Credit Banks and the CPA

I have my BS in accounting from Villanova University, and about 128 credits from them. To take the CPA in most states, including the one I want to practice in (IL), you need 150 college credits, some satisfying X criteria, but the main hoop is just the sheer number of credits.

After graduating I was commissioned as a supply officer in the Navy, and took a bunch of training that, according to the American Council on Education (ACE), is worth about 24 more credits (most of it is leadership or "business the Navy way" training, there is also a little bit of damage control stuff in there). I called the IL CPA board, and they said the ACE accreditation is "private" and they need "regionally accredited" credits. She was (intentionally?) vague on how my "private" credits could become "regional" credits. So I called the Navy College people, who didn't really know what they were talking about, but they suggested that I call one of the pseudo-diploma mill schools that specialize in accepting military training for credit and then maybe throwing in some distance learning courses and spitting out an associate's or bachelor's at you. I told them I'm not interested in a degree, but I'd be willing to take a distance learning class from them if it meant they would accept my credits (thereby accrediting them with their regional accreditation) and I would have 150 "regionally accredited" credits. She suggested a better way was their "Credit Bank," where I would send $150 and my transcripts from various colleges (just Villanova and the navy for me), and they would accept them all and certify them on their accreditation. That seems a little too easy and fishy to me.

Does anyone have any suggestions? It's important to note, I'm not looking to get around anything, but I believe I have met the spirit of the requirement and just need some sort of paperwork drill to meet the actual requirement; don't think I'm trying to cheat my way through this. I also have a call in to my alma mater, but the chances of them giving me credit for all 24 of my navy credits is probably slim.

Any help is appreciated.

 

Illinois appears to have changed their rules to limit the amount of non-traditional credit that may count for the 150-hour requirement to six semester hours:

http://www.illinois-cpa-exam.com/files/edreq.pdf

The question is whether ACE-evaluated classroom military training is limited to six hours because it is considered outside of the "usual classroom venue."

My suggestion is to get your miliary credits on the transcripts of an accredited college and see what they do with them. The ACE credit bank is NOT an accredited college. Take a look at Excelsior's or Thomas Edison's credit bank if you wish to take this route. They only require the documentation and a fee to place your military credit on a transcript. No need to take a dl course.

FWIW, The Illinois Board of Examiners had a real problem accepting my USNY-Regents accounting degree that included 112 semester hours of exam-based credit 20 years ago . At the time, their rules specified an RA degree in accounting and I had the requisite number of semester hours for each required subject area. The board staff rejected my initial application. Upon my appeal the Board sided with their staff and after I threatened to sue, THEIR attorneys looked at my transcripts and THEIR rules and told them to issue my certificate. What was funny was that I was halfway through a traditional, classroom-based RA and AACSB-acredited Masters in Accounting at the time of my application and under their logic completing the masters would have still left me short about 30 hours.

They have apparently changed their rules relatively recently. I would love to hear thier reasoning for lmiting classroom-delivered military training that has been evaluated as equivalent to a corresponiding RA college course. If your application is rejected and you are an Illinois resident, you may want to have a conversation with a couple of state legislators about this policy that seems to "punish those that sacrificed and served our country honorably."

 

Although I have never applied to Illinois, I have spoken to the board about the nontraditional rule.

The restriction is only on the accounting credits. The other 150 can be anything on a regionally accredited transcript.