More than 640 students have enrolled in innovative educational program to date.

Hult is extending its partnership with Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) for an additional three years to help eligible students obtain the 150 hours of education required for certified public accountant (CPA) licensure. The EY Career Path Accelerator Program brings Hult’s skills-based learning to EY US undergraduate interns to help them gain the accredited business and elective courses required for CPA licensure eligibility. Since its launch in 2021, more than 640 students have enrolled in the program with some 300 students completing it so far.

“Relevancy has always been a pillar of the Hult learning experience,” said Matt Lilley, President of Hult International Business School.

“This collaboration with EY US is an example of that, a unique program where students who want to become CPAs can gain industry-specific learning in an accessible way to get them one step closer to their goal.”

The first-of-its-kind EY Career Path Accelerator, open to EY US interns who are undergraduate students not pursuing a master’s degree, is designed to offer job-related learning and skills development that can be applied to a future career in the accounting profession.

The program provides students with a series of virtual courses administered by Hult International Business School combined with on-the-ground support to ensure subject-matter knowledge that students will need upon entering the workforce. Curriculum focuses on data visualization, data integration, digital business models, project management, sustainability, and leading with purpose. In addition, students complete a Capstone project and gain hands-on experience via the EY internship. True to Hult’s teaching method, learning assessments and team-based work are central to the program.

Since the program’s start in 2021, students have given strong marks to the learning and support provided.

“The program helped me jump-start my career in accounting,” said Christine Murray, EY Career Path Accelerator alumna and Risk Consulting Staff at EY US.

“The combination of Hult content and teaching, while being ‘on the job,’ has given me both the insight and skills that I would not have had otherwise.”

From Ellen Glazerman, EY Americas Director of University Relations:

“The EY Career Path Accelerator provides hands-on learning, while solving real-world challenges and helping develop employment-ready skills,” she said.

“We’ve seen incredible interest from students to participate in the program, which is a testament to our ability to address barriers to entry by creating an alternative, affordable pathway to becoming CPA eligible. The EY Career Path Accelerator is helping diversify the pipeline and empower the next generation of accounting professionals at a time when demand for CPAs is growing but people joining the profession has declined.”