Scholarships & Resources for Accounting Master’s Students

Earning your Master of Accountancy (MAcc) degree online is a great way to launch or advance your career in accounting. But pursuing that degree — or any college degree, for that matter — is an expensive endeavor. Unfortunately, affordable tuition rates, alternatives like accounting graduate certificate programs, and smart budgeting will only get you so far.

The good news is that you don’t have to let the sticker price of an online MAcc program stop you. That’s because you’ll find tons of valuable scholarships available to help pay for your accounting master’s education. In this guide, we’ll introduce you to a host of scholarship options and show you how, when, and where to apply for them.

We’ll also offer you some valuable advice on how to identify, apply to, and win the scholarships you want the most, as well as fix you up with a range of useful online resources to support you both during and after your master’s studies. Keep reading to unlock the resources you need to help you pay for your MAcc.

To start you on your graduate accounting degree funding search, we’ve identified 15 of the best private scholarships currently available to MAcc students. By private scholarships, we mean those offered by entities outside of specific schools and degree programs. That includes professional associations, community organizations, private foundations, individual companies, religious and minority groups, and more.

Award amounts range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, and many scholarship programs are very competitive. But qualification requirements can vary substantially from scholarship to scholarship, so you may find one — or several — scholarship programs designed specifically for someone like you.

Accounting & Financial Women’s Alliance Master’s Scholarships

• Amount: $10,000 (shared among 10 recipients)
• Annual Deadline: April 1st

In your scholarship search, you’ll likely find many graduate scholarships available exclusively for women, including this one that offers multiple awards annually to students in accounting and finance master’s programs. Applicants must be accepted to a master’s program by the application deadline. Requirements include completion of a minimum of 120 undergraduate credit hours with a minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA. Winners are selected based on demonstrated leadership, communication skills, character, scholastic average, and financial need.

AGA Graduate Scholarships

• Amount: $3,000
• Annual Deadline: June 11th

This scholarship program is designed for students pursuing courses of study in accounting and any of several other business, IT, and public administration disciplines. Three scholarships are awarded annually to graduate-level students. Both full-time and part-time students can apply. AGA additionally awards two scholarships (available to students at any degree level) for demonstrated community service.

AICPA Foundation Scholarship for Future CPAs

• Amount: $3,000 – $10,000
• Annual Deadline: March 15th

This award is open to full-time undergraduate and graduate students pursuing an accounting degree and planning to pursue CPA licensure. Applicants must have completed a minimum of 30 semester hours or equivalent of college coursework (including nine hours of accounting coursework) by spring of the year before the award is made. Applicants must also be a Student Affiliate Member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and demonstrate some financial need.

AICPA John L. Carey Scholarship

• Amount: $5,000
• Annual Deadline: March 15^th

Multiple awards are made annually by this AICPA-sponsored scholarship to liberal arts and non-business undergraduate degree holders planning to pursue both a graduate accounting education and CPA licensure. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status, AICPA Student Affiliate membership, full-time enrollment in an accounting or accounting-related graduate program, and demonstrated financial need.

Augustus L. Harper Scholarship

• Amount: $500
• Annual Deadline: April 14^th

One award is made annually to a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) undergraduate or graduate student majoring in accounting, finance, or business. Preference is given to applicants with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. Other criteria considered include ambition and financial need. Applicants are required to describe “why you think education is important and how it has brought value to you.”

BMO Capital Markets Equity Through Education Scholarship

• Amount: $10,000 (U.S. students), $5,000 (Canadian students)
• Annual Deadline: April 7th

This award is offered through Lime Connect, just one of many sponsors of scholarship opportunities for students with disabilities. Full-time undergraduate and graduate students interested in careers in the financial services industry (including accounting) can apply, with preference to those focused on banking markets. Applicants must have or consider themselves to have a visible or non-visible disability.

Deloitte Foundation Accounting Scholars Program

• Amount: 100% of tuition (excluding books and living expenses)
• Deadline: Continuous

An estimated $25 million in scholarship funds is expected to be distributed to students pursuing or intending to pursue master’s level accounting degrees at any of over 20 participating colleges and universities throughout the United States. Students must apply to both the specific degree program and the scholarship program. The school will select and notify scholarship recipients. Eligibility requirements vary somewhat from school to school.

