This grant provides up to $2,000 to 25 students who have experienced monetary hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic to assist with educational related expenses (e.g. tuition and books).

This hardship grant is funded by the AICPA Foundation and was created to support accounting students who have experienced extenuating circumstances such as job loss, internship loss, etc. due to COVID-19.

An eligible applicant must:

• Be an AICPA Student Affiliate member (or have submitted a new member application). Apply online at no cost via https://thiswaytocpa.com/join-aicpa/.
• Be a current accounting student with plans to pursue CPA licensure, but not currently be a CPA.
• Not be a current AICPA Legacy Scholar or AICPA Foundation CPA Exam Scholarship recipient.
• Have experienced personal hardship as a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., loss of employment, loss of internship, hospitalization due to COVID-19 and/or loss or hospitalization of an immediate family member) and be in need of financial assistance related to school expenses.
• Be pursuing an undergraduate or graduate-level degree in accounting or an accounting-related major (accounting-related shall be as determined by sponsors in sponsors’ sole discretion).
• Be attending a public or private, not-for-profit (501(c)) four-year college or university in the U.S. or territories for the full 2022-23 academic year.
• Have completed at least 30 semester hours (or equivalent) of college coursework, including at least 6 semester hours (or equivalent) in accounting.
• Maintain an overall and major GPA of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale).
• Be enrolled as a full-time undergraduate (12 semester hours or equivalent) or a full-time graduate-level student (9 semester hours or equivalent) for the 2022-23 academic year. (Note: an exception may be granted if you plan to participate in an internship)
• Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident (green card holder).
• Be enrolled in a business and/or accounting program that is regionally, nationally or internationally accredited for the full 2022-23 academic year. The program must be accepted by the state board of accountancy as meeting the educational requirements necessary for CPA licensure in the state you intend to become licensed OR in the state where your program is located.
  • Please visit ThisWayToCPA’s State & Territory Requirements or contact your state board of accountancy to confirm if your program meets the educational requirements necessary for CPA licensure.

Required documents:

• A personal statement explaining your hardship and how it has impacted your future studies and plans to pursue CPA licensure (up to 1,000 words).
• Any supporting documents that confirm your case (i.e., notice of termination from employer, notice of termination of internship).
• Unofficial or official-student-issued transcript(s) uploaded through the application.
• A copy of your updated resume.
• A completed online application.

Contact Information: scholarships@aicpa.org

Note: Association staff and their family members are not eligible to apply.