Only Canadian citizens, permanent residents of Canada, or persons who are otherwise lawfully permitted to work and study in Canada can enroll in the CPA certification program. If you are a temporary resident, you are required to hold a valid study permit to apply for admission to the CPA Professional Education Program (CPA PEP) or CPA preparatory courses and to maintain your enrollment with CPAWSB. For more details, please refer to the Residency, Study Permits and Language Advisory.
CPA education programs, including CPA preparatory courses and CPA PEP, require high English proficiency. Generally, anyone with CLB levels below 8 will need to spend additional time on their studies. For more information, please refer to the Residency, Study Permits and Language Advisory.
- Visit My CPA Portal and click on the Create a My CPA Profile link using a desktop or laptop with Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome.
- Enter your legal name when creating your profile.
- Select your residency status in Canada: Canadian Citizen, Permanent Resident (of Canada), or Temporary Resident (of Canada).
- Enter all completed and in-progress post-secondary education and designation information, even if you don’t plan to submit documents for that education/designation history.
- Activate your profile by setting your password. You will receive instructions via email shortly after creating your profile.
Resources:
Important: Use the UPLOAD A DOCUMENT functionality within your profile only when submitting your legal name verification documentation with a CPA PEP admission application. Do not use it for submitting any other documents to CPAWSB as those documents will be deleted. When submitting other required documents, follow the directions provided in the admission steps below and elsewhere on this page.
Questions?
Review the resources above and if you still have unanswered questions about creating, accessing, or navigating your profile, please contact an Admission Advisor by emailing admissionadvising@cpawsb.ca or calling 1.866.420.2350 ext. 6001.
To submit a transcript assessment request:
- Log into My CPA Portal .
- Select PROGRAM ADMISSION.
- Select TRANSCRIPT ASSESSMENT.
- Click on the + ADD A TRANSCRIPT ASSESSMENT REQUEST button.
- Use the document checklist to determine which documents to submit for the assessment.
- Review your transcript assessment order.
- Click on the MAKE PAYMENT button.
See the transcript assessment fee on the CPA Program Costs and Fees webpage. This fee is non-refundable and subject to change.
Note: To ensure your documents are attached to your profile, request and pay for a transcript assessment before arranging for documents to be sent to CPAWSB.
Resources:
- Requesting a Transcript Assessment FAQ
- Using a Document Checklist - Video
- Using a Document Checklist - PDF
Questions?
Review the resources above and if you still have unanswered questions about requesting a transcript assessment or understanding how to use the document checklist, please contact an Admission Advisor by emailing admissionadvising@cpawsb.ca or calling 1.866.420.2350 ext. 6001.
Applicants applying under Mature Status are required to have the following documents submitted:
- Experience Verification Form: outlining accounting related practical experience with any two competency sub-areas developed to a minimum of Level 1 proficiency.
- Sample Experience Verification Form.
- The form is to be completed by an employer, usually with a CPA designation or an individual familiar with CPA competencies. Experience Verification Form – Info for Employers
- Two letters of reference:
- One from a colleague who is a CPA or a member of an international accounting body that has a reciprocity agreement with CPA Canada.
- One providing a personal character reference (cannot be a family member or relative).
- Comprehensive resume presenting all current and past work experience, community service and volunteer activities.
- Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions if post-secondary courses have been taken.
All official documents submitted for transcript assessment must be sent to our office directly from the issuing institution.
If the institution offers digital official documents, please have them emailed directly to transcriptassessment@cpawsb.ca. We also accept digital official transcripts submitted via recognized digital credential wallets and services such as MyCreds as we are a recognized receiver with them. Select CPAWSB as the recipient.
Although digital submission is preferred, all official transcripts and documents may also be submitted for transcript assessment by mail. They must be mailed in a sealed (unopened) envelope directly from the issuing institution to:
CPA Western School of Business
201, 1074 – 103A Street SW
Edmonton, Alberta T6W 2P6
Note: Do not send documents to provincial CPA offices as this may result in significant delay in completing your transcript assessment. Documents in a language other than English require translation and must be submitted to CPAWSB by a certified translator.
When documents are received, you will be notified by email and your document checklist will be updated. Log into your My CPA profile and review the document checklist to see what has been updated. Once all required documents are received, you will also be notified by email, and your transcript assessment will begin. See Using the Document Checklist for more details.
Transcript assessments for mature status applicants are typically completed within 20 business days after CPAWSB receives all required documents. You will receive an email notification when your Transcript Assessment results are available. You will also receive an email from the Transcript Assessment team indicating if you qualified under mature status.
