Mature Applicant

What is Mature Status?

The Mature Status pathway is for individuals who do not have a recognized post-secondary degree but have developed eight years of accounting-related experience.

If approved through this pathway, you may be exempt from both the degree and 120-credit-hour requirements for entry into CPA PEP.

To enroll with CPAWSB, you must be:

Temporary residents must hold a valid study permit.

Important

Mature Status may provide exemptions from both the degree and 120-credit-hour requirements, subject to the assessment of your education and experience. To be eligible for CPA PEP, you must still meet all other admission requirements, including completing all 14 required prerequisite courses through CPA preparatory courses or a recognized post-secondary institution.

Admission Process

  1. Visit My CPA Portal.
    • Use a desktop or a laptop with Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome. 
  2. Select Create a My CPA Profile.
  3. Enter your legal name.
  4. Select your residency status:
    • Canadian Citizen
    • Permanent Resident
    • Temporary Resident
    • Foreign National
  5. Enter all post-secondary education and designation information.
  6. Activate your account through the email instructions provided shortly after profile creation.

Important

Only use the UPLOAD A DOCUMENT feature for legal name verification documents required during CPA PEP admission. Do not upload other documents through your profile, as we only accept official documents directly from issuing institutions.

Having trouble navigating the document checklist? See instructions in PDF or a video.

Need Help?

Contact the Admission Advising team about creating your My CPA profile at [email protected] or 1.866.420.2350 ext. 6001#.

Before You Begin

Temporary residents who require a study permit should review study permit requirements before purchasing a transcript assessment.

Once you have verified the above, submit a Transcript Assessment Request

  1. Log in to My CPA Portal.
  2. Select PROGRAM ADMISSION.
  3. Select TRANSCRIPT ASSESSMENT.
  4. Choose ADD A TRANSCRIPT ASSESSMENT REQUEST button.
  5. Review the document checklist.
  6. Review your transcript assessment order.
  7. Click on MAKE PAYMENT button.

Important

Request and pay for your transcript assessment before submitting documents. This allows us to correctly attach your documents to your file and begin the review process. The transcript assessment fee is non-refundable and is subject to change.

Request your assessment before arranging document delivery to CPAWSB. Our team will let you know what documents are required based on the information you provide.

Need Help?

If you have questions about requesting a transcript assessment, submitting documents, or understanding application requirements, contact the Admission Advising team at [email protected] or 1.866.420.2350 ext. 6001#.

In addition to transcripts and educational documents, you must provide documentation supporting your work experience.

1. Experience Verification Form

Experience Verification Form must be completed by the person verifying your experience, and they must submit the form once it is filled out.

  • You must have demonstrated at least two competency sub-areas developed to Level 1 proficiency

Experience Verification Form – Info for Employers must be completed and submitted by an employer, usually with a CPA designation or an individual familiar with CPA competencies. 

Note: A family member or relative cannot complete and submit the EV form. You, as an applicant, cannot submit your own Experience Verification Form. See sample EV form.

2. Reference Letters

  • Professional reference from a CPA or member of an international accounting body that has a reciprocity agreement with CPA Canada.
  • Character Reference from someone who can speak to your character. This cannot be a family member or a relative.

Both references must be submitted directly by the individual providing the reference.

3. Resume

Submit a comprehensive résumé that includes employment history, volunteer activities, community involvement, relevant experience, etc.

4. Official Transcripts

Submit official transcripts for any post-secondary education completed.

Transcript/Document Submission Methods

1. Electronic

Digital submissions must be sent directly to [email protected]. Other electronic mediums we accept are institution-issued digital transcripts such as MyCreds.

2. Physical copy

Do not send documents to provincial CPA offices, as it can delay your assessment. Please request sealed transcripts to be sent directly from the issuing institution to:

CPA Western School of Business
201, 1074 – 103A Street SW
Edmonton, Alberta T6W 2P6

Each time we receive a document, we will email you to confirm receipt and let you know if any required documents are still outstanding.

Transcript assessment Timeline

  • Transcript assessment begins after all documents are received.
  • Typical processing: 20 business days
  • Assessment validity: 1 year
  • If all required documents are not received within 6 months of your assessment request, a partial assessment may be completed based on the information available. You may still submit outstanding documents and have your assessment updated before it expires.

Need Help?

If you have questions about submitting documents or understanding application requirements, contact the Admission Advising team at [email protected] or 1.866.420.2350 ext. 6001#.

When your assessment is complete, you will receive:

  • An email from the Transcript Assessment team confirming how many years of experience were recognized and whether you meet the requirements to apply through the Mature Status pathway.
  • A second email notifying you that your transcript assessment results are available in your My CPA Profile.


