Pick your state to see what it takes to become a licensed CPA — education, exam, experience, and ethics — with a direct link to your official state board.
150 semester hours of college credit (typically a bachelor’s degree plus ~30 additional hours), including a set number of accounting and business courses.
Pass all four sections of the Uniform CPA Exam — three Core sections (AUD, FAR, REG) plus one Discipline (BAR, ISC, or TCP). Many states let you sit at 120 hours; licensure requires 150.
Typically about one year (roughly 1,800–2,000 hours) of relevant accounting experience verified by a licensed CPA. Exact hours vary by state (California, for example, requires 1,200 hours).
Many states require an ethics exam (often the AICPA ethics course) before licensure. Requirement and format vary by state.
Once you meet the requirements, the exam is the hard part.
See the complete CPA study guide