Whether you love or hate accountants, one thing is clear: there are a lot of them in the Philippines. Did you know that there are more than 175,000 CPAs or Certified Public Accountants registered in the country, according to the Board of Accountancy?
That may initially seem like a small number, but that only counts accountants who religiously renew their CPA license from the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) every year. That figure doesn’t include yet the thousands of CPA exam passers through the years who have decided not to renew their PRC licenses anymore.
The total number of Filipino CPAs surely runs in the hundreds of thousands, perhaps even in millions, considering that every year more than 125,000 students enroll in an Accountancy degree in over 520 accounting schools nationwide.
The attrition, though, in Accountancy programs is heartbreaking. From the 125,000 enrolled Accounting students, did you know that only 14,000 actually get to graduate per year? That’s just 11% of the total students that enrolled in the Accounting program during their first year.
What about the CPA Board Exam? Well, the average number of passers is 8,200 each year. That means just one out of 3 Accountancy graduates get to pass the CPA Licensure Exam (CPALE)!
Indeed, it’s tough to pass the CPALE which proves that the job of an accountant is not an easy one either.
Certified Public Accountants
First, an introduction on what CPAs actually do. In the Philippines, CPAs are tasked primarily to:
- Prepare and maintain financial statements and reports
- Examine statements to ensure accuracy and compliance with laws and standards
- Ensure proper documentation, filing, and payment of taxes
- Inspect account books and systems and keep them up to date
- Improve business systems to make them more effective and efficient
- Recommend ways to increase revenues, drive down costs, and maximize profit
- Deliver auditing and assurance services for businesses and individuals
As you can see, the professional accountant plays an important part in any organization, whether it’s the government, or a for-profit business, or a non-profit entity.
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Board Exam
To become a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), an individual must both:
- 1. Be a graduate of a “BS Accountancy” course in an accredited educational institution in the Philippines; and
- 2. Pass the CPA Licensure Examination, which is administered by the Board of Accountants under the supervision of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).
The Philippine CPA Board Exam is conducted twice a year, in May and in October of every year.
If you’re interested to be a certified public accountant soon, take note that the scope of the CPA Licensure Exam includes the following topics, among others:
- Financial Accounting and Reporting
- Advanced Accounting
- Auditing
- Management and Advisory Services
- Regulatory Framework for Business Transactions
- Taxation
Do you want to know which universities in the Philippines are able to top the CPA Licensure Exam (CPALE) in the past years?
We compiled the data from previous CPA Licensure Exams to determine the top schools with the highest CPA Board Exam passing rates. Check out the table below to see if your school is one of the best Accountancy schools in the Philippines!
Best CPA Schools in the Philippines
Category 1: Accountancy Schools with 201 or more CPALE examinees
| RANK | SCHOOL | PASSING RATE | NUMBER OF PASSERS | TOTAL NUMBER OF TAKERS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Santo Tomas, Manila | 92% | 799 | 863 |
| 2 | De La Salle University, Manila | 90% | 293 | 322 |
| 3 | Far Eastern University, Manila | 85% | 174 | 203 |
| 4 | Holy Angel University, Angeles City | 81% | 193 | 238 |
| 5 | University of San Jose-Recoletos, Cebu City | 80% | 189 | 235 |
| 6 | University of the East, Manila | 74% | 158 | 212 |
| 7 | Ateneo de Davao University, Davao City | 66% | 235 | 353 |
| 8 | Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Manila | 56% | 919 | 1,637 |
| 9 | Saint Louis University, Baguio City | 53% | 278 | 521 |
Category 2: Accountancy Schools with 101-200 CPALE examinees
| RANK | SCHOOL | PASSING RATE | NUMBER OF PASSERS | TOTAL NUMBER OF TAKERS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City | 99% | 139 | 140 |
| 2 | University of San Carlos, Cebu City | 97% | 143 | 147 |
| 3 | Ateneo de Zamboanga University, Zamboanga City | 89% | 98 | 110 |
| 4 | Bicol University - Daraga, Albay | 83% | 119 | 142 |
