The Florida Institute of CPAs, Nova Southeastern University and three South Florida firms announced on Thursday a pilot program to help accountants who have already completed 120 credit hours to finish the remaining 30 hours required for CPA licensure.
Participants in the program, called Bridge to CPA, will take online classes through NSU's H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship. Tuition is covered by NSU, employer firms and tuition awards from the FICPA Scholarship Foundation and the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation's Clay Ford Scholarship Program.
Participants have already been selected by their participating firms — Berkowitz Pollack Brant, Kaufman Rossin and PAAST — and classes through the program are slated to begin this fall, with plans for expansion in 2025.
"Through Bridge to CPA, candidates can obtain their fifth year of education and take career-relevant courses, approved for licensure in Florida, without having to worry about tuition costs," said FICPA president and CEO Shelly Weir, who is also an member of the American Institute of CPAs and its
The ELE is another pilot program helping accounting graduates earn the 150-credit requirement for CPA licensure. Thirty-eight students are currently enrolled in the program and are concluding their first semesters.
Other state CPA societies have adopted similar programs and initiatives to mitigate the profession's ongoing labor shortage. The Massachusetts Society of CPAs recently awarded $182,500 in scholarships to 51 accounting students. Similarly, the New Jersey Society of CPAs awarded $168,000 in scholarships to 38 accounting students, and the state's Rider University launched its own
