The Experience, Learn and Earn (ELE) Program – jointly developed by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), and offered through Tulane University’s School of Professional Advancement is a program designed to ease attainment of the final 30 hours of the education requirement for CPA licensure, now allows accounting graduates unaffiliated with a participating accounting firm or employer to sign up, as long as they are employed full time.

The initial launch of the program focused on participants recruited directly by accounting firms, companies, not-for-profits and governmental entities. That is still expected to be the primary path for the ELE program, but accounting graduates who are earning a paycheck from an employer not associated with the program can now sign up, too.

The program currently has 105 students enrolled this fall, representing more than 50 employers. Registration for the Spring 2025 semester is currently open until Jan. 1, 2025.

The ELE program is for individuals who have completed their bachelor’s degree and core accounting classes but possess fewer than the 150 credit hours required for licensure. Here’s how the program works:

• Full-time, employed accounting graduates can either join through an ELE-affiliated employer or sign up on their own.
• Program participants earn up to 30 university credits through online courses, and credit-hour costs are set at highly affordable rates.
• Participating employers are expected to support their employees, examples of which may include, but are not limited to:
-flexible work schedule
-tuition reimbursement
-mentoring to help program participants work toward their CPA license
• The program is open to all employer types, including not-for-profit, businesses and government entities.
• Accounting graduates who sign up on their own rather than through participating employers may not necessarily have the same support or mentoring opportunities as those who have direct sponsorship.

As part of the ELE program, students receive a curated course list that focuses on the skills and knowledge they need to be successful. The current list has over 25 courses, with more to be added as the program expands.

To learn more about ELE, please visit experiencelearnearn.org. The site includes information for students, firms and other organizations that want to sponsor candidates. Questions or comments can be directed to feedback@experiencelearnearn.org