Hillsdale College accounting majors work hard to succeed after graduation. Courtesy | Pexels
Hillsdale College accounting students ranked first in Michigan on an accounting licensing exam.
Hillsdale ranked eighth out of 793 schools in the nation, or in the top one percent, for first-time test-takers of the Certified Public Accountant Exam, according to data from the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy.
“Our ranking speaks highly of both the students and professors,” Accounting Instructor Deanna Mackie said. “Our students are doing well passing sections of the CPA exam the first time they take it, and they are also receiving great job opportunities.”
The CPA exam is a 16- hour, four-part test that students must pass to become Certified Public Accountants.
The national pass rate for first-time test-takers was about 54%, while Hillsdale’s pass rate was about 83%. Hillsdale also beat the University of Michigan, which had a pass rate of about 74%.
“To be successful on the exam, students need intelligence, conscientiousness, and discipline,” Associate Professor of Accounting James Webb said. “Not only do Hillsdale accounting majors outperform the national average on the CPA exam, they’re successfully moving into the profession.”
Hillsdale students also beat the national average for all test-takers, which included re-testing students with lower scores. Hillsdale’s pass rate was about 69%, while the national average was about 48%.
Senior Grace Gainar said the Economics, Business, and Accounting department has prepared her well to take the CPA exam.
“Besides teaching us technical accounting knowledge that will show up on the CPA exam, the EBA department teaches us how to study extremely well,” Gainar said. “It takes drive, structure, and discipline, and I feel confident that my rigorous Hillsdale education will have adequately prepared me with these skills and habits.”
Gainar said some class tests include problems from old CPA exams.
“We are becoming familiar with the depth of understanding and studying the CPA exam will require from us, as well as what it’s actually going to look like,” Gainar said.
Fellow senior Makenzie Dana said the Hillsdale accounting classes are challenging but benefit students.
“Each class requires you to absorb a huge amount of information in a short time and then be able to apply and build on those lessons throughout the entire semester,” Dana said. “That’s what the CPA exam demands: that you can learn and apply a vast amount of different information in a relatively short time and demonstrate proficiency in four four-hour exams.”
Dana said while it is hard to gauge how prepared she is for the exam, the department has taught her well.
“The EBA not only teaches us the fundamental building blocks of accounting but also trains us to have the mental dexterity and endurance that is necessary to pass the exam,” Dana said. Hillsdale students consistently find full-time jobs after graduation, according to Webb.
“All students in each of the last several graduating cohorts have accepted their full-time positions by fall of their senior year,” Webb said.
The exam results show the strength of Hillsdale’s accounting program, according to Mackie.
“I have talked with prospective students over the years, and one concern most of them have is that we are a smaller school and they wonder if our program can compete,” Mackie said. “This demonstrates that we can.”
