Eligibility & Requirements

Check out the list of requirements below. We find that most applicants fall into these two categories.

Undergraduate Students Degree seeking undergraduate students and non-degree post-baccalaureate students at institutions where a chapter is located shall be eligible for election to membership after they:

Graduate Students Degree seeking graduate students at institutions where a chapter is located shall be eligible for candidate status after they, at a minimum:

have declared a concentration in accounting, finance, or information systems (or have stated an intention to declare a concentration in accounting, finance, or information systems); have completed, in addition to one and a half years of collegiate courses, at least one upper level course beyond the business core (for transfer students, the most recent qualifying course must be at the initiating institution or another AACSB or EQUIS accredited institution); have attained a cumulative grade average in upper level courses, in their declared area of concentration, beyond the business core of at least 3.0 (where A is equal to 4.0) or the equivalent; and have attained at least a cumulative grade average of 3.0, or have achieved a rank within the top 35% of their university class, or have attained at least a 3.25 cumulative grade average on the most recently completed 30 semester hours; Or have attained an honors distinction utilized by their institution deemed to be equivalent to the above by the BAP Board of Directors.

are majoring, concentrating, or have a stated interest in accounting, finance, or information systems; and have matriculated into a graduate degree program.

Candidacy

In order to fully benefit from Beta Alpha Psi (BAP) activities, students seeking to be BAP candidates must declare their candidacy when they have at least the equivalent of one academic year (two semesters) remaining prior to graduation. A student may remain a candidate for no more than one semester or two academic quarters following completion of required major courses prior to induction as a full member; exceptions for special circumstances may be made only with approval of the chapter’s faculty advisor.

Eligibility for Membership

Section 1. Degree seeking undergraduate students and non-degree Post-Baccalaureate students at institutions where a chapter is located shall be eligible for election to membership after they:

• have declared a concentration in accounting, finance, or information systems (or have stated an intention to declare a concentration in accounting, finance, or information systems),
• are matriculated students at the chapter university, and;
• have completed one and one half years of collegiate courses and at least one major course (accounting, finance or information systems corresponding to major area) beyond the principles or introductory level (for transfer students, the most recent qualifying course must be at the initiating institution or another AACSB or EQUIS accredited institution or
• for those institutions offering 3-year programs, have completed one year of collegiate courses and at least one major course (accounting, finance or information systems corresponding to major area) beyond the principles or introductory level (for transfer students, the most recent qualifying course must be at the initiating institution or another AACSB or EQUIS accredited institution);
• have attained a cumulative grade average in upper level courses, in their declared area of concentration, beyond the business core of at least 3.0 (where A is equal to 4.0) or the equivalent; and
• have attained at least a cumulative grade average of 3.0, or
• have achieved a rank within the top 35% of their university class, or
• have attained at least a 3.25 cumulative grade average on the most recently completed 30 semester hours; or
• have attained an honors distinction utilized by their institution deemed to be equivalent to the above by the BAP Board of Directors

Section 2. Degree seeking graduate students (e.g. MPA, MACC, MBA, MS, and PhD, etc.) at institutions where a chapter is located shall be eligible for membership if they:

1. are majoring, concentrating, or have a stated interest in accounting, finance, or information systems, are matriculated students at the chapter university, and;
2. have attained a cumulative grade average in their graduate courses of at least 3.0 (where A is equal to 4.0) or equivalent.

Section 3. Full-time, academically or professionally qualified members of the accounting, finance, or information systems faculty at institutions where a chapter is located are eligible for initiation as Faculty members.

Section 4. Persons exhibiting those qualities that Beta Alpha Psi fosters and who have achieved prominence in the fields of accounting, finance, or information systems or have contributed significantly of their time and talent to Beta Alpha Psi or its local chapters are eligible for election as Honorary members.

Section 5. Local chapters may establish a local chapter Candidate time period and other more restrictive requirements for membership.

Continuing Student Membership

Section 1. Undergraduate student members of Beta Alpha Psi shall remain student members so long as they remain degree seeking undergraduate students. Graduate students and Post-baccalaureate students at the institution where they were members as undergraduates may elect to continue or renew affiliation. Candidates shall remain Candidates until the first semester of association with Beta Alpha Psi after they have completed one and one half years of collegiate courses (or 1 year for 3-year programs) and at least one major course (accounting, finance or information systems corresponding to major area) in accounting, finance, or information systems (in their chosen concentration) beyond the principles or introductory level. At that point they must have satisfied all the requirements for membership and be initiated or be dropped as a Candidate.

Section 2. Student members of Beta Alpha Psi who relocate at another institution, either to complete their undergraduate program or to pursue a graduate degree, may become members of the local chapter provided they: (1) apply for membership and (2) meet all membership requirements for the local chapter. Candidates who relocate to another institution to complete their undergraduate program may become Candidates of the local chapter provided they apply to the local chapter and meet the requirements of the local chapter.

Last Updated: 09/20/16