Five SMU masters students were awarded the Accounting Education Foundation scholarship by the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants (CPAs).

Emily Blake, Andrew Cates, Megan Cotton, Alison Hopkins and Aurman Sororian were the 2015-16 recipients.

According to the Texas Society of CPAs, prerequisites for the scholarship include being an accounting major at a Texas college or university and having the “intent of becoming a Texas Certified Public Accountant.” Recipients “also must have a high cumulative college GPA and perform well in accounting classes.”

Award recipient Andrew Cates heard of the TSCPA through the head of the masters accounting program, Greg Sommers, and decided to apply.

“The application process was relatively easy and required filling out their online application as well as showing the TSCPA that I had filed an application of intent to sit for the CPA exam in Texas with the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy (TSBPA),” Cates said.

Cates, pursuing a Masters of Science in Accounting (MSA), was grateful to win the award to help fund his future.

“I am thankful for the award,” Cates said. “It will help me leave SMU without student debt, allowing me to start my career debt free.”

A total of 51 students across Texas were awarded the accounting scholarships this year. The full list can be found at the Texas Society of CPAs website.