.Start the evaluation →Find a best-fit jurisdictionCompare education fit without treating another state as a licensing shortcut.Build a shortlist →Continue to the applicationUse the written education decision to obtain an NTS and schedule the Exam.Follow the application steps →