Abstract We examine the relationship between state and local spending per capita on higher education and the performance of Certified Public Accountant (CPA) examination candidates. State and local governments play an important role in providing access to higher education at public colleges and universities. Because these government bodies face difficult choices in addressing many competing needs, there is substantial variability in the level of spending on higher education per capita across states. This state-level variation presumably leads to differences in the quality of education. We find evidence to support this view. Specifically, we find that the level of spending on higher education per capita has a positive marginal effect on the CPA exam pass rates for public universities. In contrast, the level of spending on higher education per capita has no effect on the CPA exam pass rates for private universities.