It Does Grow on Trees:
A Scholarship Resource Guide
Focus your search. Although there is merit to competing for general scholarships, it's to your advantage to tailor your search to what makes you unique. Check out these opportunities.
CalCPA member donations annually fuel more than $300,000 toward future scholarships for California college and university students. View local CalCPA chapter scholarship opportunities.
CalCPA Accounting Education Scholarship There are two different scholarship funds administered at the state level, one for 5th year students committed to following California's Pathway 2 to CPA licensure and the other for students pursuing a Masters degree in Accountancy or Taxation.
To apply for the 5th year scholarship program, candidates must attend an accredited college or university in the state of California; have at least a 3.25 GPA; have completed at least two upper division classes or at least six semester (nine quarter) units after principles of accounting*’; and be enrolled as a college/university student in winter quarter or spring semester of 2009. To apply, download the application here [PDF]–deadline extended to Sept. 15, 2009.
To apply for the masters scholarship program, candidates must attend an accredited college or university in the state in the state of California; be nominated by a sponsoring professor from such school; have at least a 3.25 GPA; have completed at least two upper division classes or at least six semester (nine quarter) units after principles of accounting; and be enrolled in a Masters of Accountancy or Masters of Taxation program in winter quarter or spring semester of 2009.To apply, download the application here [PDF]–deadline extended to Sept. 15, 2009.
* Upper level accounting courses include all accounting courses (i.e., intermediate accounting, taxation, auditing) above the introductory financial and managerial courses.
Doctoral Scholarship Program The California Society of CPAs has re-established this program for individuals pursuing a Ph.D. in Accounting. The scholarship is being made available to help address the current and projected shortfall in Accounting Department faculty at California colleges and universities. One requirement of the scholarship recipient will be to join the faculty of a four-year college or university located in California for a period of at least three years.
The scholarship will be awarded to three doctoral candidates per year to receive a maximum of up to $10,000 per year with a possible renewal of three years total. If the requirement of teaching in a California school is not met, the amount of scholarship received will convert to a loan for repayment. Download the application and program guidelines [PDF].
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
The AICPA offers the following scholarships for students interested in accounting and business:
AICPA/Accountemps Student Scholarship – a joint program with Accountemps, awarding five $2,500 scholarships to students pursuing a degree in accounting, finance or information systems. Deadline: April 1, 2009
John L. Carey Scholarship – $5,000 scholarships for a minimum of 10 liberal arts or other non-business related degree holders preparing to enter a graduate accounting program. Deadline: April 1, 2009
AICPA Scholarship for Minority Accounting Students – Financial awards of up to $5,000 for undergraduate and graduate minority accounting students. Deadline: April 1, 2009
AICPA Fellowship for Minority Doctoral Students – Up to $12,000 for nearly 20 full-time minority doctoral students to increase the number of accounting educators who are also CPAs. Deadline: April 1, 2009
Business and Accounting Majors
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants offers several scholarships of its own, and a substantial list of scholarships sponsored by other organizations.
Beta Alpha Psi scholarships range from $250 to $1,000, with an extensive list of other available scholarships.
The National Society of Accountants awards dozens of scholarships each year.
The Government Finance Officers Association offers scholarships ranging from $2,000 to $10,000.
The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners annually awards 15 scholarships of $1,000 each.
Minorities
Millions of scholarship dollars are available to ethnic minorities annually, and many are geared toward students majoring in business or accounting.
AICPA scholarships for minority accounting students offer awards ranging from $1,500 to $5,000.
The National Association of Black Accountants has offered more than 40 national scholarships annually ranging from $1,000 to $6,000 and offers a special “Scholars Retreat.”
The Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting grants awards based on academic achievement, financial need and community involvement and has a total of $150,000 in scholarships available. Individual awards range from $1,250 to $5,000.
The Latino Business Professionals group has a scholarship program in place for high school students looking to attend school in northern California.
Women
During the past 50 years, women have changed the face of accounting. Today, approximately 60 percent of new accounting graduates are women. This represents a dramatic increase compared with 1950, when there were only 600 female CPAs nationwide. Several scholarship opportunities await women interested in pursuing a career in accounting.
The American Society of Women Accountants awards several need-based scholarships for accounting students at a regional level. Call (800) 326-2163 to find the chapter nearest you.
ASWA’s Educational Foundation for Women in Accounting grants awards ranging from $1,000 to $16,000. For details, call (610) 407-9229.
Scholarship Searches
The following are sites that will help you search for general scholarship opportunities at no cost. While they are not as focused as some of the above scholarship listings, they draw on large databases with large amounts of money to offer.
Collegeboard.com is a search engine pulling from a database of 2,300 sources of college funding, totaling nearly $3 billion in aid. The site will require you to fill out a questionnaire to find the scholarship that matches your needs. The more information you can provide, the better.
Collegeanswer.com boasts a scholarship database that contains more than 2.4 million scholarships worth more than $15 billion. The service lets you store your information on the site so you can return to your search at any time.
Scholarships.com is associated with the National Scholarship Providers Association, http://scholarshipproviders.org, and allows you to sort your results by deadline, dollar amount or relevancy. The site’s scholarship database is 3,000 sources strong, offering a total of $3 billion.
Other free, scholarship-focused internet search services include:
Scholarship opportunities come and go. Many scholarships are not offered every year and, in fact, may be offered only once. So, it’s best to go to the people in the know: your high school counselor, college or university’s financial aid office or department adviser for your major. Tapping into these resources first will give you an edge on accurate scholarship information—as well as direct you to those scholarships that you’re most likely to be interested in. Good luck!