Note: In accordance with CPAWSB’s retention policies, all transcript assessments will be completed within six months from the transcript assessment request date. If CPAWSB does not receive all the required documents to complete your assessment within six months from the assessment request date, your transcript assessment will be completed based on the available information and documents on file. The transcript assessment will be valid for one year from the completion date during which time you can still arrange for pending required documents to be submitted to CPAWSB and have your assessment updated and fully completed (at no extra cost).
Resources:
- Submitting Documents FAQ
- Experience Verification Form
- Experience Verification Form - Info for Employers
- Using a document checklist - Video
- Using a document checklist - PDF
Questions?
Review the resources above. If you still have unanswered questions regarding the documents you are required to submit, or any additional questions about your transcript assessment, please email transcriptassessment@cpawsb.ca or call 1.866.420.2350 ext. 6003.
When your assessment is completed, you will receive an email from the Transcript Assessment team indicating how many years of your experience were recognized and whether your experience meets the requirements for you to apply as a Mature applicant. You will receive a second email indicating that your Transcript Assessment is complete and the results are available in your My CPA profile. To view detailed assessment results, log into My CPA portal and click on PROGRAM ADMISSION then TRANSCRIPT ASSESSMENT.
The transcript assessment will indicate one of the following eligibility statuses:
- PEP Eligible: You have met all requirements to participate in CPA PEP. No further review of your transcript assessment is required. You may proceed to step 5 and submit a CPA PEP admission application when you are ready.
- PEP Conditional Core 1: You can enroll in CPA PEP and start Core 1 as a conditional candidate. Review your transcript assessment and see Starting CPA PEP with a status of PEP Conditional Core 1. They contain information on what you need to do to become fully PEP Eligible and when you must complete outstanding requirements to continue your studies in CPA PEP. You may proceed to step 5 and submit a CPA PEP admission application when you are ready.
- PEP Ineligible: You must meet outstanding requirements before you can participate in CPA PEP. Please review your transcript assessment and the assessor comments for more details. Outstanding requirements will be highlighted in red. If your assessment indicates prerequisite courses are still required, you have the option to complete those outstanding prerequisites by taking CPA preparatory courses offered by CPAWSB or by taking equivalent courses through a recognized post-secondary institution. Admission advisors are available to help you determine which path might be best for you.
See Re-assessment Processes and Challenge Exams if your completed assessment indicates core courses are outstanding because courses submitted for assessment did not meet the 10-year currency of education requirement or if you believe you should have received credit for a course or courses you have taken.
If you are PEP Ineligible or PEP Conditional Core 1, it is strongly recommended that you review the applicable resources below to thoroughly understand your assessment results.
Resources:
- Understanding your Transcript Assessment Results Guide
- Understanding your Assessment Results FAQ
- Re-assessment Processes and Challenge Exams
- Starting CPA PEP with a status of PEP Conditional Core 1
Questions?
Review the resources above and if you still need help understanding your transcript assessment results or have questions about your next steps, please contact an Admission Advisor by emailing admissionadvising@cpawsb.ca or calling 1.866.420.2350 ext. 6001.
If a possible error was made in your assessment, please contact transcriptassessment@cpawsb.ca or call 1.866.420.2350 ext. 6003 to speak with the Transcript Assessment team.
Submit an Admission Application for the CPA Professional Education Program (CPA PEP)
If your assessment eligibility status indicates that you are PEP Eligible or PEP Conditional Core 1, you can complete a CPA PEP admission application. Click on the link below for more information about when and how to submit an admission application.
Note: Select Mature Student as your registration category when completing the CPA PEP admission application as an applicant with Mature Status.
Submitting an admission application for CPA PEP
Submit an Admission Application for CPA preparatory courses
If your assessment eligibility status indicates that you are PEP Ineligible and you need to complete outstanding prerequisite courses before entering CPA PEP, you can complete an admission application for CPA preparatory courses or you can complete the outstanding equivalent courses at a recognized post-secondary institution. Admission advisors are available to help you determine which path might be best for you. You can submit a CPA preparatory courses admission application, even if you have not completed the 8 years of relevant experience required for CPA PEP. Click on the link below for more information about when and how to submit a CPA preparatory courses admission application.
Note: Select New Student as your registration category when completing the CPA preparatory courses admission application as an applicant with Mature Status.
Submitting an admission application for CPA preparatory courses
Questions?
Click on the links above for more information about submitting an admission application for CPA PEP or CPA preparatory courses and to see the contact information for CPAWSB staff that can provide assistance.
