Admissions

On this page:

Admissions
Before applying
 Obtaining the CPA Designation
→ Professional Education Programs (PEP)
→ Admission Requirements
Submitting your application


Admissions for Summer 2024 open October 1.

COVID-19 & Admissions 2024
Due to the exceptional circumstances surrounding COVID-19, many universities have offered an S/U option for impacted courses. For admission to the McGill GCPA program in 2024, we will recognize S/U grades for all prerequisite courses completed in winter 2020 (January to April 2020), as long as the overall minimum GCPA requirement is met. Please note that all other S/U grades in any prerequisite course will not be accepted as having met the minimum requirements for admission into the program.

Applying to the GCPA Program

Graduates who hold a Bachelor of Commerce degree with major in accounting from a recognized Canadian university will be considered for direct admission into the Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting program. Entry to the GCPA program requires a minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and a B- in all the prerequisite courses. The program has limited enrolment. Admission to the program is highly competitive and meeting the minimum requirements does not secure entry into the GCPA program. 


Before applying

Important! If you have not met the minimum CGPA and grade requirements of B- or are missing any of the prerequisite courses, you will be refused on the basis of not meeting all of the requirements to the GCPA program. You will be able to re-apply after you have completed all of the requirements, which would involve another online application and fee payment.

For information about applying to study in Canada, immigration questions, health insurance and more, please contact International Student Services.

Currently, for students admitted to the full-time GCPA Program at the Desautels Faculty of Management the only complementary courses that will be offered during the program will be those that allow CPA’s to practice Public Accounting (Practice of Taxation and Assurance Services). Students wishing to pursue other CPA paths such as Financial Analysis or Performance Measurement (management accounting) should apply to the National program.


Obtaining the CPA Designation

In order to obtain the CPA designation in Quebec, a student must have:

  1. Completed a Professional Education Program (PEP).
  2. Passed the Common Final Exam (CFE).
  3. Completed a 24 month period of practical experience with an accredited training office (it is the student's responsibility to obtain such employment). More information
  4. Proof of knowledge of the French language. More information

Once all these criteria have been met, the student will obtain the designation of Chartered Professional Accountant from L'Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec (OCPAQ).


Professional Education Programs (PEP)

In Quebec candidates for the CPA can complete a PEP either through a recognized university graduate program, such as McGill’s Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting (GCPA) or through the National online PEP.

McGill currently only offers the GCPA program full time in the Desautels Faculty of Management. 


Admission Requirements

Currently for students admitted to the full-time GCPA Program at the Desautels Faculty of Management the only complementary courses offered during the program will be those that allow CPA’s to practice Public Accounting (Practice of Taxation and Assurance Services). Students wishing to pursue other CPA paths such as Financial Analysis or Performance Measurement (management accounting) should contact the McGill School of Continuing Studies or apply to the National Program.

Development of Professional Skills

Strategic thinking and professional skills including report writing and making presentations are useful skills for a professional accountant.  Students are encouraged to develop those broader skills in their undergraduate studies whether through course selection (your electives) or by participation in case competitions or similar activities.

Before Applying

If you have not met the minimum grade requirements of B- or are missing any of the prerequisite courses, you will be refused on the basis of not meeting all of the requirements to the GCPA program. You will be asked to re-apply after you have completed all of the prerequisites, which would involve another application and application fee.

NOTE: Applicants must also meet the requirements outlined by the OCPAQ for the university where they obtained their undergraduate degree.
Admission to the program is highly competitive and meeting the minimum requirements does not secure entry into the GCPA program. 

Please select from the following options:

If you completed a Canadian BCom

Applicants who complete a BCom program must complete the following courses, or their equivalents, with minimum grades of B-. 

