Rhode Island CPA Requirements 2027
Use Rhode Island’s actual experience-hour definitions. Build your 2027 application and study plan from dated official evidence.
Checkpoint 1
Can I take the exam?
Course review
Rhode Island’s NASBA exam instructions list degree and accounting/business subject conditions, but their older 150-credit licensing preface conflicts with the board’s newer license routes.
Check exam entryCheckpoint 2
Can I obtain the license?
Rhode Island’s three routes became effective June 23, 2026. One year is 1,820 hours and two years is 3,640 hours.
Degree, concentration, qualifying experience, and any additional application conditions must be checked together.
Review license choicesYour 2027 application roadmap
Use Rhode Island’s actual experience-hour definitions
For 2027, use the June 2026 routes and Rhode Island’s actual hour definitions while resolving the exam-page education framing.
Before applying
Check Rhode Island exam entry and map your transcript. Course review
Before choosing classes
Choose a licensing route and record the remaining accepted subjects. Extra credits help only when they meet that route’s conditions.
Before booking a section
Coordinate your NTS, study readiness, published 2027 testing windows, and the July exam-interface transition.
Before counting experience
Confirm the work, duration, supervisor, and documentation accepted for your Rhode Island license path.
What this edition adds to your 2026 reference
Use this edition to organize a 2027 application, choose your next evidence check, and connect it to an exam preparation schedule. Unchanged state rules retain their actual review dates. A new guide year does not itself change eligibility.
Your state-specific decision: The published experience comparison is 1,820 versus 3,640 hours, together with the corresponding one- or two-year duration. Confirm the qualifying work and documentation, and include the 90% AICPA ethics requirement in the license checklist.
Open the dated 2026 reference| Decision | What to save | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Exam entry | Degree status, transcript, course descriptions, and the official exam checklist. | Rhode Island’s NASBA exam instructions list degree and accounting/business subject conditions, but their older 150-credit licensing preface conflicts with the board’s newer license routes. |
| License route | The chosen education and experience route, its effective date, and the authority’s instructions. | Rhode Island’s three routes became effective June 23, 2026. One year is 1,820 hours and two years is 3,640 hours. |
| Exceptions and transitions | Dated authority replies for disputed courses, foreign education, prior exam credit, or a new pathway. | The exam education framing needs reconciliation with the older NASBA licensing preface; no universal 150-credit exam claim is made. |
| Application budget | Separate evaluation, section application, exam, and later license charges. | Confirm the amount payable when you apply. Dated fees in this guide are not a guaranteed 2027 tariff. |
Choose a realistic testing window
Check the published schedule and July transition before setting a target appointment.
Read the guidePlan practice around the exam format
Use the reviewed specification and its stated coverage limits to balance MCQs and simulations.
Read the guideConnect your license and career plan
Compare wage benchmarks, offer conditions, experience supervision, and preparation support.
Read the guidePermission to sit
Rhode Island CPA Exam eligibility
Rhode Island’s NASBA exam instructions list degree and accounting/business subject conditions, but their older 150-credit licensing preface conflicts with the board’s newer license routes.
- Use the exam instructions for the exam checkpoint and the current board page for licensing options.
- Obtain board/evaluator clarification if the old licensing preface changes the apparent education answer for your application.
Map your transcript
Rhode Island accounting and business coursework
Read each row as a separate checkpoint. Course level, required subjects, degree status, and exceptions can matter as much as the total. The board or designated evaluator determines which courses qualify.
| Checkpoint | Accounting | Business / related subjects | Degree and other conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam | Use the current exam subject option | Use the current exam subject option | Resolve any conflict with the older 150-credit preface |
| License | Qualifying concentration for the selected degree route | Qualifying concentration for the selected degree route | Current board routes control licensing education |
Collect the evidence
Degree award, official transcript, course descriptions, and any required evaluation.
Map accepted subjects
Separate accounting, business, ethics, and other required subjects without assuming overlap.
Resolve the exact gap
Ask about the disputed course or condition before paying for another class or application.
Education plus experience
Rhode Island CPA license pathways
Rhode Island’s three routes became effective June 23, 2026. One year is 1,820 hours and two years is 3,640 hours.
| Route / availability | Education | Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Master’s route | Qualifying bachelor’s plus master’s education | 1 year / 1,820 hours |
| Additional-30 route | Qualifying bachelor’s degree plus 30 credits | 1 year / 1,820 hours |
| Bachelor’s route | Qualifying bachelor’s degree | 2 years / 3,640 hours |
- The AICPA ethics examination requires a score of 90%.
- Do not substitute the 2,000/4,000-hour convention used by some other states.
Dates that affect your decision
Planning for Rhode Island CPA requirements in 2027
For 2027, use the June 2026 routes and Rhode Island’s actual hour definitions while resolving the exam-page education framing.
June 23, 2026
EffectiveThree licensing routes
Use Rhode Island’s own experience-hour definitions for all route comparisons.
Worked planning example
Comparing one year with two years of work
Illustrative candidate scenario, not an eligibility determination.
Starting point
You are deciding between a qualifying additional-education route and the bachelor’s route.
What the rules mean
The published experience comparison is 1,820 versus 3,640 hours, together with the corresponding one- or two-year duration.
Next action
Confirm the qualifying work and documentation, and include the 90% AICPA ethics requirement in the license checklist.
From education to an appointment
How to apply and prepare in Rhode Island
The application workflow below retains its 2026-08-24 procedural review. The September research above updates exam and licensing facts; confirm current forms and charges before submitting.
Why this Rhode Island guide exists
Help a Rhode Island candidate identify the correct active education condition before paying CPAES.
