Austin Community College ranked in the top 10 among Texas colleges and universities on the 2008 Certified Public Accountant exams, according to a report from the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy.

New figures released show more than 68.8 percent of ACC students passed the challenging exam in August and 66.7 percent passed in May. Offered quarterly, the CPA exam serves as a critical benchmark for the field of accounting.

The average Texas pass rates in August and May were 53.4 percent and 47.5 percent, respectively.

“Our students’ high pass rates exemplify the high quality of accounting instruction at ACC,” says Charles Quinn, dean of the Business Studies Division.

ACC is one of the few community colleges to appear in the ranking, which includes more than 60 colleges and universities across the state.

“Our accounting students perform as well, or better, on the CPA exam as students from the top universities in Texas,” Quinn says. “In fact, the pass rate of ACC students has been in the top 10 since ACC began taking the CPA exam in the early part of this decade.”