Special Students

Students who hold a recognized undergraduate degree are eligible to attend the Alberta School of Business as a Special Student, to satisfy the requirements of Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) Alberta. Eligible students may take a maximum of 24 ucw (8 courses) towards the specific designation through the Alberta School of Business.

Admission Information

  1. To be eligible for consideration, students must hold a 4-year undergraduate degree from a recognized university, with a grade point average of at least 3.0 in their last full year of study. Students who hold a BCom degree awarded by the U of A within the previous five years from the date of application will be admitted to take the courses required to meet the professional accounting designation. Students who were awarded their BCom more than five years previous to the application date must have graduated with a GPA of at least 3.0 during their final year of study, to qualify as a Special Student.
  2. Students must be a member of CPA Alberta in which they are seeking a designation. The Alberta School of Business requires a letter from the organization stating that a student is a registered member and listing which specific courses are required. The Alberta School of Business allows Special Students to take a maximum of 24 ucw (eight courses) towards their designation. If a student needs more than eight courses, they will not be able to attend the Alberta School of Business as a Special Student. However, they can apply to the BCom After Degree program, providing they meet the admission requirements.
  3. Students must have the pre-requisites and co-requisites to all courses they need to take (or equivalents) as outlined in the U of A Calendar.

Please note: Due to the high demand for Accounting courses, very few spaces are available (possibly even none) in 3rd and 4th-year courses for non-degree Special Students in all sessions. There are times when Accounting courses are not open to non-degree students. Consequently, students are strongly encouraged to inquire about course availability at other post-secondary institutions.

Acceptance into the program is subject to space availability. If a student is accepted as a Special Student, registration in specific courses is not guaranteed.

Admission Procedure

Please email bcominfo@ualberta.ca with a request to submit an application as a Special Student. Transcripts must be submitted by the application deadline. Letters from CPA Alberta can be submitted directly to the Undergraduate Office by the same deadlines.

Application Deadlines

Fall Application and documentation deadline - March 1
Winter Application and documentation deadline - October 31
Spring/Summer Application and documentation deadline - January 31