MSCPA Scholarships

Kathleen M. Peabody, CPA, Memorial Scholarship ($2,500)

Sponsored by Wolf & Company PC, this scholarship is to encourage individuals who have demonstrated academic excellence and financial need to pursue a career in public accounting in Massachusetts.

To qualify, a student must meet most of the following criteria:

• Full-time undergraduate accounting major who will be entering their junior or senior year;
• A legal resident of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts;
• Superior academic standing;
• Financial need; and
• Intention to seek a career in a public accounting firm.

Masters Scholarship Program ($2,500)

This grant is $2,500 per year with a maximum of $5,000.00 per person. It is for a student holding an undergraduate degree in accounting, who is in the process of obtaining a masters degree in accounting or its equivalent.

To qualify, a student:

• Is from Massachusetts and planning to enroll in a masters degree program in accounting or its equivalent at a Massachusetts college or university;
• Has a financial need; and
• Intends to seek a position or continue working or teaching in accounting-related areas in the commonwealth of Massachusetts following the conferment of the masters degree.

MSCPA/ALPFA Scholarship ($2,500)

The purpose of these scholarships is to encourage students from diverse ethnic backgrounds who have demonstrated academic excellence and financial need to pursue a career in public accounting in Massachusetts.

Two scholarships, in the amount of $2,500, are made possible by the generosity of the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA) and the Educational Foundation of the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants (MSCPA).

This award is designated for students who meet the following criteria:

• Completion of the first semester of his/her sophomore year by the time of application.
• Demonstration of academic excellence and financial need as evidenced by:
  – an official transcript
  – a FAFSA or other type of college loan application
  – a letter of recommendation from an accounting professor
• Intention to pursue a career in accounting at a public accounting firm in Massachusetts.
• Student Membership in ALPFA-Boston

MSCPA Firm Scholarship ($2,500)

The purpose of these scholarships is to encourage individuals who have demonstrated academic excellence and financial need to pursue a career in public accounting in Massachusetts.

Students must meet the following criteria:

• Completion of the first semester of his/her Junior year by the time of application;
• Demonstration of academic excellence;
• Financial need; and
• Intention to pursue a career in accounting at a public accounting firm in Massachusetts.

Seeking a position in public accounting?

Start your search with these firms that generously contributed to the MSCPA Firm Scholarship Program.

MSCPA Women in Accounting Scholarship ($2,500)

The purpose of these scholarships is to encourage women who have demonstrated academic excellence and financial need to pursue a career in public accounting in Massachusetts.

Four scholarships will be offered in 2009, thanks to the generosity of the MSCPA's Women Golf Committee and the Educational Foundation.

These awards are designated for women students only who meet the following criteria:

• Completion of the first semester of her Junior year by the time of application;
• Demonstration of academic excellence;
• Financial need; and
• Intention to pursue a career in accounting at a public accounting firm in Massachusetts.

David J. Aronson Scholarship ($1,000)

The purpose of this scholarship, a memorial gift from the Aronson family, is to encourage individuals with a non-traditional educational or personal background to pursue a career in public accounting in Massachusetts.

To qualify, a student:

Is enrolled full-time in a graduate program leading to an MBA, MS-Tax, MS-Accounting or an MS-Finance. Applicants who have spent at least two years in a full time position prior to graduate school in order to facilitate a career change are favorably considered. (Exceptional undergraduate candidates are considered and are encouraged to apply if they have spent at least one year away from full-time status, either working full time or pursuing other interests.) Applicant may apply in any semester once an official school transcript is available;

• Has a superior academic standing; and
• Intends to seek a career in a public accounting firm within Massachusetts.

F. Grant Waite, CPA, Memorial Scholarship ($1,000)

(Sponsored in part by an annual donation by the firm of Caturano and Company.) To encourage individuals who have demonstrated academic excellence and financial need to pursue a career in public accounting in Massachusetts. Special consideration will be given to married students with children.

To qualify, a student must meet most of the following criteria:

• Full-time undergraduate accounting major who will be entering their junior or senior year;
• Superior academic standing;
• Financial need; and
• Intention to seek a career in a public accounting firm.

Paychex Inc. Entrepreneur Scholarship ($1,000)

Sponsored by Paychex, a national provider of payroll, human resource, and benefits services to small-to-medium sized businesses.

To qualify, a student:

• Is a Massachusetts resident enrolled full-time in a Massachusetts college or university;
• Will be entering his/her Junior year in fall 2010;
• Has earned a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale;
• Demonstrates a financial need; and
• Demonstrates commitment to pursuing a career as a CPA.

Scholarship Lottery for CPA Exam Candidates

In an effort to increase the number of test takers and defray exam costs, the Society will hold a lottery to award up to 30 vouchers in the amount of $400 to candidates planning to sit for the exam as a Massachusetts candidate between May 1, 2010 and April 30, 2011. To be eligible, the individual cannot receive financial assistance from his or her employer in the form of payments/reimbursements of exam fees or review courses, or a bonus upon passing.

Outstanding Accounting Educator Award

Would you like to recognize your former professor or a colleague for their excellence in the classroom? The Outstanding Accounting Educator Award was designed to recognize full-time accounting faculty who are actively involved in the accounting profession. The winner will receive an award of $1,000 to further his/her professional development and a matching gift will be given to the college's accounting department in their honor.

Accounting Scholarships Offered by Other Organizations

Find scholarships offered to accounting students by other organizations.

About the MSCPA's Educational Foundation

Designed to recognize and encourage today's students who become tomorrow's accountants, the Foundation promotes new accountancy programs in higher education, and strengthens the links between business and academia. Contributions assist in funding for students enrolled in undergraduate accounting programs and the UMass Summer Camp Program aimed at introducing minority students to the various opportunities available in the business world, especially accounting. The Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, provides an opportunity to make a tax deductible contribution to a program that helps to ensure the future of the profession.