New CPA Licensure Pathway Effective July 1, 2026
Summary
The Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy announces a new CPA licensure pathway effective July 1, 2026, requiring a baccalaureate degree and two years of experience. The existing pathway of a baccalaureate degree with up to 150 semester hours plus one year of experience remains valid. A new clarification also confirms that a postgraduate degree with one year of experience is acceptable. All pathways require an accounting concentration and passage of all Uniform CPA Exam parts.
What changed
The Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy has added a new licensure pathway for CPAs, effective July 1, 2026. This new pathway lowers the experience requirement from one year to two years while eliminating the 150-semester-hour requirement for candidates holding a baccalaureate degree. The Board clarified that the original pathway (150 hours plus one year experience) and a post-graduate degree plus one year experience remain acceptable alternatives.
Aspiring CPAs in Mississippi now have three pathways to licensure, offering greater flexibility in meeting educational and experience requirements. Candidates should evaluate which pathway best suits their circumstances. Employers hiring CPAs may benefit from a larger pool of eligible candidates. Educational institutions offering accounting programs may review curriculum to ensure adequate preparation for the two-year experience component.
Archived snapshot
Apr 18, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Wed, 03/18/2026 - 00:00 NEW LEGISLATION ALERT!! The Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy is pleased to advise that effective July 1, 2026, there will be a new pathway to licensure as a CPA! This new pathway will require a baccalaureate degree and 2 years’ experience. The old pathway of a baccalaureate degree with additional hours up to 150 semester hours and 1 year experience is still acceptable. Additionally, clarification was added to statute that a post graduate degree and 1 year of experience is also an acceptable pathway. All three licensure pathways require an accounting concentration or equivalent as determined by Board rule and passage of all parts of the Uniform CPA Exam.
Related changes
Get daily alerts for MS CPA Board
Daily digest delivered to your inbox.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
About this page
Every important government, regulator, and court update from around the world. One place. Real-time. Free. Our mission
Source document text, dates, docket IDs, and authority are extracted directly from MSBPA.
The summary, classification, recommended actions, deadlines, and penalty information are AI-generated from the original text and may contain errors. Always verify against the source document.
Classification
Who this affects
Taxonomy
Browse Categories
Get alerts for this source
We'll email you when MS CPA Board publishes new changes.
Subscribed!
Optional. Filters your digest to exactly the updates that matter to you.