EFWA Graduate Scholarship

• Amount: $1,500
• Annual Deadline: March 30th

This one-year scholarship sponsored by the Educational Foundation for Women in Accounting is available to women working toward an advanced accounting degree at an accredited U.S college or university. Applicant must demonstrate commitment and aptitude in business and accounting reflected through prior coursework and/or work experience. Financial need is also required.

Frank L. Greathouse Government Accounting Scholarship

• Amount: $10,000
• Deadline: TBD; applications open in November

Sponsored by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), this scholarship is open to students enrolled full time in a graduate or upper-level undergraduate accounting degree program who are planning to pursue a career in state or local government. Application submittals include a letter of recommendation from someone who can speak to the applicant’s commitment to the public sector. Students must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident or Canadian resident.

Minorities in Government Finance Scholarship

• Amount: $25,000
• Deadline: TBD; applications open in November

This GFOA-sponsored scholarship is designed to recognize and encourage outstanding minority students studying to prepare for careers in state and local government finance. Eligibility is open to full-time undergraduate and graduate students in accounting degree programs or courses of study in any number of other government career-focused majors.

NABA National Scholarships

• Amount: $1,000 – $10,000
• Annual Deadline: March 15th

The National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) awards up to 150 scholarships annually to undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in preparation for careers in accounting, business, and finance. Applicants must self-identify as Black or African American, be an active student member of the NABA, and demonstrate overall academic excellence. Application submittals include a short (250-word) essay. This is just one of dozens of scholarships offered exclusively to black graduate students.

Ritchie-Jennings Memorial Scholarship

• Amount: $2,000 – $10,000
• Annual Deadline: February 5th

The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) sponsors this scholarship program to support full-time students intending careers in fraud examination or related anti-fraud fields. The program is open to both undergraduates and graduates with a declared major in accounting (including forensic accounting) or one of several other fraud-related disciplines. Awardees are additionally provided one-year ACFE memberships.

SILA Post Secondary College Scholarship

• Amount: $1,250
• Annual Deadline: April 30th

Twelve SILA Post Secondary College Scholarships are currently available to undergraduate and graduate students interested in careers in the insurance and securities industry. Applicants must have a current cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and be enrolled full time in any of a number of business, finance, or accounting-related majors. Factors considered for award include academic achievement, personal narrative, and financial need.

Soar to Success Accounting Scholarship

• Amount: $500
• Annual Deadline: May 15th

Sponsored by SOS Inventory, LLC, this scholarship is open to full-time undergraduate and graduate accounting students (including those in MAcc programs) with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Other application requirements include one or more letters of recommendation and a demonstrated commitment to the accounting field through coursework, activities, projects, internships, or work experience. Applicant must be a U.S. citizen. Up to 10 scholarships are awarded annually.

WiNUP Scholarships

• Amount: $500, $1,000, and $2,000
• Annual Deadline: May 1st

The Women’s International Network of Utility Professionals (WiNUP) currently offers three scholarships annually to women pursuing advanced degrees leading to careers in the utility industry or any of several allied fields, including accounting. Applicants must be currently accepted by a regionally or nationally accredited university. WiNUP membership is not required.

Private scholarships make up only half the story when it comes to scholarship opportunities for your MAcc education. The other half is the availability of college-sponsored scholarships. Many schools offering accounting master’s programs also offer their own scholarships open to or exclusively for their MAcc students. To give you an idea of what you might find as you consider different MAcc programs, we’ve spotlighted below two schools that offer great in-house scholarships for their Master of Accountancy students. Be sure to seek out information on scholarship opportunities for the specific programs you’re considering by:

• Visiting campus financial aid offices
• Directly contacting the accounting or business departments at each school
• Exploring scholarship opportunities listed on each college’s accounting program and/or financial aid websites

Scholarships are great. But if you’re like the vast majority MAcc students, your scholarship awards will make up just one part of a larger package of funding sources for your degree program. Other parts of that package may include the following.

• Grants
• Assistantships and fellowships
• Work-study programs
• VA benefits (for military vets)
• Student loans
• Student loan forgiveness programs

Another funding possibility is employer tuition reimbursement. That’s where current employers help fund the education of their most valued employees in exchange for a promise to continue working for them for a predetermined period after graduation. One company example is Target, which helps its employees pay for their master’s educations in a wide range of majors, including accounting.