CPAWSB | Co-op or Summer Student

Option 1:

Co-op and summer students have the option of waiting until they complete their degree program to enroll in CPA PEP and start Core 1. Learners are eligible to receive credit for up to 12 months (cumulative rather than consecutive) of experience completed prior to the date they register in CPA PEP by submitting a prior experience report. If you select this option you should apply to CPAWSB and CPA PEP as an applicant with a Canadian Degree after you have graduated or when you are in your final semester (if you are looking at starting CPA PEP soon after graduating).

Option 2:

Co-op and summer students who are following the pre-approved program path (PPR) can enroll during a work term as a candidate in the CPA Professional Education Program to begin accumulating practical experience in the Practical Experience Reporting Tool (PERT). As a CPA candidate, you will be required to maintain your registration in the program by completing annual re-enrollment and paying dues to the school each year. Dues are required even if you are not currently completing a work term. Failure to pay dues each year will result in loss of access to PERT and a mandatory withdrawal from the program which must be declared if you re-apply to CPA PEP. If you select this option, continue with the admission process steps outlined below.

When considering which option would be best for you, be aware that if you choose option two, your timeline to complete the program will begin the day you are admitted to CPA PEP. If you choose to enter CPA PEP over 1 year before you will be starting modules, please note that you will have a reduced amount of time to complete the education portion of the program as your experience deadline will override the deadline for education.

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.

Admission Process to report practical experience as a Co-op/Summer Student

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.

After you have created and activated your My CPA profile, proceed with submitting a CPA PEP admission application . Click on the link below for more information about when and how to submit an admission application.

Note: Select Co-op Student (in a CPA-approved co-op program) or Summer Student (not in a CPA-approved co-op program) as your registration category when completing the CPA PEP admission application as an applicant who is a Co-op/Summer Student following the pre-approved program path (PPR), who is applying early to begin accumulating practical experience while completing your degree.

Submitting an admission CPA PEP application

After you have submitted a CPA PEP admission application, you will be contacted by the PEP Admission Services team who will help you get started with the processes of reporting your practical experience.

After you have completed your degree program, come back to your applicant type page and proceed with the next steps which include requesting a CPAWSB transcript assessment, submitting official transcripts/documents for the assessment, and reviewing your assessment once it is completed to confirm your eligibility to participate in CPA PEP.

Questions?

Click on the link above for more information about submitting a CPA PEP admission application. If you have questions about submitting an admission application for CPA PEP as a Co-op/Summer student, please contact the CPA Admission Services team by emailing cpaapplication@cpawsb.ca or calling 1.866.420.2350 ext. 6004.

After completing the two admission steps above, you can begin accumulating practical experience in the Practical Experience Reporting Tool (PERT). As a CPA candidate, you will be required to maintain your registration in the program by completing annual re-enrollment and paying dues to the school each year. Dues are required even if you are not currently completing a work term. Failure to pay dues each year will result in loss of access to PERT and a mandatory withdrawal from the program which must be declared if you re-apply to PEP.

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.
The non-refundable transcript assessment fee is $100 + GST 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.

Now that you have requested the transcript assessment, if you are looking at registering into Core 1 immediately following the completion of your degree and you don’t want to miss the module registration deadline, you can jump to admission step 4 below and register for Core 1 before your documents have been submitted and your transcript assessment has been completed. Your assessment must still be completed before the Core 1 start date. For more information about starting as a conditional candidate, click here. Ignore the information about completing an admission application (as you already have an approved admission application), but the remaining information is applicable when you register for Core 1. Whether you are starting early as a conditional candidate or not, continue with the following admission steps.

Resources:

Questions?

Review the resources above and if you still have unanswered questions about requesting the transcript assessment, understanding how to use the document checklist, or your next steps, please contact the Transcript Assessment team by emailing transcriptassessment@cpawsb.ca or calling 1.866.420.2350 ext. 6003.

All official transcripts and 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 are typically completed within 10 business days after CPAWSB receives all required documents. You will receive an email notification when your Transcript Assessment results are available.

You may qualify for early conditional enrollment, which means you can jump to admission step 4 below and register for Core 1 while registration is open, without having to wait for the transcript assessment to be completed. Click here for more information. Ignore the information about completing an admission application (as you already have an approved admission application), but the remaining information is applicable when you register for Core 1. Whether you are starting early as a conditional candidate or not, continue with the following admission steps.

Resources:

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 contact the Transcript Assessment team by emailing transcriptassessment@cpawsb.ca or calling 1.866.420.2350 ext. 6003.

To view your assessment results, log into My CPA Profile and click on PROGRAM ADMISSION and then TRANSCRIPT ASSESSMENT.

Your transcript assessment will indicate your eligibility status as one of the following:

PEP Eligible: You have met all requirements to participate in CPA PEP. No further review of your transcript assessment is required. If you have not already registered for Core 1 as a conditional candidate, you may now do so.
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. If you have not already registered for Core 1 as a conditional candidate, you may now do so.
PEP Ineligible: As a Co-op/Summer student it will be unlikely that you see this eligibility status as a result. It means 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. If you do end up with this eligibility status result, contact the transcript assessment team to investigate your completed transcript assessment with you.

Resources:

Questions?

If you have questions about your transcript assessment results or if a possible error was made in your assessment, please contact the Transcript Assessment team by emailing transcriptassessment@cpawsb.ca or calling 1.866.420.2350 ext. 6003.

When CPA PEP Module Registration is open, log into the My CPA portal and select REGISTRATIONS from the menu and then select MODULE REGISTRATION.

Resources:

CPA PEP Information for Current Candidates
CPA PEP FAQs
CPA PEP Registration Schedule
CPA PEP Administrative Fees

Questions?

If you have questions regarding your CPA PEP Core 1 registration, contact the PEP Module Services by emailing cpamodule@cpawsb.ca or call 1.866.420.2350 ext. 6005.

Co-op or Summer Student

Admission Process to report practical experience as a Co-op/Summer Student

Completing the Admission Process to enroll in the CPA PEP Core 1 module

Important Information:

Additional Information and Resources

General

CPA Professional Education Program (CPA PEP), The CFE, and Practical Experience Requirements (PER)

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