Good Character and Lawful permission to study and/or work in the registered province/region are completed at the time you submit an admission application for the program, which is your final step for entry into the CPA Professional Program.
- Good Character
When completing an admission application, applicants are required to disclose any character concerns fully and candidly. Previous behaviour does not necessarily disqualify an applicant from enrollment in CPA PEP or admission to membership. However, supporting documentation will be required to confirm that the situation has been addressed and the applicant is currently of good character. - Lawful permission to study and/or work
Learners may be required to provide official documentation to show they are lawfully permitted to study in Canada.
Knowledge Assessment
The Knowledge Assessment is an exam that assesses whether you have the prerequisite knowledge to position you for success in the program. It also provides a pathway for applicants who possess the prerequisite knowledge but do not have recognized coursework, such as career changers, international learners, or those with relevant experience gained outside traditional academic programs.
The Knowledge Assessment ensures all applicants enter the program with a consistent baseline of knowledge.
Applicants are required to write the Knowledge Assessment before starting the Foundational Development Module unless they qualify for an exemption through post-secondary coursework. We anticipate sharing more information about specific courses at post-secondary institutions that meet the exemption criteria later in 2026.
To help you evaluate your readiness, practice exams will be available. Additional details, including the exam format and topics, will be provided later in 2026.
Knowledge Assessment results are valid for five years from the date the exam is written.
Knowledge Assessment Exemption Criteria
Post-secondary institution course listings will be released later in 2026. Until then, learners should continue to complete the courses listed in the Academic Prerequisite Guide for CPA PEP under the following topic areas:
- Intermediate Financial Reporting 1
- Intermediate Financial Reporting 2
- Advanced Financial Reporting
- Corporate Finance
- Audit and Assurance
- Taxation
- Intermediate Management Accounting
- Performance Management
Completion of all courses in these topic areas will satisfy the 21-credit-hour requirement for exemption to the Knowledge Assessment. Completion of all courses in these topic areas will satisfy the 21-credit-hour requirement for exemption to the Knowledge Assessment.
More details on the 24 credit hour requirement will be released later in 2026. However, most business school courses are expected to meet this requirement. All courses in the topic areas currently listed on the Academic Prerequisites Guide for CPA PEP will continue to qualify, including:
- Introductory Financial Accounting
- Introductory Management Accounting
- Economics
- Statistics
- Business Law
- Information Technology
- Data Analytics and Information Systems (DAIS)
Yes. New post-secondary institution course listings will be released later in 2026.
At least one course contributing to the 45 credit-hour exemption requirement must have been completed within the last five years to meet the currency requirement for exemption to the Knowledge Assessment.
Yes. If you successfully complete the CPA preparatory courses before the transition deadline and meet the other admission requirements, you are exempt from the Knowledge Assessment.
The CPA preparatory courses will be offered until at least December 2026, and we are considering options to extend for one year, after which point they will no longer be available. We anticipate that we will share the final offering dates later this year. Students who have successfully met the degree and GPA admission requirements for the CPA Professional Program but have not completed all coursework requirements will be eligible for the following options:
- Complete the remaining courses at a post-secondary institution (PSI) and enter the CPA Professional Program Foundational Development module directly.
- Write and pass the Knowledge Assessment to gain entry to the CPA Professional Program Foundational Development Module.
No, the Knowledge Assessment is one option, but not the only one.
You may also complete missing accounting and business courses at a post-secondary institution and then submit official transcripts. You do not need to complete all courses at the same post-secondary institution.
Canadian, or Canadian equivalent, three or four-year undergraduate or a master’s degree. These can be in any area of study. Canadian or internationally-recognized degrees accepted, but we only accept degrees from International post-secondary institutions recognized in the International Handbook of Universities World Higher Education Database (WHED) Portal or a similar service. Canadian degree equivalency is determined and verified through submission of an accepted third-party evaluation report.
Note: A three-year undergraduate degree is usually equivalent to 90 credit hours, and master’s degrees are typically equivalent to 60 credit hours. They may meet the degree requirement, but will likely not meet the 120-credit-hour degree requirement. Additional post-secondary education will need to be submitted to meet the 120 credit-hour requirement.
Program
The CPA Professional Program is different from the current program. It is being developed to meet the standards set out in Competency Map 2.0 and uphold the rigour of the CPA profession.
The CPA Professional Program consists of four modules, exams, and a practical experience component.
Details about the exam structure will be provided in 2026.
The new CPA Professional Program will include three comprehensive, summative examinations, keeping with the current practice of incorporating cases to test the competencies of anyone on the path to the CPA. This was informed through comprehensive research across accounting bodies and other professions around the world to examine best practices and modern approaches, as well as looking at the latest pedagogical methods.
IMPORTANT: All dates are subject to change.
