For the second year in a row, accounting students at Belmont University’s Jack C. Massey College of Business posted the highest first-time CPA exam pass rate among accounting programs in Tennessee with 20 or more test-takers. Results of the Uniform CPA exam are published each August by the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA).
Belmont’s first-time test-takers posted a 73.5% pass rate, which exceeds the 60.2% national pass rate for first-time test-takers by more than 13 percentage points. Belmont also posted the highest rate among Tennessee programs of that size when all candidates were counted.
In January 2024, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and NASBA launched the CPA Evolution initiative, which replaced the existing exam structure with a new core-and-discipline model. In anticipation of this change, Massey accounting faculty revamped the accounting curriculum to ensure students were well prepared for the new format. Belmont's first-time pass rate rose nearly 7 percentage points between 2024 and 2025.
"Significantly increasing our first-time pass rate in 2025 and taking the sole top spot speaks volumes about the depth of our undergraduate and graduate accounting programs and the quality of our students and faculty at Belmont," said Dr. Ryan Seay, chair of the Massey Accounting Department. "By allowing undergraduate students to dual enroll in graduate courses during their final semester, we are accelerating their preparedness for the CPA exam and shortening the time and cost to complete the Master of Accountancy degree."
Belmont's first-time pass rate also outpaced Tennessee's statewide first-time pass rate of 64.8%.
"Belmont's accounting students led Tennessee in first-time CPA pass rates this year. This is consistent with the standard we set for ourselves, and one we intend to keep meeting," said Massey College of Business Dean Randy V. Bradley.
Wanyi Fang (BBA ’24, MAcc ‘25), who completed both her bachelor’s degree in accounting and Master of Accountancy at Belmont, earned her CPA designation in 2025.
“Choosing to pursue my MAcc at Massey immediately after undergrad was one of the best decisions I’ve made,” said Wanyi. “The MAcc. program built on the foundational knowledge from my BBA and prepared me extremely well for the CPA exams. Taking the exams while I was still in the program was especially helpful because the material was fresh in my mind, and I was able to apply what I was learning in class directly to my CPA preparation.”
Belmont University’s Jack C. Massey College of Business is the only private college or university in Tennessee and one of only 37 private schools worldwide with separate AACSB accounting accreditation for its undergraduate and graduate accounting programs.
About The NASBA Report
Founded in 1908, the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) has served as an association dedicated to enhancing the effectiveness of the country’s 55 state boards of accountancy for more than 100 years. As a driving force within the accounting profession, NASBA accomplishes its mission by creating a forum for accounting regulators and practitioners to address issues relevant to the viability of the accounting profession. NASBA takes pride in offering its member boards a rich portfolio of products and services, all designed to effectively aid boards in their goal to protect the public. NASBA offers their annual CPA Performance reports through the participation of candidates and their individual Boards of Accountancy, which provide data, and the cooperation of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), which prepares and scores the examination for the 55 U.S. jurisdictions.
Learn more about accounting at Belmont.