state eligibility guide
Kansas CPA exam requirements
Kansas requires bachelor's degree and 120 semester hours, including 30 accounting hours for CPA exam eligibility. NASBA CPA Examination Services (CPAES) makes the final eligibility decision.
Published by Kesler CPA Review, a commercial CPA exam preparation company. This page is educational, not legal advice. The Board or application authority makes the final eligibility decision.
- Minimum education to sit
- 120 semester hours
- Degree rule
- bachelor's degree required to sit
- Passed-section credit window
- 30-month passed-section credit window
Education requirements to sit
- Degree: bachelor's degree required to sit
- Minimum education to sit: 120 semester hours
- Accounting coursework: 30 semester hours
- Business coursework: 42 semester hours
- Degree field: Accounting concentration or equivalent
- Accreditation: Degree must be conferred by an accredited institution recognized by Kansas.
Required business subjects
- Macroeconomics
- Microeconomics
- Business law
- College algebra or higher mathematics
- Statistics
- Computer systems and applications
- Finance
Kansas uses a detailed 42-hour business and general-education distribution. The NASBA page and Kansas regulations control exact allocations and maximums.
Personal eligibility rules
- Citizenship: U.S. citizenship is not listed as an absolute requirement; review any lawful-presence rule
- U.S. residency: No U.S. residency requirement is listed
- Jurisdiction residency: Jurisdiction residency is required
- Social Security number: An SSN is required
- Character review before sitting: A character requirement applies before sitting
- Applicant must satisfy a Kansas nexus through residence, employment, a place of business, or qualifying Kansas education under the Board rule.
How to apply
Apply through NASBA CPA Examination Services (CPAES) online through NASBA CPA Portal.
Documents commonly required for this application
- Official transcripts
- Kansas nexus documentation
- Completed CPA Portal application
Published exam fees
- Education evaluation application: $96.00 Charged once for a first-time candidate.
- Exam section application: $96.00 per section Charged for each exam section selected.
- CPA exam section fee: $268.59 per section Charged for each exam section selected.
Before you pay: These figures were verified on 2026-08-09, but fee schedules can change. Confirm the current official fee schedule.
Can you apply or sit before graduation?
- Apply before the degree is awarded: Yes, subject to the conditions below
- Sit before the degree is awarded: Yes, subject to the conditions below
- Days before graduation: 60 days
- Final transcript deadline: Within 120 days after taking the first exam section
Kansas permits a candidate to sit up to 60 days before completing the education requirements, subject to its Certificate of Enrollment and final-document rules.
Foreign education
- Foreign education accepted: Yes, with the jurisdiction's conditions
- Credential evaluation: A credential evaluation is required
- NIES: Not confirmed in the current official sources
- Certified translation: A certified translation is required when applicable
Published evaluation services
- NASBA International Evaluation Services (NIES)
NTS and passed-section credit
- NTS issuer: NASBA
- NTS validity: 6 months
- Passed-section credit: 30-month passed-section credit window
- Continuous testing: Available subject to current AICPA scheduling windows
- Discipline sections follow AICPA testing windows.
Sitting for the exam is not the same as licensure
These examination rules answer whether you can apply and sit. A CPA license can require additional education, experience, ethics, and administrative steps.
- Experience: Experience is required
- Ethics exam: Required
- Alternative pathway: adopted and effective
Published licensure pathways
- Board-approved accountancy baccalaureate degree plus two years of qualifying experience.
- Baccalaureate degree plus 30 additional semester hours and one year of qualifying experience.
- Master's degree plus one year of qualifying experience.
Traditional licensure comparison only.
Special rules and recent changes
- Kansas nexus requirement applies to examination applications.
Official sources used
- Kansas CPA Exam — National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (accessed 2026-08-09)
- HB 2573 — Kansas Legislature (accessed 2026-08-09)
- Implementing Candidate Fee Changes — National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (accessed 2026-08-09)
Before you apply: Confirm the current application, fees, NTS terms, and testing availability with the Board. This guide only includes details we could verify from published sources, and the licensing section is a starting point—not a complete licensing checklist.
Your application plan
Turn this page into a checklist
Check off each research step as you complete it. This is a planning aid; finishing the checklist does not mean the Board has approved your eligibility.