Purpose evidence
Rhode Island accountancy regulationNASBA Rhode Island CPA Exam requirements and feesA documented apply-now or resolve-first decision plus the correct CPAES, NTS, and Prometric sequence.
Official evidence for this route
NASBA Rhode Island CPA Exam requirements and feesWhat to have ready
Transcript evidence for the 120-hour gate and the applicable Rhode Island education condition
Official transcripts and any required international education evaluation
CPAES application and NASBA CPA Portal status
Selected sections, eligibility decision, and NTS deadline when issued
- 1
Verify the 120-hour gate and the applicable Rhode Island education condition.
- 2
Follow CPAES, the CPA Portal, NTS, and Prometric in the correct order.
- 3
Keep exam entry separate from the licensing pathways effective June 23, 2026.
Actionable candidate plan
Verify, apply, and move from approval to scheduling
Application owner: CPA Examination Services through the NASBA CPA Portal. CPAES evaluates Rhode Island exam applications and supporting education documents through the NASBA CPA Portal.
- 1
Choose the education condition
Map the transcript to the qualifying Rhode Island degree and coursework condition before opening the paid application.
- 2
Create the official account
Create the required NASBA account and open Rhode Island enrollment in the CPA Portal.
- 3
Send documents and apply for evaluation
Have official education documents sent directly to CPAES and submit the $96 Eligibility Evaluation Application.
- 4
Apply for one exam section
After CPAES marks you eligible, submit one Exam Section Application and pay the listed application and section charges.
- 5
Schedule with the NTS
Retrieve the NTS from the CPA Portal, check its deadline, and use it to schedule Prometric.
Candidate decision
Plan X if your path is clear, Plan Y if one gate remains unresolved
Plan X
If: Your official records clearly satisfy one Rhode Island education condition and the 120-hour gate.
Do: Submit the CPAES eligibility application and complete one Exam Section Application after approval.
Then verify: Confirm CPAES eligibility and the exact NTS deadline before scheduling.
Plan Y
If: Your degree condition, subject coverage, transcript delivery, or international evaluation remains uncertain.
Do: Pause the exam-section payment and resolve the specific education-document issue with CPAES.
Then verify: Proceed only after CPAES confirms eligibility in the CPA Portal.
Keep every owner in its lane
Who decides each part of the Rhode Island candidate journey
CPAES
Rhode Island exam eligibility evaluation and education-document review
Not responsible for: CPAES does not provide the learner's exam preparation program or grant the later Rhode Island license.
NASBA and the CPA Portal
Official application workflow, payment, notices, and NTS access
Not responsible for: The CPA Portal does not replace Rhode Island Board requirements for the later license.
Prometric
CPA Exam appointment scheduling and test-center administration
Not responsible for: Prometric does not evaluate Rhode Island education eligibility.
CPAPass
Reviewed practice samples, saved account practice, and study planning
Not responsible for: CPAPass cannot evaluate transcripts, decide eligibility, collect official fees, issue an NTS, schedule an appointment, release scores, or grant a license.
CPAPass handoff
Continue with saved CPA Exam practice
A free account lets you continue into section practice, retain submitted practice results, and use those results in your study planning. CPAPass does not turn practice into an official score or decide your state eligibility.
Budget separate charges
Rhode Island CPA exam and application fees
These are individually sourced charges, not a complete licensing budget or an official 2027 fee schedule. Evaluation, section applications, testing, ethics, background checks, international testing, rescheduling, and licensing can be separate costs.
| Charge | Published amount | What it covers | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education evaluation | $96.00 | Evaluation charge listed by NASBA. Foreign-education evaluation may be separate. | Verify this charge |
| Exam section application | $96.00 | Follow the jurisdiction’s section-application rules. Do not assume one application charge covers all four sections. | Verify this charge |
| Each exam section | $268.59 | One section’s examination charge, separate from its application charge. | Verify this charge |
Frequently Asked Questions
- How should I plan for Rhode Island CPA requirements in 2027?
- For 2027, use the June 2026 routes and Rhode Island’s actual hour definitions while resolving the exam-page education framing.
- What education should a 2027 Rhode Island CPA Exam candidate check?
- Based on the September 15, 2026 source review: Rhode Island’s NASBA exam instructions list degree and accounting/business subject conditions, but their older 150-credit licensing preface conflicts with the board’s newer license routes. Use the exam instructions for the exam checkpoint and the current board page for licensing options. Obtain board/evaluator clarification if the old licensing preface changes the apparent education answer for your application.
- Which Rhode Island CPA license paths should I compare for 2027?
- Rhode Island’s three routes became effective June 23, 2026. One year is 1,820 hours and two years is 3,640 hours. Review the route-specific effective dates and experience conditions before applying.
- What changed in this 2027 Rhode Island guide?
- This edition adds a candidate decision roadmap, application evidence checklist, study milestones, and links to the 2027 exam schedule. Its state-specific focus is: Use Rhode Island’s actual experience-hour definitions. Unchanged rules retain their source dates.
- Are the fees in this guide guaranteed for 2027?
- No. Each listed charge retains its actual source review date. Confirm evaluation, application, exam-section, and licensing charges before payment.
- What still needs confirmation for a Rhode Island application?
- The exam education framing needs reconciliation with the older NASBA licensing preface; no universal 150-credit exam claim is made.
- Does the guide guarantee that I qualify for a CPA license?
- No. The board or designated service decides eligibility. Use this guide to organize your evidence and prepare specific questions; CPAPass supports exam practice and study planning.
Evidence and review dates
Official Rhode Island requirements sources
Core research date: . Licensing review date: . Proposed rules, effective dates, and unresolved details remain labeled in the relevant sections. Official authorities decide eligibility; this guide helps you prepare the questions and records.