AINA Scholarship Program – AI-Native Accounting

AINA Scholarship Program · 2026-27

Supporting the next generation of AI-native accountants

Two $5,000 scholarships for students who aren't just learning about AI, they're building with it.

Applications close September 15, 2026

2

Scholarships awarded

$5,000

Per scholarship

Sept 15, 2026

Applications close

U.S. Only

Enrolled students

About the Program

We invest in students who are already doing the work.

The AINA Foundation's Scholarship Program puts meaningful dollars in students' hands funds they can use for tuition, living expenses, books, or any other education-related cost while surfacing AI use cases that can inspire the broader profession.

The Advisory Council reviewing applications is made up of leaders actively shaping how accounting and finance firms adopt AI. They are not looking for essays about AI they want to see real work and future thinking.

Eligibility

Who should apply

Undergraduate students in accounting, finance, taxation, or a closely related field
Master's students in accounting, taxation, finance, or a closely related program
Enrolled at an accredited U.S. college or university for the 2026-27 academic year
Does not require a CPA, CGMA or official credential track

How to Apply & What to Expect

Three parts. One application.

The application is designed to surface real work and clear thinking, not polished essays. The project and your video carry the most weight.

PART 1: Profile

Basic information about you:

your school and academic background
your program of study
expected or actual graduation date
credential, certification, or career track details
any professional society memberships (Beta Alpha Psi, NABA, Ascend, etc.)

Takes approximately five minutes and helps confirm your eligibility and profile completeness for review.

PART 2: AI Use Case Project

This is the core of your application. Submit a practical working artifact such as a prompt library, custom GPT, Excel or Power BI workflow, automation agent, code notebook, browser extension, or any AI-enabled system you have built or configured.

Include a short project write-up (max 500 words) explaining:

the problem you identified
how your solution works in practice
and how a real user or practitioner would benefit from it

PART 3: Structured Video Response (3-4 minutes, hard cap)

Record a single video covering four questions in sequence. Clear audio, steady camera, quiet room is all you need.

Q1 (30 sec) Introduce yourself: school, program, and what drew you to accounting or finance.
Q2 (60-90 sec) Walk through your project: the problem, how it works, and who it helps.
Q3 (60-90 sec) How do you see AI reshaping the specific role you want to step into after graduation?
Q4 (45 sec) Beyond your own role, what opportunity could a use case like yours create for the broader profession?

Award

What winners receive

Being selected as an AINA Foundation Scholar goes beyond the $5,000. Winners step into the profession with visibility, mentorship, and connection.

$5,000 Scholarship

Disbursed directly to you for any education-related expense (tuition, living costs, books, fees etc)

Podcast Feature

A guest appearance on the AI Native Accounting Podcast to walk through your project and share your perspective on the profession.

Public Recognition

Feature in the AINA newsletter, press release, and social channels, plus coordinated recognition through your professional community Beta Alpha Psi, NABA and others.

6-Month Mentorship

Paired with an AINA Advisory Council member or partner firm leader for one dedicated hour per month across six months.

Firm Introductions

Introduced to a curated shortlist of partner firms open to hosting interns or apprentices. You still interview, and firms retain full hiring discretion.

Case Study

Your project archived on ainativeaccounting.org as part of a student use case library a resource for other students, faculty, and firms.

Before You Apply

A few things that matter

The Council responds to students who understand the accounting and finance work deeply enough to know what's worth improving, and who had the initiative to try.

Start with the problem, not the technology. The most common mistake is leading with “I used GPT-4 to…” before explaining why anyone should care. Flip it: start with the friction, then explain the build.
Make your link work. Before you submit, open your project link in an incognito window. If you can’t access it, neither can we.
Be honest about scope. A focused, well-executed use case beats an ambitious one that doesn’t fully work. Tell us what it does, what it doesn’t do yet, and where you’d take it.
You don’t need to be an engineer. What the council responds to is someone who understands the accounting and finance work deeply enough to know what’s worth improving.

Applications Close · September 15, 2026

Ready to apply?

Two students will walk away with $5,000, a podcast feature, a six-month mentorship, and a permanent place in AINA's student use case library.

Questions? Reach us at ainativeaccounting.org/contact-us