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CPA exam and license requirements in Mississippi

Mississippi requires 120 semester credit hours to sit for the CPA exam. Licensure requires 150. Administered under the Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy. Last reviewed 2026-08-19.

Credit hours to sit
120
Credit hours to license
150
Exam fee per section
$262.64
Exam credit window
30 months
Notice to Schedule valid
6 months from issue
Transferring scores out
Through the board
State ethics requirement
See below

How many credit hours do you need to sit for the CPA exam in Mississippi?

Mississippi requires 120 semester credit hours to sit for the CPA exam. Candidates in Mississippi sit under the rules of the Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy.

How many credit hours do you need for a CPA license in Mississippi?

Mississippi requires 150 semester credit hours for CPA licensure. That is 30 more than the 120 needed to sit, so candidates can begin testing before completing the licensure requirement.

How much does the CPA exam cost in Mississippi?

The CPA exam in Mississippi costs $262.64 per section, a $150 application fee. Four sections at $262.64 is $1,050.56 in section fees alone. These are Mississippi board and NASBA fees and exclude review course costs and any re-take fees.

How long do you have to pass all four CPA exam sections in Mississippi?

Mississippi gives candidates a 30-month window to pass all four CPA exam sections. The clock starts when the first section is passed.

How long is your Notice to Schedule valid in Mississippi?

Mississippi gives you 6 months from the date your Notice to Schedule is issued to sit the section it covers. If it expires you forfeit the fees already paid for that section and must reapply.

From the Validation Periods map in the NASBA Candidate Guide, edition 2026-07-16. That is NASBA's summary of the board's rule rather than a reading of the board itself, so confirm it with the Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy before planning around it.

Can you appeal a failed CPA exam score in Mississippi?

Mississippi offers a score appeal. An appeal lets you view the multiple-choice questions or simulations you answered incorrectly and submit comments on them, under supervision, and it requires a formal request, board approval, a fee and a deadline that runs from the date your score was reported. A score review is separate and is available everywhere: it re-checks that the approved answer key was applied correctly to your responses, and it is not a way to have an alternative answer considered.

Appeal availability is listed in the NASBA Candidate Guide, edition 2026-07-16. See also what happens on test day.

How do you transfer CPA exam scores out of Mississippi?

Not through NASBA. Mississippi does not appear as an origin on NASBA's transfer service, so you request your scores from the Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy directly. This is read from NASBA's archived fee schedule rather than a current board page, so confirm it before posting anything.

Route read from NASBA's transfer service and cross-checked against NASBA's Interstate Authorization Fee Schedule, 2026-09-20, and every route claim was handed to a pass instructed to refute it. How exam credit moves between jurisdictions sets out the whole picture, including what moving does to your credit window.

Do your CPA exam credits expire after you pass all four sections in Mississippi?

Yes. Mississippi gives you three years from passing your last section to apply for the license, and what lapses if you do not is your exam credit. The rule is Miss. Admin. Code Title 30, Part 1, Rule 2.1.2. The 150 hours and the experience are preconditions of the duty rather than a carve-out from it, so the clock binds once you hold them.

Miss. Admin. Code Title 30, Part 1, Rule 2.1.2: "he must make application for licensure with the State Board within three years from the date of successful completion of the CPA examination. If the candidate does not make application for licensure within the three-year period, all previous CPA examination credits earned will expire, and all parts of the CPA examination must be retaken." Source.

Researched against Mississippi's own statutes and administrative rules on 2026-09-20, not against the board FAQ alone. What happens to CPA exam credit after you pass all four sets out all 55 jurisdictions and the clocks that are mistaken for deadlines.

Does Mississippi require a CPA ethics exam?

Mississippi: No separate ethics exam (neither AICPA nor state) is required for initial licensure; ethics is met only through ongoing CPE (4 hours per 3-year period, including 1 hour on Mississippi accountancy law).

What work experience is required for a CPA license in Mississippi?

Mississippi requires one year of experience through full-time employment, gained within three years of passing the exam, under the supervision of a CPA licensee.

Who regulates CPAs in Mississippi?

CPAs in Mississippi are regulated by the Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy. Its published requirements are at https://www.msbpa.ms.gov.

Can you become a CPA in Mississippi without 150 credit hours?

Yes. Mississippi has an alternative route to CPA licensure that does not require 150 semester hours, and it has been in force since 2026-07-01. The traditional 150-hour route remains available alongside it. The change came through HB 1137 (2026), signed March 16, 2026.

What the alternative route requires: A baccalaureate degree with an accounting concentration or equivalent, plus two years of experience and passage of all parts of the Uniform CPA Exam.

Worth knowingThe accounting concentration required under all three pathways is defined by board rule rather than in statute, so the specific coursework detail sits in the rules. The board notice does not name the bill; the bill number and March 16, 2026 signing date come from the Mississippi Society of CPAs, which is also a primary source and agrees with the board on substance and effective date.

Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy, New CPA Pathway Effective 7/1/2026: https://www.msbpa.ms.gov/news/new-cpa-pathway-effective-712026. Verified 2026-08-19, and independently re-checked against the cited source.

Recent changes and notes for Mississippi

Jurisdictions that changed around the same time as Mississippi

Mississippi's alternative route started on 1 July 2026. These started closest to it, which is the comparison that matters if you are choosing where to apply or holding a license in more than one.

The full picture, with every statute and the jurisdictions where the published trackers are behind, is on the 150-hour rule tracker.

Studying for the CPA exam

PocketCPA covers all six CPA exam sections with 11,896 questions, each cited to the specific standard or statute it tests, and 1,071 lesson pages written from primary source text. A nine-item sample of every section is open with no account, and a full-length FAR mock exam is free with one.

Source: https://www.msbpa.ms.gov/licensing-exams. Requirements change; confirm with the Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy before applying.