Accounting courses from CPACredits.com/Upper Iowa University

[inor]

I haven't seen any posts about CPACredits.com here. Since I believe it could have some utility for accounting students (at any stage of their education, not just those preparing to become CPAs), I figured I'd make a thread.

After doing a bit of research, I've learned that CPACredits is basically just a middleman. The actual courses are taken though Upper Iowa University, which is RA, not-for-profit, has a B&M campus, is well over a century old, etc. In other words, a reputable university. UIU has a nice selection of accounting courses that can be taken in a self-paced format. From the few things I've read online, it appears students can finish them at a very accelerated pace, if they'd like. I'm guessing the only reason I don't see them discussed very often by distance learning enthusiasts is because the tuition costs, while not bad, are not spectacular either: $330 per credit. 

However, if you enroll for those exact same classes at UIU through CPACredits.com, they're $675, i.e. $225 per credit. That's pretty affordable if you need/want RA, upper-division, graded accounting credits.

I was a bit skeptical of all this — are they really the same classes as the ones at UIU? — so I emailed the university directly and they responded quickly and confirmed that indeed the courses on CPACredits are UIU courses. In other words, your classmates are UIU students and your credits will come from UIU and appear on a UIU transcript. The significantly lower price of $675 per course versus $990 is because they are able to cut their administrative costs by allowing CPACredits.com to enroll students. 

Personally, this looks like it could be a pretty attractive option. I'm a career-changer and am looking to do all my accounting prereqs through RA coursework, as opposed to ACE credits or any other alternate forms of credit. As far as 101 & 102-level courses go, the New Mexico community colleges still can't be beat, but once you get into the upper-division courses, affordable options are harder to find. These courses at UIU through CPACredits look like they could fit the bill. And since they're RA, I'd imagine you'd have no problem transferring them in somewhere like TESU or UMPI, if that were your plan.

[Yenisei]

Excellent post and legwork. I've looked at them as well and think they're perfect for people that need RA courses for CPA licensure. I'm thinking about taking their Government Accounting course since that's a difficult part of the FAR exam.

[bjcheung77]

Hmm, they have an ambassadors program too, free class, 25% off, wow... https://cpacredits.com/ambassador-program/
I see they also have graduate level classes as well... interesting indeed, under $300/graduate credit is a good deal...

[ss20ts]

This could be a game changer for those wishing to sit for the CPA exam as some states do not accept ACE credit for accounting and business courses that they require.

[Jonathan Whatley]

Beyond accounting there are useful courses here for several audiences.

• Anything can go towards minimum RA credit at TESU.
  
• ES 321 Building an Eco-Economy for a TESU Environmental Studies major or maybe a UMPI additional minor.
  
• PS 230 State and Local Government and PS 380 Congress and the Presidency for a TESU Political Science major, or just UL RA credit for politically-minded students in any Big Three program.
  
• BA 334 Social Entrepreneurship could be interesting to business-minded and soc-sci-minded students alike.
  
• BA 393 Personnel Selection and Evaluation for an Excelsior BSB Management of HR concentration.
  
• ECON 466 Labor Economics might be accepted towards the hard-to-get TESU Labor Studies major, BALS concentration, or certificate.
  

[GameSlinger]

Upper Iowa University is a well respected institution in Iowa. Top 5 or 10 in the state on pretty much every list you look at. The lower cost for these courses makes this an excellent opportunity for those that need them. If I decide to add a finance or accounting degree to my list, I will probably come back to this as well.

[ReyMysterioso]

Buying my UIU hoodie now...

#gottacatchemall

[bjcheung77]

Hmm, I wonder if there is a certificate or something you can get with all those grad credits available... Even so, it's slightly more expensive doing the grad cert when you can do the HAU MBA or UMPI MAOL, even the WGU MBA or MSML at a cheaper price... But for the UIU name brand, it may just be worth it if there is such a cert...

[inor]

Hmm, I wonder if there is a certificate or something you can get with all those grad credits available... Even so, it's slightly more expensive doing the grad cert when you can do the HAU MBA or UMPI MAOL, even the WGU MBA or MSML at a cheaper price... But for the UIU name brand, it may just be worth it if there is such a cert...

More food for thought: (a) they accept quite a few Sophia/SDC courses as equivalents (and not simply general electives) (b) they will transfer in 90 credits © they will allow you take 30 credits as a non-matriculated student. Add all of those together and, assuming you have the right combination of classes already, I don't see why you couldn't theoretically take all 30 of those credits needed for their Accounting BS through CPACredits.com as a non-matriculated student, thereby staying within that limit while simultaneously fulfilling the degree requirements and doing it significantly cheaper than you could if you took them as a matriculated student at $330 per credit. All in, 30 credits through CPACredits should come in at just under $7000. Not bad. The downside is no financial aid, of course.

I came to this realization because I'm actually in this position. I already have a degree but I need to take a lot of accounting classes to fulfill grad school prereqs. UIU's prices for upper division RA credits in accounting are hard to beat, and I realized that I needed so many that I would just about fulfill their 30 credit residency requirement in the process (as well as fulfill the major requirements). If I'm going to be taking these classes anyway, why not get a degree out if it?

I'm not completely sold on this path at the moment — it seems too good to be true, like they'd figure out why I'm doing and refuse to grant me a degree if I did it all through CPACredits — but I'm keeping it in the back of my mind regardless.

[turbotortuga]

Hmm, I wonder if there is a certificate or something you can get with all those grad credits available... Even so, it's slightly more expensive doing the grad cert when you can do the HAU MBA or UMPI MAOL, even the WGU MBA or MSML at a cheaper price... But for the UIU name brand, it may just be worth it if there is such a cert...

More food for thought: (a) they accept quite a few Sophia/SDC courses as equivalents (and not simply general electives) (b) they will transfer in 90 credits © they will allow you take 30 credits as a non-matriculated student. Add all of those together and, assuming you have the right combination of classes already, I don't see why you couldn't theoretically take all 30 of those credits needed for their Accounting BS through CPACredits.com as a non-matriculated student, thereby staying within that limit while simultaneously fulfilling the degree requirements and doing it significantly cheaper than you could if you took them as a matriculated student at $330 per credit. All in, 30 credits through CPACredits should come in at just under $7000. Not bad. The downside is no financial aid, of course.

I came to this realization because I'm actually in this position. I already have a degree but I need to take a lot of accounting classes to fulfill grad school prereqs. UIU's prices for upper division RA credits in accounting are hard to beat, and I realized that I needed so many that I would just about fulfill their 30 credit residency requirement in the process (as well as fulfill the major requirements). If I'm going to be taking these classes anyway, why not get a degree out if it?

I'm not completely sold on this path at the moment — it seems too good to be true, like they'd figure out why I'm doing and refuse to grant me a degree if I did it all through CPACredits — but I'm keeping it in the back of my mind regardless.

I like where your mind is going here. What grad school program are you trying to do that needs UL accounting courses that you can't get from UMPI or even Central New Mexico Community College's Post-Bacc CPA Certificate program. I toook quite a few accouting courses through CNM and I really enjoyed them and learned a ton.