ACCT 351 Intermediate Financial Acct 1 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

ACCT 352 Intermediate Financial Acct 2 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

ACCT 361 Management Accounting 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

ACCT 362 Cost Accounting 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

ACCT 385 Principles of Taxation 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

ACCT 453 Advanced Financial Accounting 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

ACCT 463 Management Control 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

ACCT 475 Principles of Auditing 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

ACCT 486 Business Taxation 2 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

BUSA 364 Business Law 1 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

FINE 342 Corporate Finance 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

NOTE: Applicants must also meet the requirements outlined by the OCPAQ for the university where they obtained their undergraduate degree.
Applicants who obtained their undergraduate degree in a different province must also verify the requirements outlined by the CPA Order of that province.

If you completed a BCom degree at Concordia University

Requirements for Concordia University applicants:

ACCO 310 Financial Reporting I

ACCO 320 Financial Reporting II

ACCO 330 Cost and Management Accounting

ACCO 340 Income Taxation in Canada

ACCO 420 Financial Accounting III

ACCO 435 Strategic Case Analyses

ACCO 440 Advanced Taxation

ACCO 450 Assurance Services (or ACCO 360 Principles of Auditing as of Fall 2017)

COMM 315 Business Law (core course)

COMM 305 Managerial Accounting (core course)

COMM 308 Introduction to Finance (core course)



Note: Applicants must also meet the requirements outlined by the OCPAQ for the university where they obtained their undergraduate degree.

If you did not complete a Canadian BCom degree, you must complete the Graduate Certificate in Accounting

Students holding a different Canadian degree must complete the Graduate Certificate in Accounting (30 credits) at the School of Continuing Studies and additional courses as necessary to satisfy the following required 14 prerequisite courses, with minimum grades of B-.

The prerequisite courses required within the Graduate Certificate in Accounting are:

CCAU 511 Auditing 1 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

CCFC 511 Financial Accounting 1 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

CCFC 512 Financial Accounting 2 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

CCFC 513 Financial Accounting 3 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

CCMA 511 Managerial Accounting 1 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

CCTX 511 Taxation 1 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

CFIN 512 Corporate Finance 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

Complementary and additional courses required:

CCLW 511 Course not available

CCMA 522 Managerial Accounting 2 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

CCMA 523 Managerial Accounting 3 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

CCTX 532 Taxation 2 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

CFIN 522 Applied Topics:Corporate Finan 3 Credits
    Offered in the:
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Summer

CMIS 541 Course not available

CPL2 552 Course not available

If you have any questions about the Graduate Certificate in Accounting program, please call the School of Continuing Studies directly.
688 Sherbrooke Street West, 11 floor
Montreal, QC H3A 3R1
Tel: (514) 398-6200
Email: info.conted [at] mcgill.ca
 

Students who have not completed a Canadian B Com degree with a major in accounting may want to consider the national PEP program route instead of the McGill GCPA. For the national PEP program students will be able to complete missing prerequisites through the CPA PREP (PreRequisite Education Program) program, a series of on-line modules that cover topics required to enter the National PEP program. More information can be obtained from Canadian CPA Certification Program website.

NOTE: the CPA PREP courses are not acceptable as prerequisites for the McGill GCPA programs.

 

You completed your degree outside Canada

If an applicant has an accounting degree from a foreign university, this does not imply that the student has fulfilled all the requirements for direct entry to the Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting. Most courses may have to be taken in order to ensure that the student obtains the Canadian perspective on financial accounting, auditing and taxation rules and regulations (Canadian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, Generally Accepted Auditing Standards and the Canadian Income Tax Act).

In almost all cases, L'Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec will require students with foreign degrees to take the Graduate Certificate in Accounting offered through the School of Continuing Studies.

Applicants can save time by going directly to the School of Continuing Studies to inquire about their Graduate Certificate in Accounting program before contacting L'Ordre.

If you have any questions about the Graduate Certificate in Accounting program, please call the School of Continuing Studies directly.
688 Sherbrooke Street West, 11 floor
Montreal, QC H3A 3R1
Tel: (514) 398-6200
Email: info.conted [at] mcgill.ca


L'Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec can be contacted at:
5 Place Ville Marie
Office 800
Montreal, Quebec H3B 2G2

Tel: (514) 288-3256
Toll free: 1- 800-363-4688              
Fax: (514) 843-8375
Email: info [at] cpaquebec.com 


Submitting your application

All supporting documents must be uploaded directly to the McGill online Application Management system for graduate admissions (summer admission).