| 5 | Ateneo de Naga University, Naga City | 79% | 152 | 191 |
| 6 | University of Mindanao, Davao City | 76% | 97 | 126 |
| 7 | Mindanao State University - Main Campus, Marawi City | 71% | 84 | 118 |
| 8 | Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology, Iligan City | 70% | 87 | 123 |
| 9 | Chiang Kai Shek College, Manila | 69% | 87 | 125 |
| 9 | University of the Philippines Visayas - Iloilo City Campus,Iloilo City | 69% | 72 | 103 |
| 10 | University of the Cordilleras, Baguio City | 65% | 99 | 152 |
| 11 | University of Saint Louis, Tuguegarao City | 62% | 123 | 196 |
| 12 | Tarlac State University, Tarlac City | 60% | 92 | 152 |
| 13 | University of the East - Caloocan, Caloocan City | 58% | 98 | 167 |
| 13 | De La Salle Lipa, Lipa City | 58% | 93 | 158 |
| 13 | Mindanao State University - Gensan, General, Santos City | 58% | 60 | 103 |
| 14 | Central Luzon State University, Science City of Munoz | 56% | 65 | 116 |
| 15 | Xavier University, Cagayan de Oro | 55% | 103 | 184 |
| 16 | University of Cebu, Cebu City | 54% | 67 | 124 |
| 17 | Saint Mary's University, Bayombong | 52% | 91 | 175 |
| 18 | Baliuag University, Baliuag | 45% | 79 | 175 |
Category 3: Accountancy Schools with 100 or below CPALE examinees
| RANK | SCHOOL | PASSING RATE | NUMBER OF PASSERS | TOTAL NUMBER OF TAKERS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of St. La Salle, Bacolod City | 98% | 66 | 67 |
| 2 | Adventist University of the Philippines, Silang | 97% | 35 | 36 |
| 3 | Kingfisher School of Business and Finance, Lucao | 96% | 78 | 81 |
| 4 | University of the Philippines Visayas - Tacloban College, Tacloban | 94% | 51 | 54 |
| 5 | Central Mindanao University, Maramag | 92% | 48 | 52 |
| 6 | Holy Name University, Tagbilaran City | 90% | 65 | 72 |
| 7 | De La Salle University Dasmarinas, Dasmarinas City | 89% | 62 | 69 |
| 8 | Divine Word College of Calapan, Calapan City | 85% | 60 | 70 |
| 9 | Notre Dame University, Cotabato City | 84% | 54 | 64 |
| 9 | Notre Dame of Marbel University, Koronadal City | 84% | 27 | 32 |
| 9 | Imus Institute, Imus | 84% | 16 | 19 |
| 10 | Asia Pacific College, Makati | 82% | 24 | 29 |
| 11 | Silliman University, Dumaguete City | 81% | 58 | 71 |
| 11 | The Lyceum of the Philippines - Laguna, Calamba City | 81% | 27 | 33 |
| 12 | Angeles University Foundation, Angeles City | 79% | 31 | 39 |
| 13 | Isabela State University, Echague | 78% | 22 | 28 |
| 14 | Central Philippine University, Iloilo City | 75% | 65 | 86 |
| 14 | Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Taguig City, Taguig City | 75% | 44 | 58 |
| 14 | Lyceum of the Philippines University, Manila | 75% | 15 | 20 |
| 15 | Mary the Queen College Pampanga, Guagua | 73% | 36 | 49 |
| 16 | Araullo University, Cabanatuan City | 72% | 45 | 62 |
| 16 | Misamis University, Ozamiz City | 72% | 8 | 11 |
| 16 | Southern Christian College, Midsayap | 72% | 8 | 11 |
| 17 | Cagayan State University - Andrews Caritan Campus, Caritan | 71% | 27 | 38 |
| 17 | San Sebastian College - Recoletos, Manila | 71% | 15 | 21 |
| 18 | Cagayan State University, Tuguegarao City | 70% | 39 | 55 |
| 19 | Mariano Marcos State University - Main, Batac City | 68% | 53 | 77 |
| 19 | General De Jesus College, San Isidro | 68% | 22 | 32 |
| 20 | Cavite State University - Indang Campus, Indang | 67% | 43 | 64 |
| 20 | Eastern Visayas State University Tacloban, Tacloban | 67% | 37 | 55 |
| 21 | University of Negros Occidental, Recoletos, Bacolod City | 66% | 30 | 45 |
| 21 | Batangas State University - Nasugbu, Nasugbu | 66% | 14 | 21 |
| 22 | Polytechnic University of the Philippines - Sta. Rosa, Santa Rosa City | 64% | 54 | 84 |
| 22 | Jose Rizal University, Mandaluyong | 64% | 20 | 31 |
| 23 | University of Northern Philippines Vigan, Vigan City | 63% | 51 | 80 |
| 23 | Colegio de Dagupan, Dagupan City | 63% | 30 | 47 |
| 24 | Cebu Institute of Technology University, Cebu City | 62% | 22 | 35 |
| 25 | University of Batangas, Batangas City | 61% | 40 | 65 |
| 25 | Technological Institute of the Philippines, Manila | 61% | 36 | 59 |
| 25 | Cagayan de Oro College-PHINMA Education Network, Cagayan de Oro | 61% | 11 | 18 |
Note: The table ranks the passing rates of CPA Exam first-time takers only; repeaters are not included. All figures are based on the four (4) previous CPA Board Exams conducted in October 2017, May 2017, October 2016, and May 2016.
Source: PRC Philippines (www.prc.gov.ph)
See also: List of Top Universities in the Philippines (based on Board Exam passing rate)
