Wake Forest students achieve #1 CPA pass rate in the nation

Wake Forest School of Business accounting students take top spot among U.S. schools with accounting programs

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy has reported Wake Forest University School of Business students in the Master of Science in Accountancy (MSA) program have once again achieved the #1 pass rate in the nation on the Certified Public Accounting exam, among all U.S. universities with accounting programs.

The recently released 2016 edition of Uniform CPA Examination Candidate Performance measured pass rate results from students at 858 institutions. The results clearly placed Wake Forest in first place with an 89.5 percent pass rate average, well above the national average of 54.4 percent.

Wake Forest students have earned this number one ranking thirteen times since the School began offering a Master of Science in Accountancy (MSA) degree in 1997, more than any other university during the same time period. School of Business students have placed in the top 5 of all schools nationally in 17 out of 18 years since the Wake Forest program has been in existence.

According to Jim Willis, Dale K. Cline associate dean for accountancy and associate professor of practice, “The unparalleled consistency in performance of our accounting students on the CPA exam year after year is a clear indicator that they leave Wake Forest ready to make an impact at their organizations and in the accounting profession on day one. I thank our faculty and staff for their consistent focus on preparing our students to launch their professional accounting careers.”

The proven CPA exam pass rate performance has traditionally led to 100% of Wake Forest’s MSA graduates accepting job offers prior to graduation, with many students receiving multiple offers.

Watch video of our School’s celebration. Story continues below:

The Wake Forest School of Business accountancy programs are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Students have the option of specializing in the career tracks of Assurance Services, Tax Consulting Services, or Financial Transaction Services.

Wake Forest is currently accepting applications for admission to the Master of Science in Accountancy program, which starts in August 2017. More information may be found online at https://business.wfu.edu/msa.

Media contact: Stephanie Skordas at 336.758.4098 or skordas@wfu.edu.