CA is a designation given to someone who has acquired Chartered Accountancy certification from a statutory organization that has determined that the person possesses the knowledge and abilities required to be carried out as a Chartered Accountant. The certification is offered in India by the ICAI, also known as the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Earlier, the only entry level exam for admission to the course was the Common Proficiency Test (CPT) which has now been replaced by the CA Foundation exam along with the changes in syllabus. Candidates will be eligible to take the Foundation exam after passing class 12th from a recognized school board or an equivalent exam as recognized by the Central Government of India, and upon completing four months of study period after registering with the Board of Studies.
Chartered Accountancy course exams for all three levels will be held in an offline mode and the minimum passing marks at each level is 40% for each paper and an aggregate of 50% marks in all papers combined. The registration date for the CA Foundation admission exam for June 2023 session is over now and the exam is slated to be held on June 24, 2023, June 26, 2023, June 28, 2023, and June 30, 2023. The registration for Foundation, Intermediate, and Final levels of the course remains open throughout the year for May/ June OR November/ December exam sessions.
The admission to CA course is possible via two different methods, the Foundation route and the Direct Entry route. It is always advisable, especially for 12th pass students, to choose the Foundation route to strengthen their fundamentals and have a good grasp of the course syllabus. However, Commerce/ Non-Commerce graduates and candidates who have passed the Executive and Intermediate levels of the Company Secretary course and Cost Management Accountant course, respectively, can take direct admission to the CA Intermediate level skipping the Foundation level of the course. There is no maximum age limit set forth by the ICAI for admission to the course.
The CA admission highlights will provide you with all the crucial information related to the course. Interested candidates can check out the below-mentioned table to get a good understanding of the important aspects of the CA course admission process.
Course Name | CA Course |
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Full Form | Chartered Accountancy is the full form of CA course.to |
Regulatory Body | Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) |
Course Duration |
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Course Level | CA course has 3 levels:
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Eligibility Criteria | For Foundation Route:
For Direct Entry Route: Direct admission to the CA Intermediate level is available to the following candidates:
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Age Limit | No age limit is prescribed by ICAI |
Admission Process | The CA admission process takes place in two ways:
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Job Profiles | Chartered Accountant, Auditor, Finance Manager, Tax Consultant, etc. |
CA Annual Salary in India | INR 5,00,000 - INR 20,00,000 |
Employment Areas | Tax Advisory Firms, Corporate Houses (includes budget and planning teams), Law Firms, Audit and Taxation, Banking and Financial Services, Investment Banking Firms, Chartered Accountant Firms, etc. |
CA course admission takes place in two different ways i.e CPT/ Foundation route OR Direct Entry route. The eligibility criteria for both methods are mentioned below:
The eligibility criteria for CA Foundation course level are as follows:
For direct acceptance into the CA Intermediate course, the candidate must fulfill the following eligibility requirements:
CA course fees for all the three levels of the ICAI programme are mentioned in the table below:
Fee Details | Fee (in INR) | Fee for Foreign Students (in USD) |
---|---|---|
Prospectus Cost | 200 | 20 |
Foundation Registration Fee | 9000 | 700 |
Students’ Journal Subscription (for 1 year) - Optional | 200 | 20 |
Members’ Journal Subscription (for 1 year) - Optional | 400 | 40 |
Total Fee | 9800 | 780 |
Fee Details | Both Groups (in INR) | Both Groups (in USD) | Group I/ II (in INR) | Group I/ II (in USD) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Registration Fee | 15,000 | 11,000 | ||
Students’ Activities Fee | 2000 | 2000 (to be paid only once) | ||
Registration Fee (as Articled Assistant) | 1000 | |||
Total Fee | 18,000 | 1000 | 13,000 | 600 |
Note: Direct entrance students must pay INR 200 (about $20) for the prospectus in addition to the fees listed above.
Fee Details | For Indian Students (in INR) | For Foreign Students (in USD) |
---|---|---|
Final Registration Cost (without article) | 22,000 | 1100 |
The Common Proficiency Test (now replaced by CA Foundation) is the only entry-levelexam for the Chartered Accountancy course. A student who has completed the 10th grade may enroll for the Foundation level by submitting the required paperwork and payment. Students are only allowed to take the CA Foundation exam only after passing class 12th and completing four months of mandatory study period with the Board of Studies.
The schedule for CA Foundation/ CPT exam is as follows:
Exam Events | CA Exam Dates 2023 |
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Application form date | February 3, 2023 |
Application submission last date (without late fee) | February 24, 2023 |
Application submission last date (with late fee) | March 03, 2023 |
Application Form Correction Window | March 4, 2023 to March 10, 2023 |
CA Foundation Exam Dates | 24 June, 2023 26 June, 2023 28 June, 2023 30 June, 2023 |
Note: Candidates registered under the Old Scheme are required to convert from CPT to Foundation on the Self Service Portal by paying INR 500.
