Rhode Island CPA Exam & License Requirements

Rhode Island requires 150 credit hours to earn a CPA license, however you may sit for the CPA exam after earning your bachelor’s degree along with the required accounting courses.  The work experience requirements are pretty standard and require 1 year of public or non-public accounting verified by an active US CPA.

To be eligible to sit for the CPA exam students must first fulfill these qualifications and requirements:

1. Minimum age: 18
2. U.S. Residency NOT Required
3. State Residency Required

Education Requirements

Bachelor degree or above with at least 120 credit hours and must meet one of the following:

1. (1) Graduate degree with concentration in Accounting:
   • Not less than 21 semester hours in accounting and not less than:
   • 6 hours in both fundamental accounting
   • 6 hours in intermediate financial accounting and reporting
   • 3 hours of advanced financial accounting and reporting
   • 3 hours of tax accounting
   • 3 hours of auditing

   (2) Graduate degree with concentration in business:

   • Not less than 24 semester hours in accounting and not less than:
   • 6 hours in both fundamental accounting
   • 6 hours in intermediate financial accounting and reporting
   • 3 hours of advanced financial accounting and reporting
   • 3 hours of tax accounting
   • 3 hours of auditing

   (3) Undergraduate degree

   • 24 semester hours of accounting and no less than:
   • 6 hours in fundamental accounting
   • 6 hours in intermediate financial accounting and reporting
   • 3 hours in advanced financial accounting and reporting
   • 3 hours in tax accounting and auditing

   24 semester hours of business and no less than:

   • 3 hours in business law
   • 3 hours in economics

RI CPA License Requirements

1. Education
   • 150 semester hours

   Work Experience

   • 1 year of public or non-public accounting experience supervised and verified by an actively licensed United States CPA

   Ethics Exam

   • Passing of the AICPA ethics exam within 2 years of passing the CPA exam
   • Cost of course is $149 or $119 for AICPA members

Alaska Exam Fees

The cost to take all four sections of the CPA exam in Rhode Island is $743 plus the initial $145 application fee. The re-examination registration fee varies depending on the number of sections you are signing up for.

**Important Note: You should not apply and pay for exam sections that will not be taken within six months because your Notice to Schedule (NTS) in RI expires 6 months after issuance.

Additional CPA Requirements

1. Pass all 4 sections of the CPA exam with a score of 75% or higher
2. Complete verified accounting work experience
3. Pass AICPA Ethics Exam
4. Fill out and submit all required CPA license application paperwork
5. Pay the CPA license application fee

RI Exam Information and Resources

1. Rhode Island CPA Exam CandidatesRhode Island CPA License FAQFor more details, please contact:

   Rhode Island Board of Accountancy

   233 Richmond Street, Suite 236
   Providence, RI 02903-4236

   Email: [email protected]
   Phone: 401-222-3185
   Fax: 401-222-6654

What’s Next?

Now that you have started the CPA exam application process, your next step is to find the right CPA review course that best fits your budget, learning style and schedule.

It can take several weeks for your application to be processed so don’t waste that valuable time waiting to hear back from your state board.  If you start studying now you will get a nice jump start on the material and will be better prepared to pass your first CPA exam!