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Apply for Admission to CPAWSB

Post-Designation Education (PDE)

The CPAWSB currently offers the following PDE to active CPA members* in good standing wishing to pursue practicing public accounting:

CPA Reciprocity Exam
CPARE

CPA Reciprocity Exam

Post-Designation Public Accounting Program
PDPA

Post-Designation Public Accounting Program

Post-Designation Public Accounting Taxation Module
PDPA-Tax

Post-Designation Public Accounting Taxation Module

Eligibility

Only qualified PDE applicants can apply for admission with CPAWSB. Qualified PDE applicants must be active and in good standing with their provincial CPA body where they intend to practice public accounting.

Additional eligibility details can be found in the policy documents below:

CPARE - CPA Reciprocity and Examination (CPARE) Program Guide
PDPA/PDPA Tax - CPA Harmonized Education Policies (HEP) Vol. 2

Before You Apply

Before applying for admission, please first verify that you are an active CPA member in good standing with your provincial CPA body by searching for yourself in the online CPA member directory.

Review the CPAWSB PDE schedules webpage (CPARE/PDPA) for important dates and deadlines to ensure there are no conflicts with your schedule.

Please review the following PDE policies applicable to your intended path:

CPA education programs demand strong English skills, typically at a Grade 12 level or Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 8 or higher. Applicants below CLB 8 are encouraged to improve their language skills before applying. Language test equivalency charts are available on the Government of Canada website.

Additional English Language Support can be found on our website.

Admission Process

Complete and submit the CPAWSB PDE admission application.

You, as well as CPAWSB and your provincial CPA body, will receive a copy of your completed admission application.

CPAWSB will process your application once your provincial CPA body confirms your PDE selection suits your goals and circumstances.

You will receive an email from your provincial CPA body to discuss if your PDE selection in your admission application is appropriate for your goals and circumstances.

You, as well as CPAWSB, will receive an email from your provincial CPA body confirming the PDE that that you’ve selected is appropriate to meet your goals.

CPAWSB will then begin to finalize approval of your pending admission application.

You will receive an email from CPAWSB confirming your admission is approved along with instructions about next steps and how to register for PDE (CPARE / PDPA). For more information, you can also review the PDE FAQ webpage.

You can register in PDE only after being admitted to CPAWSB

CPAWSB only accepts applications from individuals governed by the provincial CPA bodies in Western Canada (BC, AB, SK, MB, YK, NT, and NU). If you wish to register for PDE outside of the Western Region, please contact CPA Ontario, CPA Atlantic, or CPA Quebec directly for information about applying in those regions.

*CPA candidates who have completed the education and evaluation requirements for the CPA PEP, but have not received membership status, may be eligible to register for PDE. Please contact your provincial CPA body to determine eligibility to apply for PDE before CPA membership as a CPA candidate.