The CA Foundation consists of four papers. One must pass all four papers to complete this level of the Chartered Accountancy programme. The syllabus covered in the four papers of the Foundation course is listed in the table below:
Papers | CA Foundation Syllabus | Marks |
---|---|---|
Paper 1 | Principles and Practices of Accounting | 100 Marks |
Paper 2 | Business Law & Business Correspondence and Reporting
| 100 Marks |
Paper 3 | Business Law & Business Correspondence and Reporting
| 100 Marks |
Paper 4 | Business Economics & Business and Commercial Knowledge
| 100 Marks |
CA selection process is different for foundation and direct entry routes involving multiple crucial steps as mentioned below:
The direct entry selection process is divided into two parts and explained as follows:
Part - I (For Commerce graduates/ postgraduates with minimum aggregate marks of 55% and Non-Commerce graduates/ postgraduates with a minimum aggregate percentage of 60%)
Part - II (For CMA/ CS Intermediate/ Executive passed candidates)
Candidates can apply for the CA course through two methods, one is Foundation and the other is Direct Entry. Chartered Accountancy Foundation method is mostly for the 12th pass candidates and Direct Entry method is opted by graduates/ postgraduates/ CS Executive or CMA Intermediate level passed candidates. Candidates can easily register themselves through ICAI's centralized self-service platform. Applicants do not need to physically submit their documents or register at a branch of the ICAI.
To begin the CA registration and application process, candidates can follow the steps mentioned below:
The documents required for CA admission at each level of the course are as follows:
Before registering for the CA Foundation 2023, candidates should maintain scanned copies of the following documents:
The following documents will be required to register for the CA Intermediate 2023:
Before registering for the CA Final 2023, candidates should have scanned copies of the following documents:
Yes, candidates can take direct admission to the CA Intermediate level via the direct entry route. Commerce graduates with an overall 55% and Non-Commerce graduates with an aggregate of 60% marks along with CS Executive/ CMA Intermediate passed candidates are eligible for the direct entry route. These candidates are not required to pass the CA Foundation exam (formerly CPT).
Yes, it is possible to clear the CA Foundation exam with self preparation. However, candidates must be disciplined, stick to their preparation plan, properly study from ICAI provided material, revise daily, prepare important notes, take lots of mock tests, study and solve previous year’s question papers in order to successfully clear the exam in one single sitting through self study only.
CA qualification allows a person to become a certified Chartered Accountant and a member of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). The CA certification is considered to be a prestigious and highly respected qualification in India, which further adds to the demand for CAs. Chartered accountants have specialized and in-depth knowledge in domains like accounting, auditing, taxation, and finance which makes them an extremely valuable asset for any organization. CAs in India have an excellent reputation and are considered to be well-trained and knowledgeable professionals who can provide valuable financial advice, perform auditing, and aid in the overall financial management and growth of a firm.
No, you do not need to join any college to prepare for the CA course. There are study materials provided by the ICAI to prepare for the course levels. Apart from that, there are online sample papers, previous year’s question papers, Youtube videos, etc. that can immensely help you in your CA exam preparation. However, if you still need help then you can look out for good coaching centers that help aspirants in successfully clearing each level of the course through proper guidance, practice, and teaching.
The last date to fill out the application for the CA Foundation admission June 2023 exam was February 24, 2023 (without late fee), and March 3, 2023 (with late fee).
There is no specified age limit by the ICAI to pursue the CA course in India. However, candidates must have at least completed their class 12th to be eligible to take the CA Foundation exam.
The CA admission fees differ with the levels of the Chartered Accountancy course and are as follows:
CA Foundation level admission fees: INR 9800 (USD 780)
CA Intermediate level admission fees: INR 13,000 (Group I/ II), INR 18,000 (for both groups), USD 1000 (both groups), and USD 600 (Group I/ II) - Direct entry students must also pay an additional fee of INR 200 as the prospectus cost.
CA Final level admission fees: INR 22,000 or USD 1100 (for foreign candidates)
Yes, candidates can apply online for admission to the CA course. The application process for all the three levels of the CA course is online based through ICAI’s centralized self service portal. Candidates can visit the following link www.icai.org/post/students-services, then click on another link “Entry level forms (Foundation and Intermediate (Direct Entry))” and get started with the registration and application process to the course.
Candidates who have passed class 12th can immediately register for the CA Foundation course along with registering with the Board of Studies to complete four months of mandatory study period before appearing for the Foundation entry level exam to the course. CA Foundation registration can be done online by visiting this link www.icai.org/post/students-services and clicking on “Entry level forms (Foundation and Intermediate (Direct Entry))”. The entire application process for all the three levels of the course is done online through ICAI’s centralized self service portal. We have also mentioned about how to apply for the course on this page, interested candidates may check the same.
Candidates can get admission to the CA course through two ways mentioned below:
Foundation Route: This route is best for 12th pass students. Candidates who have passed class 10th can register for the CA Foundation course and complete 4 months of mandatory study period by registering with the Board of Studies and once a candidate clears class 12th, they become eligible to sit for the CA CPT/ Foundation entrance exam to the course.
Direct Entry Route: Graduates/ Postgraduates in Commerce and Non-Commerce streams along with ICSI Executive/ ICWAI Intermediate level passed candidates can take direct admission to the CA Intermediate level skipping the Foundation level of the course. Commerce graduates must have at least 55% aggregate marks and Non-Commerce must have at least 60% aggregate score to be eligible for the direct entry admission.