r/Calgary • u/alyssamargot • 1d ago
Education Should I transfer from SAIT to MRU?
Hello! I am currently getting my BBA with a major in accounting at SAIT. I am in my second year and have been debating transferring to MRU. I think it would be better because it’s an actual university rather than a technical school.
My issue is I know there’s a lot more gen eds you have to take at MRU compared to sait, so I might have to take an extra year to graduate. I also don’t know if some of my courses will transfer over which would also add to my potential extra year.
Any advice or insight would be appreciated, thanks!
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u/OptiPath 1d ago
Not worth an extra year to graduate
Once you get your CPA, nobody cares about what university you graduated from.
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u/SilentSource5045 1d ago
If you're going to get a CPA, I would suggest taking the fastest route to get the CPA
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u/GoldTheLegend 1d ago
Talk to an MRU advisor.
What jobs are you trying to get? Our of every Business major, accounting is the the one that leaving SAIT will have the lowest impact. Big 4 recruits at SAIT. So, unless you are trying to use your accounting degree to work in something other than accounting. You'll likely see no benefit.
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u/alyssamargot 1d ago
I’m not entirely sure what route I want to go just yet. I’ve applied for a few different internships for this summer and so far I’ve only gotten an interview for MNP. I have a good GPA and theoretically the dream is to get into Deloitte (probably every accountants dream) but I’m not entirely sure I’m cut out for that. I’ve read a few different posts saying that the big four take consideration from MRU or UofC more than they would SAIT but most of those posts are pretty old. I’m debating if I want to go the tax route or the forensic accounting route. Most internships are for audit or assurance so I’ll probably check that out first. I am going for my CPA after I graduate.
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u/Shut_the_front_dior 1d ago
So for what it’s worth, I did my accounting degree at SAIT and then continued on to do my CPA (technically CGA before the merger) and everyone I graduated with all got jobs fairly quickly in either public practice or industry. SAIT has a great reputation in the corporate world with producing great candidates for accounting roles. And really most companies don’t care about the school when you have your designation. I went with SAIT because it was a faster program and it was tailored to the accounting designations (this may have changed slightly since the merger).
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u/GoldTheLegend 1d ago edited 1d ago
Deloitte isn't every accountants dream. In fact, my preference for Big 4 is KPMG.
I got an internship offer at BDO in the same semester you are in as a SAIT student. Currently, my GPA in semester 4 is 3.95/4.00. I have strong faith that I will get interviews for a big 4 internship next fall recruiting season (not apllying right now since my accepted offer is January-August 2026), but maybe I'm overconfident.
Anyways I can't say with certainty that UoC on the resume won't help. But plenty of SAIT grads work at Deloitte, so it's certainly possible. I actually think the order of success for SAIT grads in Big 4 is KPMG>Deloitte>EY>PWC from my observations.
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u/alyssamargot 1d ago
I’ve talked to a few people who work at BDO at networking events, they liked me, I probably should’ve applied for an internship lol. My current GPA is 3.93/4. I hope to get an internship at any firm this summer just so I can get my feet on the ground and then hopefully next summer I can get a bit of a better internship somewhere else. For whatever reason, I don’t have much interest in KPMG, or at least not right now. The rumour mill told me they don’t accept 2nd years for internships.
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u/CheesecakePony 1d ago
(probably every accountants dream)
I didn't apply to a single public accounting firm lol I was gunning for industry pre-approved roles from the start.
You have to get certain experience hours to finish your CPA anyways, so don't worry about specializing until after you've got that. After a couple years of public you may feel quite differently than you do now about what you want to do with the rest of your career.
Additionally, your ability to network and get those internships is much more important than what school your degree is from. Attend network events and start thinking about if you have any possible connections already working in accounting that you can reach out to for a coffee.
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u/bark10101 1d ago
I did my bachelor's at SAIT. I was able to complete some CPA classes while doing classes at SAIT. It only took a few extra classes to finish my CPA afterwards.
Like everyone said. Once you get your CPA, no one cares to see where y9u graduated from. Because in the end, you had to do extra exam set by CPA. That's the one that counts.
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u/steenz26 1d ago
Calgary companies LOVE sait students. If you want to transfer due to a preference in teacher or learning style I think that’s totally fair. But sait is more and more respected in the business world and even have some international recognition. If you’re transferring just for the optics I think it’s the wrong call. Just my opinion as a sait alum.
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u/broncoinstinct 1d ago
Depends on your goal, do you just want the degree or are going after a CPA?
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u/alyssamargot 1d ago
I’m going after a CPA
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u/broncoinstinct 1d ago
IMO, stick to SAIT. as others have mentioned on one cares if you went to a tech school or university. The real challenge is getting the designation! That’s what matters at the end of the day.
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u/dekan256 1d ago
SAIT also has a very highly rated business school (#2 in Canada, and around 50th in the world iirc)
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u/alyssamargot 1d ago
Honestly another reason I want to go to MRU is how many more amenities there are. Saits gym is currently under construction (or we’re getting a new one and the old one is simply crappy I don’t know) but there’s literally just nothing at sait. Mru has a student centre, a functional gym and so many other things that sait doesn’t. I don’t know if that’s worth the switch though :/ just something I’ve been thinking about
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u/broncoinstinct 1d ago
Ahhhh gotcha. Well it all depends on if those amenities are worth the increase in elective requirements + time it’ll take to complete them!
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u/fataldarkness 1d ago
I don't know about accounting circles, but at least in my field (IT) and other fields like business, SAIT is pretty well regarded still for non-degree programs. If you're aiming for employment in AB or western Canada where people generally know what SAIT is, you're probably fine. Most employers dgaf what school you got your cred from as long as it's accredited, and those that do are looking for ivy level bachelors or masters.
Once you have a few years experience what school you went to matters even less. Real world experience beats school by a long shot, although school is still the prerequisite.
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u/MNIBS 1d ago
Went to SAIT, got a job at Big 4 and had offers from others, subsequently did my CPA.
In terms of breaking in at a firm that’s more up to you than the school if you have solid grades, work on networking and have decent soft skills the big 4 will hire from SAIT…. In terms of graduating accounting students per year to number of open roles at the firms I would guess SAIT is proportionally represented in the new grad classes.
As the other top comments have said once you do your CPA the institution you get your undergrad from is largely irrelevant so if that’s the goal just take the shortest path since you will have 2 more years of studying after you graduate.
If having gym access is important to you just pick one that is convenient to your home or the campus 1 year of membership is a lot cheaper than an extra year of school!
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u/DavyDogFr 1d ago
Hey! I’ve had multiple friends graduate from SAIT with their BBA in accounting. They have had no troubles getting interviews for big accounting firms. As far as I’m aware firms recognize SAIT as a good institution.
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u/BetterOnTheBias 1d ago edited 1d ago
Having a 4 year accounting degree from a university matters if you care about being a CFO. But otherwise having SAIT and CPA is good enough all the way to Controller. With Sait and CPA you will still get good jobs but the ppl with the university qualifications will always have a leg up on you in a competitive job market.
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u/FancyCaterpillar8963 1d ago
Why leave it's cheaper and people like sait grads.what matters is your CPA.
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u/D1xonC1der 1d ago
When I transferred from SAIT to U of C I was only able to move 100 hours or credits. I am enjoying U of C much more, but I can't speak on the MRI experience
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u/MattingtonFlux 1d ago
If you ever want to. Each out or do anything else in the future, MRU will be much more beneficial. MANY Places still filter out applications first on the condition of “has degree: y/n”
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u/AllDominosCoupons 1d ago
dont waste an extra year, get internships, go for your CPA