Mumbai, India (CU)_ University Grants Commission (UGC) declared on Monday that the Chartered Accountant (CA), Company Secretary (CS) or Cost and Works Accountant (ICWA) degree programs will be considered equivalent to the postgraduate degree programs, and students who pass these CA, CS and ICWA exams will be treated as postgraduate degree holders.
In response to an appeal from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), the decision was taken by the UGC. The ICAI took to Twitter to make the announcement. It tweeted, “The University Grants Commission @ugcindia has resolved that CA Qualification will be treated equivalent to PG Degree based on requests submitted from @theicai. This will not only help CA’s for pursuing higher studies but will also facilitate the mobility of Indian CAs globally”.
As CA, CS, and ICWA degrees are now deemed as Master’s degrees, these degree holders are now eligible to apply for the UGC-NET. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) offers the Chartered Accountancy (CA) course; the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) offers the Company Secretaryship (CS) course; and the Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India (ICWA) offers the Cost and Work Accountants (ICWA) course.
Dhiraj Khandelwal, CCM of ICAI, took to Twitter and wrote, “Based on the representation made by ICAI, UGC approved CA/CS/ ICWA qualification equivalent to post-graduation degree. (PDG). Wow. It’s a great recognition to our profession.”
In the meantime, the ICAI has confirmed the dates for the CA foundation test, which will be held this year. On June 24, 26, 28, and 30, the foundation exam will be conducted. According to the timetable, the foundation exam for papers 1 and 2 will be held from 2 to 5 pm, while papers 3 and 4 will be held from 2 to 4 pm. All exams, with the exception of papers 3 and 4, will have a 15-minute advance reading period before the exam starts.
