BYU’s Accounting Program Leads Best Schools in CPA Exam Pass Rate

PROVO, Utah – Mar 29, 2012 – The focus of BYU's accounting program is to prepare its students to be successful in the profession. Before that objective can be accomplished, however, they must first meet the qualifications to enter the field. A recent statistic — CPA exam pass rate — reveals that BYU is doing this better than any of the other top-10 accounting programs.

"Recognition of the quality of our program and our students is always gratifying," says Kevin Stocks, director of the BYU School of Accountancy. "Our goal is to prepare graduates for success in the profession. High pass rates on professional exams are one of the indicators of the quality of our program and our students."

In the most recent U.S. News & World Report rankings of undergraduate accounting programs, BYU ranked third behind the University of Texas–Austin and the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.

When comparing pass rates among U.S. News' top-10 universities, however, BYU ranks first with 79.1 percent, the University of Michigan second with 76.5 percent, and the University of Pennsylvania third with 72.8 percent. CPA exam pass rates are based on first-time and repeat undergraduate and graduate test takers.

Anthony Wadsworth, a second-year MAcc student from Panaca, Nev., is currently studying for the CPA exam. He recently passed the BEC section on his first attempt and is hoping to complete the other three sections of the exam this summer. In his mind, BYU's program does much more than just equip students to succeed on the exam.

"All of my classes have really prepared me," Wadsworth says. "BYU does a great job of covering all of the CPA exam topics but at the same time, the courses aren't just CPA exam prep classes. The classes actually prepare you to become competent professionals by covering such concepts as professional judgment, effective teamwork, and the application of accounting theory in real-world situations."

The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, public management, information systems and entrepreneurship. The school's mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School's graduate and undergraduate programs.