Passed CPA Exam - Need Credits

[jherald1989]

I recently passed the CPA exam and I need 17 credits to become a licensed CPA in Virginia. This is the only requirement holding me back. I asked the Virginia Board of Accountancy and they accept DSST credits as long as a regionally accredited school gives credit. If I enroll in one of the "big three" schools, will I have to take a class in order for them to place the credits on a transcript? I do not believe that the Excelsior credit bank will work because they are not technically giving you credit for the course, only providing you with a consolidated transcript. I tried my local community college, but they require for me to be enrolled in a program. Even then, they will only accept DSST credits for classes that fall within the program curriculum. I'm trying to get 17 credits in the cheapest (and quickest) way possible...I don't care about the degree. Do any of you have any tips? I appreciate the help because right now I feel lost.

[LaterBloomer]

Congratulations! You do not need to take a course from TESC for them to provide you with credit for tests. Are you interested in DSST credits because many of them are upper level? There are some sharp people in the forum, and accounting/CPA issues have been discussed. I'm sure one (or more) of them will pop up with advice, guidance, or suggested areas of inquiry. Good luck.

[jherald1989]

Thank you for your reply LaterBloomer. I am interested in the DSST credits because I already have most of the credits for CLEP courses. It is good to know that I do not need to be taking a class with TESC in order for them to provide me with credit. That definitely helps and is something I should look into. I look forward to seeing everyone's replies.

[cookderosa]

I recently passed the CPA exam and I need 17 credits to become a licensed CPA in Virginia. This is the only requirement holding me back. I asked the Virginia Board of Accountancy and they accept DSST credits as long as a regionally accredited school gives credit. If I enroll in one of the "big three" schools, will I have to take a class in order for them to place the credits on a transcript? I do not believe that the Excelsior credit bank will work because they are not technically giving you credit for the course, only providing you with a consolidated transcript. I tried my local community college, but they require for me to be enrolled in a program. Even then, they will only accept DSST credits for classes that fall within the program curriculum. I'm trying to get 17 credits in the cheapest (and quickest) way possible...I don't care about the degree. Do any of you have any tips? I appreciate the help because right now I feel lost.

I think you should return to the CC. You can enroll in a "degree program" by simply designating it on your application. CCs are open enrollment, and don't require any up front costs. Why DSST instead of CLEP? Are you sure it's not both? In any event, go to DSST | Get College Credit and find the list of exams. Then, go to the CC and ask for a PRINTED LIST of their exam equivalencies. This document exists, you must get your list in writing or at least a link to the page or college catalog. This protects you that the credit will be granted. Anyway, from the AAS divisions: degree programs will allow at least 15 gen eds, certificate and diploma programs likely zero- so you probably will need to look at AA or AS. These programs are all gen ed except for electives, which are optionally gen eds. I would simply enroll, declare a degree program (AA) and call it done. I would NOT transfer in any prior college credit, even when they tell you that you can waive their placement test. Big whoop- take the placement test (it's free). The reason is because you don't want your prior college credit getting in the way of them "advising" you about your exam credit. I will advise you, however, that you need to be sure nothing duplicates prior credit. In other words, if you already have completed statistics, you can't take the statistics DSST and get BOTH. (even if you leave stats off your CC transcript, it's still in your history, making it duplicate).

Good luck!

P.S. Doing this SAME THING at TESC requires paying an enrollment fee. So, you're looking at $2900 or $0

[LaterBloomer]

Sheesh, I have such tunnel vision. You say "big 3," I go down that path. As usual, Cookderosa has provided a much more logical approach to your situation. If only it were possible to remove your own posts when your find them lacking, I'd probably be a minor noble.

[cookderosa]

Sheesh, I have such tunnel vision. You say "big 3," I go down that path. As usual, Cookderosa has provided a much more logical approach to your situation. If only it were possible to remove your own posts when your find them lacking, I'd probably be a minor noble.

Waht-ev. Your post was very good, I just have a different perspective, doesn't mean there is a right or wrong choice. I think the most value here is that you DO get so many different suggestions.

[mrs.b]

Should you need course options, University of North Alabama has an online program called the Professional Accounting Prep which I just found and am suddenly rethinking my own plans for starting grad work. You can find it here: University of North Alabama Professional Accounting Prep Program - Home

The 3-credit course are $400 each, which includes text and course materials. You really can't beat that cost for many of the offered courses, and it's designed to offer the more common CPA course requirements in varying states. UNA's business school is regionally accredited, as well as ACBSP accredited. I'm intrigued by their stuff myself, now. They were not on my short list, but I may be making a spot for them.

[amilitab4k9]

I'd like to second the above post. I've done a lot of research on online accounting courses, and they are by far the cheapest I found and seem like a good program. When I emailed them I got a quick response that actually answered my question (I find this rare with online programs/schools). There are limited credit-by-exams for accounting, so this may be a good option for you.

[jherald1989]

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply to my post. You have all been very helpful.

It looks like I will go the community college route. The reason I am choosing DSST tests is because I have already obtained credit for most of the classes that can be tested out of with a CLEP exam. I guess I will look at all of the programs and see which one has the most classes that I can test out of with DSSTs. I am going to ask my academic advisor if I will still receive credit on my transcript if I change the program after the credits have been obtained. For example, I start off as a criminal justice major and receive 6 credits through DSST. Since no more classes in the program offer a DSST, I can switch to General Studies and take a few DSSTs that are offered as electives on the course equivalents page. Ideally I would want all of these credits to appear on the transcript even though I changed my program. Not sure if it will work, but I figure I will ask.