 

Online Application Form

Online Application for Admission form: complete the graduate studies online form through the McGill online Application Management system for graduate admissions (summer admission. McGill students can log in using their McGill username and password. Applicants from outside McGill must create an account to access McGill University online services.

Once you’ve logged in, you must complete your profile before you submit an application. You can stop and save your progress at any time. The application will only be processed once you have submitted it. 

When choosing the program, please make sure to select Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting.

At the application stage you will be asked to fill out mandatory additional questions about CPA-related employment, past or upcoming. Should you answer "Yes" to question(s), the system will ask you for the employment details.

Application Fee

For a non-refundable fee of $132.90*, you can submit up to two applications in the same term to two different programs**. This fee is payable by credit card when you submit the form. 

Make sure that you print/save the confirmation page that pops up after you submit the payment. There’s no confirmation email generated by the system.

* For updated information please refer to the student accounts website.
 

Transcripts

When completing your application, you must list all the university-level institutions you have attended to date and be sure to enter if you have graduated or expect to graduate. 

In case of credit transfers or exchange terms, you are required to upload the transcript from the University you attended ('No Degree' option). Uploaded copies are considered unofficial transcripts. If you receive an offer of admission, you will be required to make arrangements for an official copy of each transcript to be sent to us. 

McGill University applicants:  McGill University unofficial and final official transcripts will be uploaded automatically in the system. 

Important (!)

If accepted to the GCPA program, you will be asked to submit the following official documents:

  • Final Official Transcripts
  • Proof of Graduation (often indicated on your transcript)

Ensure that you send all of the required documents or bring them in person to the following location:

GCPA Program
Desautels Faculty of Management
McGill University
3420 McTavish Street [Map], room 155M
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 0E2

Reference Letters

McGill BCom applicants are not required to provide recommendation letters. However, you will not be able to proceed with your application without completing this section. Please indicate as your referees:

Referee #1: GCPA Program Officegcpa.mgmt [at] mcgill.ca
Referee #2: Student Affairs Administratorgcpaexam.mgmt [at] mcgill.ca 

All other applicants must provide the name and a valid institutional email address of two referees on the application form. An automatic email will be sent directly to them inviting them to upload references on your behalf. If at any time you need to make changes to the referee information, you can apply these changes directly on your  application management page. You will be advised by email if a referee declines to write a recommendation for you.

Detailed information on letters of reference is available here.

The following should be respected when writing a reference letter:

  • It must be written (preferably typed) on official letterhead, unless the text of the letter is input directly on the application management system reference letter web form. A saved PDF version can be uploaded to application management system web form following the reference letter instructions sent automatically to the referee.
  • The position of the referee and full contact information at the institution must be specified.
  • The complete name of the applicant and program he/she is applying for.
  • An appraisal of the applicant in terms of academic performance, background preparation, work habits, personality, and general suitability for the program of choice should be given in the letter. An incomplete evaluation will place the applicant at a disadvantage.
  • The letter must be signed and dated by the referee, unless input directly on the application management system reference letter web form.”

 

Personal Statement and CV

All applicants must submit a personal statement, not to exceed two pages, to support their application.  The personal statement could include why you are interested in pursuing the CPA designation; if you have relevant work experience; describe involvement in any extracurricular activities such as clubs, sports, case competitions, or volunteer work; explain any breaks in your undergraduate studies or reasons you did not follow a full course load; as well as any other personal information that will help us make an admission decision on your application. 

For detailed information regarding additional documents that may be required by certain departments, please consult Admission Requirements and Application Procedures for each department here.
McGill Username and McGill Passwords
Forgot your McGill Password? 
Can’t login? Contact ICS Service Desk via email at ITsupport [at] mcgill.ca or by phone at 514-398-3398.

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