Puerto Rico

Eligibility for Examination

As a first-time applicant, you must:

• Be a resident of Puerto Rico or have a place of business in Puerto Rico. Please note: Initial and re-examination candidates must meet the residency requirement.
• If you are not a U.S. citizen, you must submit statements of intention to become a citizen of the U.S. with your application.

On or after June 16, 2024, you must meet the following education requirement to sit for the exam:

• At least 120 semester (or equivalent) credits of general college level education from an accredited college/university.
• Completed 24 semester (or equivalent) credits in accounting subjects with a grade of “C” or higher in all accounting courses.

• Completed 24 semester (or equivalent) credits in general business with an average grade of “C” or higher.

Please note that to obtain the license, you must meet the following education requirements:

• Completed 150 semester credits of general college education with an average grade of no less than “C” or its equivalent.
• Baccalaureate degree from an accredited college/university.
• Completed 32 semester credits (or equivalent) in accounting subjects with a grade of “C” or higher in all accounting courses.
• Completed 32 semester credits (or equivalent) in general business with an average grade of “C” or higher.

If you completed your education on or before December 31, 1999, you may qualify by one of the following:

• Earned a baccalaureate degree in Business Administration with a major in accounting from a college or university approved by the Board, OR
• Earned a baccalaureate degree from a college or university recognized by the Board and completed at least 58 semester (or equivalent) hours in business subjects, of which 32 semester (or equivalent) hours must be in accounting; OR
• Have a baccalaureate degree from a college or university recognized by the Board and, in the absence of having completed the required number of credit hours in business subjects, provide evidence of completing eight years of public accounting experience.

All educational requirements must be met at the time of application. All educational transcript(s) are required to be submitted to CPA Examination Services directly from the academic institution(s).

Transcripts

If you have completed all educational requirements at the time of application:

• You must submit an official transcript from each school you attended. Transfer credits are not acceptable; you must submit a transcript from each institution.
• Official transcripts are those that have been issued by the institution’s Registrar’s Office and include the Registrar’s official seal.
• Your official transcript(s) must be submitted directly from the institution(s).
• Transcripts may be submitted electronically provided they are official. Some schools do not offer this service. Contact your Registrar’s office for additional information. If an email address is required for electronic delivery, use [email protected]. Electronically delivered transcripts must be submitted directly from the institution(s).
• Photocopies of transcripts are not official and cannot be accepted.
• Please Note: If you have not yet applied when you submit your transcripts, your education documents will be kept on file for one year. After that time, the documents will be destroyed, and you will need to resubmit new education documents when you apply.

If you have international education credentials, you must:

• Have your credentials evaluated by NASBA International Evaluation Services
• Require the agency to evaluate as follows:
  • An equivalency summary that indicates the analogous academic degrees in the U.S. you hold;
  • A credential analysis that specifies:
    • The name of the country;
    • The degree awarded;
    • The year the degree was awarded; and
    • The entity that awarded the degree;
  • A course-by-course listing; and
  • A course credit analysis that includes:
    • Total credits earned toward the degree as stated on transcripts submitted;
    • Total accounting credits earned; and
    • Total business credits earned.
• Completed original evaluations must be received by CPAES directly from the evaluation service at the time of application. Photocopies are not acceptable.
• A copy of the international transcript must be included with the report sent to NASBA for each individual evaluation from the evaluation service. The application will be considered incomplete without these documents and the processing of the application will not move forward until transcripts are provided.
• Please Note: If you have not yet applied, the education documents received will be kept on file for one year. After that time, these documents will be destroyed, and you will need to resubmit new education documents at the time of application.
• Education requirements must be met through academic coursework completed at an accredited institution. Professional training is not acceptable toward these requirements. Coursework completed as part of a Chartered Accountant or similar program is considered professional training and is, therefore, not accepted toward the education requirements for the U.S. Uniform CPA Examination.

Course Requirements

• Courses earned at an accredited community college or two-year degree-granting institution are acceptable.
• Correspondence, online courses, and CLEP credit are acceptable when you receive credit for the courses at an accredited university. These courses must appear on an official transcript.
• CPA Review Courses may be accepted when taken at an accredited institution and credit is awarded for the courses.

Residency

You must:

• be a resident of Puerto Rico or have a place of business in Puerto Rico; Note: both first-time and re-exam candidates must meet the residency requirement.
• be at least 21 years of age at the time of certification;
• If you are not a U.S. citizen, you must submit statements of intention to become a citizen of the U.S. with your application.

1. An official transcript from each school listed on your application. Transcripts must be sent directly from your school to CPA Examination Services.
2. Testing Accommodations Request Form, if applicable. Submission by you to CPAES.

Please allow two to four weeks from your file completion date (when application, fees and all additional required materials have been received) for your application to be processed. Acknowledgment of receipt of application will be sent to you via email, unless otherwise indicated. This notice is sent only as acknowledgment of receipt of application.

Please be advised that we cannot confirm we have received your documents until after your application has been submitted and a file has been created for you. To ensure your application is evaluated in a timely manner, please submit all of the forms together. If you have any questions, contact the Puerto Rico Coordinator at [email protected].

Applicants with Disabilities

In accordance with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, examination administration accommodations are available, should you qualify. Please download the Testing Accommodations Request Form for more information.

Education Evaluation Application

Before you can apply for an exam section you must first be deemed eligible for the CPA Exam. Your Evaluation Application will determine if you meet the educational requirements needed to take the CPA Exam for your selected jurisdiction.

Education Evaluation Application Fee: $93.00

Exam Section Application

Once you have been found eligible for the CPA Exam you may then apply for a specific exam section. You can only apply for one exam section per application. You are advised to only apply for the exam section if you are ready to take it. Your Notice to Schedule will be valid for a limited amount of time, and you must take the exam section listed on the NTS within this time frame or you will lose those fees paid.

Exam Section Application Fee: $405.64

Refund Policy

There is no provision for withdrawing from the examination and/or requesting an extension of your current Notices to Schedule (NTS). Application and/or examination fees are not refundable. If you have an extreme circumstance, you may request an NTS extension or a partial refund of your examination fees under specific circumstances utilizing the Exception to Policy Form.

Candidates are allowed to sit for each section of the examination individually and in any order. Candidates retain credit for any section(s) passed for thirty (30) months, without having to attain a minimum score on failed sections and without regard to whether they have taken other sections. Candidates must pass all four sections of the examination within a “rolling” thirty (30)-month period that begins on the date of the score release. In the event all four sections of the examination are not passed within the rolling thirty (30)-month period, credit for any section(s) passed outside the thirty (30)-month period will expire and the section(s) must be retaken.

Written requests for exceptions to the requirements set forth above may be granted at the discretion of the Board for individual hardship or other good cause demonstrated in a timely manner.