Just In - Trinity Alumni Score Highest 2015 CPA Exam Pass Rate and Average Exam Score in Illinois

At Trinity Christian College, we focus on preparing our graduates for success after college. So we are proud to announce that in 2015, Trinity’s Accounting Program graduates had the highest pass rate and average exam score in the state on the CPA exams administered by the Illinois Board of Examiners, among schools with 35 or more parts taken. Trinity students averaged a 70 percent pass rate, while the state average is 50 percent.

“The CPA exam doesn’t just test accounting knowledge,” said Dr. Lynn Spellman White, professor of accounting. “For example, the BEC [Business Environment Concepts] section includes economics, management, strategy, finance, IT, and more. This shows the strength of our overall business program.”

As White points out, 29 Illinois schools had 35 or more exam sections taken during 2015. “Our students have outperformed extraordinary programs like the University of Chicago, Northern Illinois University, DePaul University, and the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign,” said White.

Anyone sitting for the exam in Illinois must have completed 150 semester hours, with at least 30 credit hours in accounting. That means many people taking the exam have at least a master’s degree. “We fit all the requirements into four years here at Trinity, which is fairly unusual and beneficial to our students,” said White.