How to Access Your Results

Access results through My CPA Portal → Program Admission → Transcript Assessment

Possible Outcomes

  1. PEP Eligible
    You meet all admission requirements and may apply directly to CPA PEP. Proceed to Step 5.
  2. PEP Conditional Core 1
    You may begin CPA PEP as a conditional candidate and complete remaining requirements according to the assessor comments in your transcript assessment, or see the Starting as a PEP Conditional Core 1 webpage. You may proceed to Step 5.
  3. PEP Ineligible
    Additional requirements remain outstanding. Check your transcript assessment to identify the outstanding courses in Red.
    Options include:

Have questions about your assessment results? 

Contact the Transcript Assessment team at [email protected] or 1.866.420.2350 ext. 6003#.

CPA Professional Education Program (CPA PEP)

Apply if your assessment status is:

  • PEP Eligible
  • PEP Conditional Core 1

Registration category on your CPA PEP application is Mature Student. Application processing time is five business days. For the application process, see Apply to CPA PEP. 

Need Help?
Contact the Admission Services team about your CPA PEP application and changing employer details on your account at [email protected] or 1.866.420.2350 ext. 6004#.

CPA Preparatory Courses

If you've chosen to complete your courses through CPAWSB, then apply only if your status is:

  • PEP Ineligible

Registration category on your CPA preparatory course application is New Student. Application processing time is three business days. For the application process, see Apply to CPA Preparatory Courses.

Need Help? 
Contact the Student Experience team about your CPA preparatory course application, course planning and scheduling at [email protected] or 1.866.420.2350 ext. 6008#.

Frequently Asked Questions

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You can request a transcript assessment without a study permit; however, if you are not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, your admission application will not be approved without proof of a valid study permit. For more information, see the Residency, Study Permits, and Language Benchmark information.

Yes. If you received transfer credit from one post-secondary institution for courses completed at another institution, you must arrange for official transcripts from both institutions to be submitted.

Both institutions will be listed as Required (Req’d) on your document checklist.

This is necessary because the Transcript Assessment Team must review the original course information, including:

  • Final grades
  • Credit hours
  • Course details

to determine whether the courses meet CPA academic prerequisite requirements.

Important: If you have already requested a transcript assessment and the original institution is not listed on your document checklist, or is not marked as Required (Req’d), contact the Transcript Assessment Team and ask to speak with an Inspector to have your document checklist updated.

Request official transcripts from every Canadian post-secondary institution (PSI) you attended and have them sent directly to CPAWSB. Also ensure that each post-secondary institution is listed on your document checklist. Include all accounting and non-accounting education.

When your assessment is complete, you will receive two emails from the Transcript Assessment Team.

The first email confirms:

  • How many years of experience were recognized
  • Whether you meet the requirements to apply through the Mature Applicant pathway.

The second email confirms that your Transcript Assessment results are available in My CPA Portal.

To view your assessment results:

  1. Log in to My CPA Portal.
  2. Select PROGRAM ADMISSION.
  3. Select TRANSCRIPT ASSESSMENT.

Your detailed assessment results and next steps will be available there.

If you believe your education was assessed incorrectly or that you should have received credit, contact the Transcript Assessment team. They will review your situation and advise whether a re-assessment, additional documentation, or a challenge exam is needed.

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1.866.420.2350 ext. 6003#

The course syllabus should provide detailed information on the course textbook used, weekly schedule of course topics, course learning objectives, course evaluation criteria and the textbook chapters used in the course. The course syllabus should match when the course was taken (for example, if you took the course in 2015, provide the 2015 syllabus).

A course syllabus should include the following information:

  • Post-secondary institution letterhead, symbol, logo, etc.
  • Course overview, learning outcomes or objectives
  • Course(s) details (course name/number, course hours, semester/term, year, lecture times, instructor details)
  • The year of the syllabus must be indicated and must match the year the course(s) were completed (as indicated on your transcript)
  • Course assessments (assignments, quizzes, exams, projects, case studies, etc.)
  • Grading scale used by the post-secondary institution
  • Course textbooks and other materials
  • Description of the topics covered in the course
  • Course prerequisite(s)/anti-requisite(s)/academic prerequisite(s) (if any)

Other considerations:

  • Course descriptions in the context of an email cannot be accepted as sufficiently verifiable documentation
  • Course syllabus must be in the original form as provided by the post-secondary institution
  • Course syllabus should be submitted in PDF format
  • Course syllabus in a language other than English require a translation to be submitted directly by a certified translator 

If you have questions regarding any of the points above or about submitting the syllabus, please contact the Transcript Assessment team by emailing [email protected] or calling 1.866.420.2350 ext. 6003#.

Questions?

If you still have more questions, check out some of the commonly asked questions by other applicants on creating a My CPA portal, general enrollment process, transcript assessment process, and understanding your assessment results.

Frequently Asked Questions