A lot of CA Aspirants think of starting off their CA journey after completing their graduation or getting through Intermediate Level of professional courses like CMA or CS. This is what commonly referred to as a direct entry route to CA.
Also, some students who have originally registered for CA Foundation or Intermediate Course under CA Foundation Route can later convert into the Direct entry scheme.
What’s the whole process of Direct Entry Route or should I go for Direct Entry Route or Foundation Route or will direct entry students get good articleship in Big firms or not is what we are gonna discuss in this blog.
Eligibility for Direct Entry Scheme
Commerce Graduates / Post Graduates with a minimum of 55% marks or other graduates or Postgraduates with a minimum of 60% marks.
Candidates who have passed the Intermediate level of The Institute of Companies Secretaries of India (CS) or The Institute of Cost Accountants of India (CMA).
Provisional Registration for the Final Year Students
Candidates who are pursuing the Final Year of Graduation can register for the Intermediate course on a provisional basis and they can commence articleship training .
In order to commence your articleship,
You would have to submit the proof of having passed the graduation examination with the mentioned criteria (55% in Commerce or 60% in other streams)
You would have to successfully complete ICITSS training (Click here for more details).
The proof must be submitted within 6 months from the date of appearance in the final year of the graduation exam.
However, if such a student failed to produce the proof within 6 months, his provisional registration would be canceled. So make sure you provide the proof well on time.
Procedure for Intermediate Passed Students of ICSI/ICWA-
The candidates who have passed the Intermediate level of Institute of Company Secretaries of India or Institute of Cost and Works Accountants of India can also register directly for the CA Intermediate level.
The procedure for registration in the CA Intermediate for such students will be the same as the foundation route.
After registration, they have to appear in CA Intermediate
Appear and pass either single or both groups of CA Intermediate.
Register themselves for the three years articleship training on passing either single or both groups of CA Intermediate.
Enroll for the CA Final after qualifying both the groups of CA Intermediate.
Undergo and Complete four weeks of AICITSS while pursuing the last two years of practical training but before appearing in Final Examination
Appear for CA Final after completing articleship.
Procedure for Graduates / Post Graduates –
Graduates and Post Graduates from the commerce stream who have secured a minimum of 55% marks or other graduates with a minimum of 60% marks can enroll themselves for the CA Intermediate through the Direct Entry Route.
The steps involved are:-
Successfully complete 4 weeks of ICITSS before the commencement of Practical Training. (Click here for more details)
Register for Three Years of Articleship.
Successfully complete 9 months of practical training to appear in CA Intermediate Examination *
Qualify both groups of Intermediate course
Register for CA Final and all the other steps are similar to the normal route.
Registration Fee for CA Intermediate for the Direct Entry Route Students –
Candidates enrolling themselves for the CA Course through the Direct Entry Route have to register themselves for Both Groups of Intermediate.–
Registration Options | Both Groups (INR) |
Registration Fees | 15000 |
Student Activities Fees | 2000 |
Registration Fees as an article assistant | 1000 |
Total Fees | 18000 |
Direct Entry Route students have to pay Rs 200 over and above.
Pros and Cons
Pros
You do not need to appear for CA Foundation
For someone who is from a stream other than commerce, they would find intermediate tougher as they would have got the basic understanding of accounts and business had they given CA Foundation.
Since you don’t have to appear for CA Foundation, it saves your 7-8 months.
Cons
Some direct entry route students find it difficult to get to Big Firms as these big corporates prefer someone who has had rank in Foundation or Intermediate.
Also, you have to manage intermediate studies and articleship simultaneously which sometimes becomes unmanageable.
Conversion from Foundation Route to Direct Entry Route
If a student originally registers for CA Foundation Course or CA Intermediate Course through the CA Foundation route, he/ she can later convert into Direct Entry Scheme by following the simple procedure elucidated below:
Go to Self Service Portal (SSP) Portal
Sign in to the SSP Portal with your User ID and Password
Click on Student Cycle
Click on the Student module option available on the left side
Select the Other Forms option from the Student Module
Click on Conversion Application
The conversion form will be displayed on the screen having three parts which are Personal details; Conversion details and Payment details.
Fill in all the required details, upload all the required documents and click on I Agree
Click on Generate OTP
Pay the required fees for conversion to direct entry scheme through the online payment method
The PDF of the form will be displayed on the screen after successful payment of Fees
Save the form pdf for later use
Fees for Conversion to Direct Entry Scheme
Students can convert to the Direct Entry scheme from their existing scheme by paying a fee of Rs.500/- on the SSP Portal.
Documents required for Conversion to Direct Entry Scheme
The following documents are required for converting into the Direct Entry Scheme on the SSP Portal:
Scanned copy of Candidate’s Photograph
Scanned copy of Candidate’s Signature
Previous Course Marksheet e.g. CA Foundation
Conclusion
To sum it up, Direct Entry Route may require you to manage training and intermediate studies but it would save some time by exempting you from Foundation.
If you have already decided to pursue CA, don’t worry. Once you step in, everything will be easy. So go for it!
FAQ
Q1. Can candidates opt for a direct entry scheme without passing the Foundation exam?
Ans: Yes, candidates opt for a direct entry scheme without passing the Foundation exam, if they have passed class 12th exams and graduation or have completed Intermediate Level of CMA or CS.
Q2. Will 9 months of training be deducted from articleship period of 3 years?
Ans: Yes, definitely
Q4. How many years are required by the students to complete the CA course after completion of their graduation?
Ans: It requires 3 years for candidates to complete the CA courses after graduation if they clear all their CA exams on the first attempt. If candidates do not clear their CA exams in the first attempt then their duration of completing the CA course will be increased depending upon how many attempts it will take for you to get through.
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